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To the Right Reverend Father in GOD, JOHN Lord Bishop of Oxford, and Dean of Christ-Church; And to the Right Honourable Sir LEOLINE JENKINS Knight, and Principal Secretary of State; And to the Right Honourable Sir JOSEPH WILLIAMSON Knight; and one of His Majesties most Honourable Privy-Council.

Right Honourable.

YOur ardent affections to promote Typographie has eminently appeared in the great Charge you have been at to make it famous here in England; whereby this Royal Island stands particularly obliged to your Generous and Publick Spirits, and the whole Common-Wealth of Book-men throughout the World, to your Candid Zeal for the promulgation of good Learning.

Wherefore I humbly Dedicate this Piece of Typographie to your Honours; and ‖ as it is (I think) the first of this nature, so I hope you will favourably excuse small Faults in this Undertaking; for great ones I hope there are none, unless it be in this presumptuous Dedication; for which I humbly beg your Honours pardon: Subscribing my self, My Lord and Gentlemen,

Your Honours most Humble
and Obedient Servant.

Joseph Moxon.

PREFACE.

BEfore I begin with Typographie, I shall say some-what of its Original Invention; I mean here in Europe, not of theirs in China and other Eastern Countries, who (by general assent) have had it for many hundreds of years, though their Invention is very different from ours; they Cutting their Letters upon Blocks in whole Pages or Forms, as among us our Wooden Pictures are Cut; But Printing with single Letters Cast in Mettal, as with us here in Europe, is an Invention scarce above Two hundred and fifteen years old; and yet an undecidable Controversie about the original Contriver or Contrivers remains on foot, 2 between the Harlemers of Holland, and those of Mentz in Germany: But because the difference cannot be determin’d for want of undeniable Authority, I shall only deliver both their Pleas to this Scientifick Invention.

The Harlemers plead that Lawrensz Jansz Koster of Harlem was the first Inventer of Printing, in the year of our Lord 1430. but that in the Infancy of this Invention he used only Wooden Blocks (as in China, &c. aforesaid) but after some time he left off Wood, and Cut single Letters in Steel, which he sunck into Copper Matrices, and fitting them to Iron Molds, Cast single Letters of Mettal in those Matrices. They say also, that his Companion, John Gutenberg, stole his Tools away while he was at Church, and with them went to Mentz in Germany, and there set his Tools to work, and promoted His claim to the first Invention of this Art, before Koster did His.

To prove this, they say that Rabbi Joseph (a Jew) in his Chronicle, mentions a Printed Book that he saw in Venice, in the year 5188. according to the Jewish Account, and by ours the year 1428. as may be read in Pet. Scriverius.

They say much of a Book intituled De Spiegel, Printed at Harlem in Dutch and Latin; which Book is yet there to be seen: and they alledge that Book the first that ever was Printed: But yet say not when this Book was Printed.

Notwithstanding this Plea, I do not find (perhaps because of their imperfect Proofs) but that Gutenberg of Mentz is more generally accepted for the first Inventer of Printing, than Koster of Harlem.

The Learned Dr. Wallis of Oxford, hath made an Inquiry into the original of this Invention, and hath in brief sum’d up the matter in these words.

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About the year of our Lord 1460. The Art of Printing began to be invented and practised in Germany, whether first at Mentz or first at Harlem it is not agreed: But it seems that those who had it in consideration before it was brought to perfection, disagreeing among themselves, did part Company; and some of them at Harlem, others at Mentz persued the design at the same time.

The Book which is commonly reputed to have been first Printed is, Tullies Offices, of which there be Copies extant (as a Rarity) in many Libraries; which in the close of it is said to be Printed at Mentz, in the year of our Lord 1465. (so says that Copy in the Bodleyan Library) or 1466. (so that in the Library of Corpus Christi.) The words in the close of that in Corpus Christi Colledge Oxon are these,

Præsens Marcij Tullij Clarissimum opus, Johanes Hust, Moguntinus Civis, non Atrimento, plumali canna, neq; ærea, sed Arte quadam perpulchra, Petri manu Petri de Geurshem pueri mei, feliciter effeci, finitum Anno M CCCC LX VI quarto die Mensis Februarij.

The like in the Bodleyan Library; save there the Date is only thus, Finitum Anno M CCCC LX V. In the same Book there are these written Notes subjoyned: Hic est ille Johannes Faustus, coadjutor Johannes Gutenbergij primi Typographiæ inventaris, Alter coadjuto erat Petrus Schæfer, i. Opilio. Quovix.

Cælando promptior alter erat, inquit Johan. Arnoldus in Libello de Chalcographiæ inventione, Scheffer primas finxit quas vocant Matrices. Hi tres exercuerunt artem primo in communi. mox rupto fœdere seorsim sibi quisq; privatim.

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And again (in a later hand) Inventionem artis Typographicæ ad Annum 1453. aut exerciter referunt Sabillicus En. 10. lib. 6. & Monsterus. Alij ad Annum 1460. Vide Polid. Virg. lib. 2. de Invent. Rerum, Theod. Bibland. de Ratione communis linguarum. cap. Chalcographia.

