Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-02-28

scripts ofthe early Greek dra matists, and
in returning copies of them to the dis
tressed Athenians. he would not take
back the so talents he had Iepo,ited with
them as princely security
The Mazarin bible is thus-described
"Hallam, in his Introduction to the
Literature of Europe, writing of the
Mazarin bible, says: 1T can hardly be
called book of very extraordinary scar.
city. nearly twenty copies being in DIFF
ferent libraries, half Of them being in
those of private persons in England
In note quoted from the Bibliotheca
SussPxiana,the nuuIber given is eighteen,
one hall in public aud the other half in
private collectio. :, three of the first
and all the last in this country. The
| title is derived from the iact Of the copy
having BEEN discoye:ed'in the library Of
Cardinal Mazarin i'll Paris about the
middle of the eighteenth century, and it
is generally assumed to have been the
earliest printed Book. HalIam likens
this splendid product Of i novel art, then
| in its infancy, to Minerva ieaping on
| earth III here divine strength and radiant
armOr, ready at the moment of her att
| witty to subdue and.destrOy her enemies
| Again, breaking into rapture, he says:
| We may see in imagination this yener-
able ami splendid volume leading up the
crowded myriads of its followers, and
| imploring, as it we're, blessing on the
new art by dedicatjng its fruits to the
service of heaven The copy for which
Mr.. Quaritch bid such a wonderful price
j. described as magnificent Il is printed
in double columns in type similar 10
church script, and il 'splcndIdly' bound
III blue morocco. The Mazlrin bible is
witnout date, and IS varIouSly ascribed
to the years 1450, 1852 and 1455. A copy
preserved in what used to be called the
Royal library at Paris contains note
stating that 1t was completed in binding
and ILLUMINATING in the year 1856, which
would put the probable date of printing
at twelve months earlier. According to
the Catalogue OF the Syston park library
types Tyre founders, however, have
|
some contending that it was impressed
from wooden blocks, others deciding fol
letters cut ia metal, and thild party
declaring in favor CT the cast letters, the
last in every material respec like thos
now III use. But whatever kind of type
may have been employed in producing
the earliest printed book il would, ever
at the present lime, be accepted as :
noble specimen of the topographic art
1t is pretty well agreed that Gutenbur,
and his partner, Fust, were engaged IL
business as printers at Mentz about th'
time mentioned, and it is not SO yer!
unlikely that the book which we nov
call the Mazarin bible may be a copy, o
that identical work which Fust l. credit
ed with having palmed Oft as manuscrip
II to the uninitiated. The price OF th
| handsome written bible about the middle
: of the fifteenth century was 800 crowns
5 Consequently when Fust appeared il
: Paris with parcel of bibles, applrentl,
done by hand at 60 crowns apiece, TN
learned world vas taken by surprise
What most struck TIE experts OF tiiat da..
was the uniformity OF The work, and
suspecting magic, they caused him to b.
summoned bef,le the evil powers. A
Fust', lodgings number of bibles wer
found, all exactly alike, an J, in order L
screen himself from punishment, tin
capitalization Fust made no preiense f
be the Inventor of printing; he %as
merchant an1 had assisted Gutenber!
with adyances--confessed an. The par
lament OF Paris was SO delighted will
the ingenuity of the invention that the.
forthwith discharged Fust from custody
"No doubt the learned in such matter
will continue to dispute which had tn
greatest share In the invention in Europ
of the art of printing-Laurence Ccste
of Haarlem, Gutenberg of Mentz, or Pet
er Schaffer."