Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-04-16
Who Printed the First Bible!

kept the keys of the cathedral, and who
used, after dinner, to walk in the famous
wood that up to this time is growing just
without the city walls. One day, while
walking there, he found a very smooth
bit of beech bark, on which-as he was q
handy man with his knife-he cut several
letters so plainly and neatly that after his
return home he stamped them upon paper,
and gave the paper to his boy as a copy"
After this, seeing that the thing had been
neatly done, the old gentleman-whose
name was Lawrence Coster-fell to think
ing of what might be done with such let
tiers cut in wood. By blackening them
with ink he made black stamps upon
paper; and by dint of much thinking and
much working he came, in time, to the
stamping of whole broadsides of letters
which was really printing.
But before he succeeded in doing this
well he had found it necessary to try
many experiments and to take into his
employ several apprentices. He did his
work very secretly and enjoined upon his
apprentices to say nothing of the trials
he was making. But dishonest one
among them, after a time, ran off from
Holland into Germany, carrying with
him a great many of the old gentleman's
wooden blocks and entire pages of book
which he was about to print.
The Dutch writers credit this story, and
hint that the runaway apprentice was
John Faust or John Gutenberg; but the
Germans justly say there is no proof of
this. 1t is certain, however, that there
was Lawrence (Custos, of the cathedraD
who busted himself with stamping letters
and engraving. His statue is in the mar
ketplace in HARLEM, and his rough-l look
ing books are, some of them, now in the
estate House" of HARLEM. They are
dingy, and printed with bad ink, and
seem to have been struck from large en-
graved blocks, and not from movable
types. They are without any date, but
antiquarians assign them to a period
somewhat earlier than any book of Faust,
or of Gutenberg, who are commonly
called the DISCOVERIES of printing.
John Gutenberg, at the very time when
this old Dutchman was experimenting
with his blocks in Holland, was also
working in mis- way, very secretly, in a
house that was standing not many years
ago in the ancient city of Strasburg. He
had two working partners, who were
bound by oath not to reveal the secret of
the arts he was engaged upon. But one
heirs claimed a right to know the secrets
of Gutenberg. Gutenberg refused, and
there was trial of the case, some &C
count of which was discovered more than
three hundred years afterward in an Old
tower Of Strasburg.
This trial took place in the year 1889.
Gutenberg was not forced to betray his
secret; but it did appear, from the testi-
mony of the witnesses, that he was occu-
pied with some way of making books Tor
manuscripts cheaper than they had ever
been made before
But Gutenberg was getting on so poor
ly at Strasburg and lost so much money
in his experiments that he went away to
Mayence, which is German city, farther
down the Rhine. He there formed part
nership with rich silversmith, named
John Faust, who took an oath of secrecy
and supplied him with money on condi-
ton that after certain time it should be
repaid to him.
Then Gutenberg set to work in earnest.
Some accounts say he had brother who
assisted him; and the Dutch writer's think
this brother may have been the robDer of
poor Lawrence Coster. But there is no
proof of it; and it is too late to
find any proof now. There was GER
tainly a Peter Schoffer, a scribe, or
designer, who worked for Gutenberg,
and who finished up his first books by
drawing lines around the pages and max
ing ornamental initial letters, and filling
up gaps in the printing. This Schoffer
was shrewd fellow, and watched Guten-
berg very closely. He used to talk over
what he saw and what he thought with
Faust. He told Faust he could cOntrive
better types than Gutenberg was using;
and, acting Oh his hints, Faust, who was
a skillful worker in metals, run types in
mold. This promised so well that Faust
determined to get RID Of Gutenberg, and
to carry on the business with Schofer-
to whom he gave his only daughter, Chris
tine, for wife.
Faust called on Gutenberg for his loan,
which Gutenberg couldn't pay, and in
consequence he had to give up to Faust
all his tools, his presses, and his unfin-
1shed work, among which was g Bible
nearly two-thirds completed. This Faust
and Schoffer hurried through, and sold as
a manuscript.
There are two copies in the National
Library at Paris; one copy at the Royal
Library at Munich, and one at Vienna.
1t is not what is commonly known as the
Mayence Bible, but is of earlier date then
that.
1t is without name of printer or pub
Usher, and without date. 1t is in two
great volumes folio, of about 600 pages
a volume
1t was certainly the first Bible printed
from movable types; but poor Gutenberg
got no money from it, though he had
done most of the work upon it. But he
did not grow disheartened. He toiled
on, though he was without the help of
Schoffer and of Faust, and in a few years
afterward succeeded in making books
which were as good as those of his rivals.
Before he died his name was attached
to books printed as clearly and sharply
as books are printed to-day.-DonaLd G.
Mitchell, in st. Nicholas for ApriE