$18.00 999 SINGER (SAMUEL W.) Researches into the Hiftory of Playing Cards, with Illuftrations of the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood. Numerous highlyfinished engraved fpecimens. 4to, mor. gilt. Lond., 1816. [Humphry.] 1005 SOTHEBY (S. L.) Principia Typographia. The Block Books, or Xylographic Delineations of Scripture Hiftory iffued in Holland, Flanders, and Germany, during the Fifteenth Century; exemplified and confidered in Connexion with the Origin of Printing, to which is added an Attempt to Elucidate the Character of the Paper-Marks of the Period, a Work contemplated by the late Samuel Sotheby, and carried out by his Son. Nearly 150 plates, fuperbly engraved, and printed on thick, tinted paper. 3 1072 VAUGHAN (HENRY). Olor Ifcanus. A Collection of fome Select Poems and Tranflations. Small 8vo, moroc. gilt, tooled edges. Lond., 1651. $12.00 [Griswold.] 1087 WALLER (EDMUND). Works in Verfe and Profe. Published by Mr. Fenton. Portrait and other plates. 4to, turkey mor. gilt. Lond., 1729. $12.75 [Humphry.] 1104 WHYTINTON (ROBERT). Poet Laureate. The Three Bookes of Tullyes Offyces, both in Latyne Tonge and in Englyffhe. Black letter. Sm. 8vo, cf., gilt. Imprinted in Flete Street, by Wynkyn de Worde. Lond., 1533. $30.00 [Richardfon.] 1120 WITHER (GEORGE). The Workes of Mafter George Wither, containing Satyres, Epigrams, Eclogues, Sonnets, and Poems, whereunto is annexed a Paraphrafe on the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Sm. 8vo, red turkey mor. gilt. Lond., 1617-20. $12.00 1125 WITHER (G.) A Collection of Emblems, Ancient and Moderne; with Metricall Illuftrations, both Morall and Divine, etc. Frontispiece by Marshall, portrait, and emblematic prints. Folio, green mor. gilt. Lond., 1685. $40.00 [Griswold.] 1159 WOUVERMANS (PHILIP). Works of. An Extenfive Collection of Fine Engravings after the Master, and by the Old French and Flemish Artifts. Original impreffions, atlas folio, beautifully bound in half-crimfon morocco, full gilt, by Wright. Paris, 1737-'54. $61.00 [Humphry.] (BY THOMAS POWell, d. D.D.). (Continued from No. VII., p. 149.) IN Chapter V., the worthy Doctor has collected from the works of various writers fome curious facts regarding the origin and early hiftory of Printing, and Printing Preffes; and he concludes the chapter with an account of the famous printing eftablishment of Chriftopher Plantin, at Antwerp, in the fixteenth century, "which a traveller doth not stick to call octavum orbis miraculum." "This is a divine benefit afforded to mankind, faith Polydore Virgil, an Art that is second or inferiour to none, (faith Cardan,) either for wit or usefulness; it puts down hand-writing for neatness and expedition, for by this, more work is defpatched in one day, than many Librarians or book-writers could do in a year. Y -Quam nulla fatis mirabitur ætas Ars Cœlo delapfa viris; confumere nata Materiem, veloxque omnes tranfcribere libros, Cum pofitis, quadrata acie (miro ordine) fignis.' (READI INVENTA ADESPOTA.) knowledge, and hath brought to our cognizance This Art by multiplying books, hath multiplyed both perfons and actions remote from us; which we do not certainly know, it is one of the Inventa Ancient Worthies were more ftudious of doing 'O Germanica muneris repertrix But whether higher or lower Germany fhall have High Dutch, and make the Town of Harlem the birth place of this Noble Art. You may see what esteem men do make of it, when they do fo zealously strive and contend for the original Invention of it. This Junius tells us in his Hiftory of the Netherlands, that one Lurence John, a Burger of good Note and Quality of Harlem, was the first Inventor of it, and faith that he made Letters first of the barks of Trees, which being set and ranked in order, and clapt with their heels upward upon paper, he made the first effay and experiment of this Art. At first he made but a line or two, then whole pages, and then books, but printed on one fide only, which rudiments of the Art Junius faw in that Town. After this the faid Laurence made Types or characters of Tin, and brought the Art to further perfection daylie, but one John Fauftus (infauftus to him) whom he had employed for a Compofitor, and who had now learned the mysterie, stole away by night, all the Letters and other utenfils belonging to the Trade, and went away with them to Amfterdam first, thence to Collen, [Cologne] and lafty to Mentz, where he fet up for himself, and the firft fruit and specimen of his Prefs there, was the DOCTRINAL of one Alexander Gallus, which he printed Anno Dom. 1440. Thus far Junius from the relations of fundry grave ancient Burgomafters of Hærlem. "Hegenitz a Traveller faith, that the house of Laurence John is yet standing in the market place of Harlem, with this Infcription in golden Letters over the door. "MEMORIE SACRUM. Typographiæ Ars Artium Confervatrix, hic primum inventa, circa An. 1440. Nicol. Rigault that had been of late years in that country affirms, that that nation had this art above 500 years fince. But their printing and ours do very much differ from one another, for they do not print by compofing of Letters, but as we use for Maps and fuch pieces, they make for every leaf a board or table with characters on both fides, which is more laborious, and lefs neat than the European way, as Gonsalvo Mendoza, a Spanifh Frier, and others do affirm of it. Now if our Printing surpass for neatness and expedition, and is fo far different from that of the Chinois as is before alledged, it is a figne that the Germans did not borrow from them this Art: so that the praise and commendation of this Invention remains to them whole and entire without diminution. Mrs. Joan Elizabeth Wefton, one of the Muses of Englend, hath compofed a Latine Poem (among fundry others of her compofitions) in the praise of this art, which is indeed the preserver of all other arts. "As