46 CATALOGUE OF A LOAN COLLECTION OF BOOKS.

were sold at Messrs. Sotheby's in 1870 for £23 10^. Od. There were sixteen in all, and a date was assigned to them in the Cataloi^ne of circa 13.j0. Tlicy were probably not much later. It is ([uite possible that they were printed, not from blocks, but by means of stencil plates. Of wood cutting, proper, the Spencer St. Christopher is probably the earliest example in existence. It is dated " 1423." To a date very little subsequent to this it is usual to assign the works of Lorcnz Coster of Haarlem. This semi-mythical personage lived between the end of the fourteenth century and the year 1440. I do not intend to enter at all upon the controversy respecting his claims to be the inventor of printing. I can, however, say, that, perhaps on account of my own neglect, perhaps for some other reason, I have not yet seen any production which could be satisfactorily traced to him ; and notwithstanding the some- times very positive statements of Ottley, and all that has been written upon the subject, I am sometimes inclined to regard the whole story of his invention as an invention itself.3 The only positive evidence we have as to the practice of a form of piinting at that early date consists in the existence of such volumes as the Jiiblia Pauperum, the Apocalypsis, ami other similar books of incinoriff technical for preachers, and of what are known as " Donrituses." Coster is said to have produced two editions of this grammar. Anything like a complete copy of one of these is quite unknown. M. Iloltrop gives facsimiles of these, but the few leaves I have ever seen differed from his plates. It is possible that Coster printed this book, but 1 am strongly of opinion that liis work never exten<led beyond a few j)ages at a time ; that it was printed from blocks, not from moveable type ; and that, therefore, the whole process was extremely awkward, and was confined to tho.se few l(>aves which were necessary in the education of the young, ainl which were often re])cated with more or less variation. The wImjIc story tliat lust, oi' CutciilicrL!', or iinhcd any othi'i- jicrsnii rilchr(| iiis secret from Coster aii<l llrd with it t<j .Nlfjntz, niay v, dismissed from our minds ; and 1 may go further, and offer as a jirivate opinion my very strong

• A ii'itirc (if Mr. Hi<HHi-l'»i traiiMl.'itinii on IIiIh milijiTt waH priiitccl in Arcli.

of tliu Icjurnril work of l)r. 'iin ilcr i.in lo J<>iiin , vol. xxviii. ]>. liil.