New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-02-18
Invention OF Printing.

The following account of the invention of printing
is given by ancient German chroncler of the name
of Trithemus, who appears to have personally known
Of the three persons who clearly seem to have the
best title to be called the inventors of printing
AT this time, in the city of Mentz on the Rhine in
Germany, and not in Italy, some have enormously
written, that wonderful and then unheardof art of
printing and characterzing books was invented and
devised by John Guttenberger, citizen of Mentz,
who having expended almost the whole of his pre-
pery in the invention Of this art and on account of
the difficulties which he experienced on all Sides was
about to abandon it altogether when, by the advice
and through the means of John Fust Tor Faust) like
wise citizen of Mentz, he succeeded in bringing it
to perfection. AT first they formed (engraved) the
characters or letters in written order blocks of
wood, and in this manner they printed the vocabulary
called sCathoicon' But with these forms blocks
they could print nothing else, because the characters
could not be transposed in these tablets but were en-
graved thereon as we have said. To this invention
succeeded more subtle one, for they found out the
means of cutting the forms of all letters of the alpha
bet, which they called matrices, from which again they
resist the necessary pressure, which they had before
engraved by hand. And truly, as l learned thirty
years since from Peter Opilio (Schoefer) de Gernsl-
elm, citizen Of Mentz, who was sonnaw of the first
inventor of thsart, great difficulties experienced
after the first invention Of this art of printing for in
printing the Bible before they had completed the third
quarternion Cor gathering of four sheets 1000 forms
were expended. This Peter Schoefer, whom we have
law to the first inventor, John Fust, as we have said
an ingenious and sagacous man, discovered the more
easy method of casting the types and thus the art
was reduced to the complete state in which it now is
These three kept this method of printing secret for
some time until it was divulged by some of their
workmen without whose aid this art could not have
been exercised it was first developed at Strasburg
and soon became known to other nations And thus
much of the admirable and subtle art of printing may
sutfce--the first inventors were citizens of Mentz
These three first inventors Of printing, (videcet,)
John Guttenberger, John Faust and Peter Schoeter
his son-in-aw, lived at Mentz in the house called
Zum Jungen, which has ever since been called the
printing Office"
The invention of Schoeler, which, whatever might
have been its first mechanical imperections, undoubt
eddy completed the principle of printing is more par
ticulary described in an early document, which is
given in several learned works on Typography as
proceeding from relation of Fust It is as follows
Peter Schoeffer, of Gernsheim, perceiying his mas
ter Fusts design, and being himself ardenty DESTROYS
to improve the art found out (by the good providence
of Cody the method of emitting (incidcnd) the char
acters in matriX, that the letters might each be
sngly cast instead of being cut. He privately cut
matrices for the whole alphabet and when he showed
his master the letters cast from these Matrices Fus
pleased with the continuance that he promised
Peter to give him his only daughter Chrstiana ir
marriage promise which he soon after performed
But there were as many difficulties at first with these
letters there had been before with the wooden ones
the metal being too soft to support the force Of the
impression; but this defect was soon remedied by
mixing the metal with substance which sufficiently
hardened it." John Schoetter the son Of Peter who
was also q printer, confirms this account, adding
" Fust and Schoefer concealed this new improve
ment by administering oath of seCresy to all whom
they intrusted till the year l462 when, by the dis
The sacking of Mentz by the Archbishop Adolplls
the invention was publicly 1iyuIrcdH