The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1879-07-24

med in 1880, becomes hundred years
old now.
THE MAZARlN BIBLE. Y
History Of John!Gutenbulgs First Printed
Book.
Mr.. James Coulter Lavard, in a letter
concerning the Mazarin Bible, in the
Lenoz library, recently described in our
columns, says:
John Gensfeisch of Gutenburg, as he is
commonly called, was a native of the
city of Mentz, in Germany, where he was
born in the year 1897. Although he is
represented as having come of wealthy
family, it does not appear that he was
himself man of wealth; for he seemed
to have laborcd all his lite under the pres
sure of pecuniary difficulties, and to have
had frequent suits at law. He resided
for a while at StrasburS, but returned
about 1444 or 1445 to Meniz. He was
still struggling with the mighty idea
which his brain had conceived, but he
was without the pecuniary resources nee
cssary to develop it. At length, in 1850,
he found in one. John Fust, wealthy
goldsmith of MentZ, man who was will
ling to furnish the capital necessary for
the enterprise for a share in its profits.
A contract was made, in pursuance of
which Fust lent Gutenberg 800 guilders
in gold at six per cent. interest. This
was for the purchase Of materials. Fust
was also to make a further payment of
800 guildcrs annually for working capi-
tai. The profits of the enterprise were
to be equally divided between the two.
1t was further stipulated that in case of
dissolution of the partnership, the 800
guilders were to be repaid to Fust, with
the interest which had accrued: the
materials purchased being held as securi-
ty for such repayment.
Gutenberg's first movable types were
made of wood, the wood Of the pear tree.
Each type had q hole bored through it,
by means of which, when composing,
they could be strung On wire. They
were afterwards transferred to an iron
frame or chase, where they were made
fast for printing, as is done at the present
day. The first printing done by Guten-
berg is supposed to have been that of al
phabet cards, extracts from the Latin
Grammar, and perhaps some other school
books. Some Of these, no doubt, were
printed from wooden blocks. No i'm
portant work had as yet been undertaken,
but the fact that Fust in 1862 advanced
to Gutenberg an additional sum of 500
gullders would seem to indicate that the
enterprise had now reached point where
success was no longer doubtful. With
two years of practice and experience, and
doubled capital, more important un-
der:aking was now resolved upon. This
was no less than the printing Of the Scrip
lures in the Latin vulgate. After three
years of labor this was completed in 1856.
This Bible consisted of G41 leaves, bound
in two volumes folio. it is in double
columns of AZ lines each, with the ex-
ception of the first nine pages, which
have 40 lines each, and the tenth, which
had Al lines to the column. Part of the
edition was printed on paper and part on
parchment or vellum, all brilliantly IL
Illuminated. Those on paper were the
first printed.
Just about this time Fust brought suit
against Gutenberg for the repayment of
the 1000 guilders he had lent him, with
compound interest from the date of the
Joan. Gutenberg could not pay HIM, and
Fust demanded the delivery of the mate
rials and stock in hand, the assets Of the
business which had been pledged for the
debt. Gutenberg had nothing to do but
to comply, and he saw his invention upon
which he had labored so long without re-
quital, now pass out of his hands just at
the moment when it promised to bring
him rich reward. Fust now came into
possession of the press, types and stock
on hand, and found himself the sole own
er and proprietor Of the only printing Of
flee in the world, and also the greater
part of the edition of Bibles just printed.
When the city Of Mentz was besieged
and afterwards plundered, in 1862, by the
Elector Adolph of Nassau, Fust escaped
to Paris with the remnant of this edition
of Bibles, and tried to make sale of them
there. He sold a number among the
courtiers Of Louis XII for 600 crowns
each, the same price asked by the scribes;
but the uniformity OF the printed pages
and the great beauty of their embellish-
ments made them in all cases to be pre-
ferred- to the manuscript Bibles. After
having supplied as many Of his wealthy
patrons as would buy Of him at thissprice,
and having many Bibles still remaining, he
lowered his price to 60 crowns, to put
them within the reach or those unable to
pay more. But when at last he reduced
the price to 80 crowns, and produced his
Bibles according to the demand all Paris
was agitated. Information was now lain
against him as sorcerer. His lodgings
were searched, a great number Of Bibles
were found and seized, the red ink with
which they were embellished was said to
be his blood, and from their cheapness
and the exact correspondence of theil
pages, the doctors Of Paris judged him tc
be in league with the evil one. This, to.
gether with some confusions OF his name
with that of a noted necromancer previ
~ t. - E