Printing itself is praife-worthy, fo fome Print-Houfes deferve here to be remembered, efpecially that of Chriftopher Plantin, at Antwerp, which a Traveller doth not stick to call Octavum orbis miraculum, the eighth wonder of the world. He defcribes it thus. Over the Gate is Plantin's own Statue, made of Freeze-stone, and of Moret his fon-in-law, and Succeffor in the office, and alfo of Juftus Lipfius with his Motto, -' MORIBUS ANTIQUIS.' Here are twelve Preffes, and near upon an hundred forts of Characters; two forts of Syriac, ten of Hebrew, nine of Greek, forty feven of Latine, and the rest of several other Languages, with Mu 'Vana quid Architypos & Præla (Moguntia) jac- fical Characters of fundry forts, and admirable tas ? Harlemi Archetypas prælaque nota fcias, "So Petrus Scriverius, who calls it palladium præfidium & tutelam Mufarum, et omnis Doctrina. Jofeph Scaliger contends that the first printing was upon wooden Tables, the Letters being cut or carved in them, and he faith, that he had feen Horologium Beata Maria (to wit) Our Ladies Hours, done upon parchment after fuch a manner, in his answer against Scioppius, called Confutatio Fabule Burdomanæ. Yet let not the Germans or any others be too proud of this Invention, for the Chinois had fuch an Art long before the Europeans faw or heard anything of it, as it is affirmed by Parus Maffeus, and fundry others of his fellow Jefuites who have travelled in that country. One brafs cuts for Frontifpieces of books. Here that excellent work called the King of Spain's Bible was done. ["I am well aware," fays Scribanius, "that many illuftrious men have flourished as printers. I have known the Aldufes from Italy--the Frobens from Germany-and the Stephenfes from France; but thefe are all eclipfed in the fingle name of Plantin! If they were the stars of their own hemispheres, you, Plantin, are the fun-not of Antwerp, nor of Belgium only-but of the world."] "The first Printing Prefs in England was set up in Westminster Abbey, by Simon Islip, Anno 1471, and William Caxton was the first that practifed it there, as Stowe in his Survey of London affirms." (To be continued.) Cardinal Bessarion, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PLATONIC PHILOSOPHY INTO ITALY. (From the German of Dr. Heinrich Ritter.*) IF Plethon had found no fupport, his doctrines would hardly have made their way throughout the Weft. His fundamenway throughout the Weft. His fundamental principles were only thrown out as hints, and, as fuch, were not eafy to be underflood. The manner, too, in which he propounded them, was that of hoftility against the Latins, and confequently not adapted to win affent. The confideration which he received as a Greek, found fomewhat of a thought of raifing him to the papal chair. He lived in the enjoyment of these honors till the year 1472; and was, all the time, the main fupport of the fugitive Greeks, endeavoring to make their learning available, and their labors conducive to the common good. He was himself as familiarly acquainted with the Latin language as with the Greek, and employed it in his theological and philofophical writings. All this could not but admirably qualify him for promoting the intercourse between the Greek philofophy and the Latin. The only work of Beffarion that is connected with the history of philosophy, is his controverfy with George of Trebifond (Befdrawback, in his cafe, from the oppofition farionis In Calumniatorum Platonis, libri he encountered from other Greeks, fuch as iv. Venet., 1516, folio); a work which, Gennadius, Matthæus Camariota, and The- from being rather of a literary than of a odore of Gaza, who took up arms for Aris Cardinal BESSARION, a fcholar of distin guished reputation, and one of the principal promoters of the Greek literature in Italy —a man, moreover, whofe mildnefs of character was well fitted to gain the affections of men and win admittance for his opinions-attached himself to the caufe of Plethon, and undertook to render the philofophy of Plato acceffible to the Latins. totle. Under thefe circumstances, it was better adapted for introducing a knowledge Under thefe circumftances, it was philofophical character, was fo much the of great importance that another Greek, of the Platonic philofophy. Its object was the inftruction of the Latins; in addreffing whom, he thought it neceffary to defend Plato, because the recollection of him was obfcured in that country, fo that but few poffeffed his works, and then, for the most part, only in Latin tranflations. (In Cal. Plat. i. 1.) He indicates the main point of difference between the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle, and gives it its due importance, without, however, bringing the two into sharp oppofition. Though himself greatly preferring Plato, yet he has no defire to fay any thing to the prejudice of Ariftotle; nay, he even tranflated that philofopher's Metaphyfics into the Latin language. His thoughtful and candid temper loved to recognize truth wherever found, and looked upon error as a weakness that admitted of excufe whenever it was not ob Beffarion, a pupil of Plethon, was still a young man when he attended the Council of Florence. When Plethon and Gennadius returned to Greece, he remained in Italy; and whereas Gennadius, vexed by the people, renounced the task of uniting the Greek and Roman Churches, Beffarion did but attach himself the more closely to the Church of Rome. He was now elevated to the rank of cardinal, invested with ftinately perfifted in. Moreover, he is ready to make conceffions to the Latins, and would not willingly offend their pre other dignities and offices, and ftood fo high in general esteem, that, upon the death of Pius II., a party of the cardinals even * Geschichte der Philosophie, von Dr. Hein- judices. When he cannot help cenfuring rich Ritter. Neunter Theil. Aristotle, the neceffity of doing this arifes |