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PRINTING.

only, leaving- two sides clear blanks, which were afterwaidspasted together. However, this mode of printing soon gaveway to a superior species of execution, by the typi mobiles,first formed of wood: those, in their turn, made way for cutmetallic types, which were succeeded by those fusil metallictypes now in use.

In the early stages of printing, they frequently omittedthe capital and initial letters, leaving them blank for illumi-nation in gold or azure. It has been said, this was design-edly done for the purpose of imposing upon the publicprinted copies for MS. transcripts. The report which is incirculation concerning Faust, appears to come in support ofthis assertion ; it being said be was at Paris , and offering aquantity of his bibles for sale as MS. The French , consi-dering the number of them, and also remarking the exactsimilarity and accuracy of the copies even to a single point,concluded it w-as impossible for the most accurate copyistto have transcribed them so correct. They suspected himof necromancy, and either actually indicted him, or threat-ened to do so, for conjuration; and by this means extortedhis secret. Whence came the origin of the popular story ofDr. Faustus ,- his dealing with the devil, and tragical death.From Ment.z, in 1462, when it was plundered and dis-franchised of its former liberties, printing spread through agreat part of Europe , particularly its artizans in that branchof art, settled at Ilaerlem, Hamburgh, and other places ;from Ilaerlem it travelled to Rome in 1466, when theRoman character was adopted in 1467, and soon perfected.

In the reign of Henry VI . Cardinal Thomas Bourchier,Archbishop of Canterbury, sent R. Tumour, Master ofthe Robes, and W. Caxton , merchant, to Ilaerlem, to learnthe art. These persons privately prevailed upon Corselis,an under workman, to come to England; and a presswas established at Oxford . This detail appears in a MS.chronicle, still preserved in the archiepiscopal library-in Lambeth Palace; and is cited by Atkyns, in his Origin andGrowth of Printing in England, published in London , 1664.This chronicle informs us, that the execution of this con-cern, entrusted to Tumour and Caxton, cost 1500 marks ;that printing was established at Oxford , before there wasany printer or printing-presses in France, Italy, Spain , orGermany , except the city of Mentz, which is said to claimseniority over even Haerlem itself, styling herself Urbemmagnatinam artis typographies inventarium primum ; thoughit is said there to be known to be otherwise, and recitingthe facts previously stated.