At Harlem and some other places in Holland, they pretend to have Books Printed somewhat ancienter than this; but they are most of them (if not all) done by way of Carving whole Pages in Wood, not by single Letters Cast in Mettal, to be Composed and Distributed as occasion serves, as is now the manner.

The chief Inventer at Harlem is said to be Laurens Jansz Koster.

After these two places (Mentz and Harlem) it seems next of all to have been practised at Oxford: For by the care, and at the charge of King Henry the 6th, and of Thomas Bourchier then Arch-Bishop of Canterbury (and Chancellour of the University of Oxford) Robert Turner Master of the Robe, and William Caxton a Merchant of London were for that purpose sent to Harlem, at the charges partly of the King, partly of the Arch-Bishop, who then (because these of Harlem were very chary of this secret) prevailed privately with one Frederick Corseles an under-Workman, for a sum of Money, to come over hither; who thereupon did at Oxford set up the Art of Printing, before it was exercised any where else in England, or in France, Italy, Venice, Germany, or any other place, except only Mentz and Harlem (aforementioned): And there be several Copies yet extant (as one in the Archives of the University of Oxford, another in the Library of Dr. Tho. Barlow, now Bishop of Lincoln) of a Treatise B3
5 of St. Jerome (as it is there called (because found among St. Jerom’s Works) or rather Ruffinus upon the Creed, in a broad Octavo) Printed at Oxford in the year 1468. as appears by the words in the close of it.

Explicit expositio Sancti Jeronimi in sembolo Apostolorum ad papam Laurentium Impressi Oxonie & finita Anno Domini M CCCC LX VIII. xvij die Decembris.

Which is but three years later than that of Tullies Offices at Mentz, in 1465. and was perhaps one of the first Books Printed on Paper; (that of Tully being on Vellom.) And there the excercise of Printing hath continued successively to this day.

Soon after William Caxton (the same I suppose who first brought it to Oxford) promoted it to London also, which Baker in his Chronicle (and some others) say to have been about the year 1471. but we have scarce any Copies of Books there Printed remaining (that I have seen) earlier than the year 1480. And by that time, or soon after, it began to be received in Venice, Italy, Germany, and other places, as appears by Books yet extant, Printed at divers places in those Times. Thus far Dr. Wallis.

But whoever were the Inventers of this Art, or (as some Authors will have it) Science; nay, Science of Sciences (say they) certain it is, that in all its Branches it can be deemed little less than a Science: And I hope I say not to much of Typographie: For Dr. Dee, in his Mathematical Preface to Euclids Elements of Geometrie, hath worthily taken pains to make Architecture a Mathematical Science; and as a vertual Proof of his own Learned Plea, quotes two Authentique Authors, viz. 6 Vitruvius and Leo Baptista, who both give their descriptions and applause of Architecture: His Arguments are somewhat copious, and the Original easily procurable in the English Tongue; therefore instead of transcribing it, I shall refer my Reader to the Text it self.

Upon the consideration of what he has said in behalf of Architecture, I find that a Typographer ought to be equally quallified with all the Sciences that becomes an Architect, and then I think no doubt remains that Typographie is not also a Mathematical Science.

For my own part, I weighed it well in my thoughts, and find all the accomplishments, and some more of an Architect necessary in a Typographer: and though my business be not Argumentation, yet my Reader, by perusing the following discourse, may perhaps satisfie himself, that a Typographer ought to be a man of Sciences.

By a Typographer, I do not mean a Printer, as he is Vulgarly accounted, any more than Dr. Dee means a Carpenter or Mason to be an Architect: But by a Typographer, I mean such a one, who by his own judgement, from solid reasoning with himself, can either perform, or direct others to perform from the beginning to the end, all the Handy-works and Physical Operations relating to Typographie.

Such a Scientifick man was doubtless he who was the first Inventer of Typographie; but I think few have succeeded him in Science, though the number of Founders and Printers be grown very many: Insomuch that for the more easie managing of Typographie, the Operators have found it necessary to devide it into several Trades, each of which (in the strictest sence) stand no 7 nearer related to Typographie, than Carpentry or Masonry, &c. are to Architecture. The several devisions that are made, are,

First the Master Printer, who is as the Soul of Printing; and all the Work-men as members of the Body governed by that Soul subserveient to him; for the Letter-Cutter would Cut no Letters, the Founder not sinck the Matrices, or Cast and Dress the Letters, the Smith and Joyner not make the Press and other Utensils for Printing, the Compositer not Compose the Letters, the Correcter not read Proves; the Press-man not work the Forms off at the Press, or the Inck-maker make Inck to work them with, but by Orders from the Master-Printer.

Secondly, The Letter-Cutter,	Founders.
Thirdly, The Letter-Caster,
Fourthly, The Letter-Dresser.

But very few Founders exercise, or indeed can perform, all these several Trades; though each of these are indifferently called Letter-Founders.

Fifthly, The Compositer,	Printers.
Sixthly, The Correcter,
Seventhly, The Press-man,

Eighthly, The Inck-maker.

Besides several other Trades they take in to their Assistance; as the Smith, the Joyner, &c.

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ADVERTISEMENT.