Genre:

Essay

Subjects:

Light, Exploration, Technology, Invention, Magic

    Observes that the art of printing has the consequence that 'not a ray of genius emanates from the human soul which may not be caught, as it were, in prismatic glass, and reflected at once in innumerable directions'. Continues: 'the source of this admirable invention [...] has, like the fountains of the Nile, for a sucession of ages, defied the endeavours of every adventurer who has attempted, by tracing its current, to ascend its primary stream'. (258) Asserts that printing 'first became known in Europe about the year 1440', and that, while 'it is true that in China the art of printing has certainly been known from the year 930', it 'is a totally different science from the European system' (259). Outlines several contested accounts of the invention of printing, involving Laurens Jansz Coster (referred to as 'Lawrence John Koster'), Johann Gutenberg (referred to as 'John Guttenburg'), and Johann Fust (referred to as 'John Fust', and as 'Faustus' or 'Dr. Faustus') (259–60). In mistakenly referring to Fust as Dr Faustus observes: 'We are told of his compacts with the devil, and his skill in magic'. Enquires: 'what is the cause of this popular belief in his necromancy? Why this: A number of copies were produced of Bibles printed by him [...] in a space of time in which they could not have been finished by the ordinary mode of manuscript' (261). Relates how printing came to England and outlines the career of William Caxton.