;

poffeffed of this invention about fixteen hundred years, fome others affirm three thousand feven hundred. However, that they were really mafters of it long before us, is univerfally agreed upon; and it is yet in fuch efteem amongst them, that the very artisan, who compounds the ink for the prefs, is not accounted amongst the mechanic professors but is dignified with a liberal falary, and particular privileges. They alfo engrave upon ftone, and imprint with it; but with this difference in the working off, that the paper being black, the fculpture remains white. More admirable is that which they atteft was found in Mexico, and other places of the new world, where they hieroglyphized both their thoughts, hiftories, and inventions, to pofterity, not much unlike to the Ægyptians, though in less durable and permanent matter. The fame likewise Jo. LAET affirms of the fculpture among the Acadiæ, and thofe of Nova Francia; fo natural (it feems) and ufeful was this art, even to the least civilized amongst the heathens. And there is, indeed, nothing at which we more admire and deplore, than that this facile and obvious invention, and which would have tranfinitted to us fo many rare and admirable things, was never hit upon among the Greeks and inventive Romans, who engraved fo many infcriptions both in brass and marble, impreffed and published fo many thousands of medals and coins, as are in the hands and collections of the virtuofi, and the bowels of the earth, wherever their conquefts extended themselves, or eagles difplayed their wings.

CHAP.

CHA P. IV.

Of the invention and progress of CHALCOGRAPHY in particular; together with an ample enumeration of the most renowned MASTERS, and their WORKS.

THE art of ENGRAVING, and working off from plates of copper, which we call PRINTS, was not yet appearing, or born with us, till about the year мCCCCXC; which was near upon fifty years after typography had been found out by JOHN GUITTEMBERG, or whoever that lucky person were (for 'tis exceedingly controverted) that firft produced the invention. There is a collection of ancient offices

adorned with feveral fculptures (if fo we may term those wretched gravings in the infancy of this art) where the devil is but one great blot (as indeed he is the fouleft of the creation) and the reft of the figures monochroms as fidiculous and extravagant; though ftill as the invention grew older, refining and improving upon it. One of the antienteft gravings which we have feen, to which any mark is appofed, hath M. 3. and M. C. in one of the corners of the plates; and it was long that they ufed the initial letters of their names only, and fometimes but one, as in thofe of LUCAS. ALBERT DURER did frequently add the year of the Lord, and his own age from ten to fourteen, &c. performing fuch things as might fhame most of the best masters, for the true and fteady design, the incomparable proportion, and ftroke of his graver.

But

But ISRAEL MARTIN, SCHON, and the TODESCO (who is by fome furnamed, "the master of the can"dleftick," because of the foulness of his ink) were of the very first, as far as we can collect, who published any works of this kind under their names, wrought off by the rolling-prefs, and whofe flender attempts gave encouragement to those who have fucceeded.

GIORGIO VASARI, who has been exceedingly curious in this enquiry, attributes the firft invention of this art to one MASO FINIGUERRA a Florentine, about Anno MCCCCLX, which exceeds our former computation by thirty years: but then we are to confider by what progrefs and degrees; for it was first only in filver, to fill with a certain encaustic or black enamel, which it feems gave him the first hint how to improve it in plates of brass, which having engraved, he did only fume, taking off the impreffion with a moist paper and a rolling-pin. This mean commencement was yet afterwards perfued by BACCIO BALDINI a goldfmith, his countryman, whofe works coming to the fight of ANDREA MANTEGNA in Rome, invited that great painter to give him fome defigns of his own for his encouragement; and from thence it travelled into Flanders to one MARTIN of Antwerp, whofe works (as we obferved) were ufually counterfigned with M. the firft whereof were The five wife and five foolish virgins, and A crucifix, which was fo well cut, that GERARDO a Florentine painter would needs copy it: after this he published his Four • evangelifts; Our Saviour, and The twelve apostles; A Veronica St. George; Christ before Pilate; An affumption

affumption of the B. Virgin, one of the rareft that ever he did; befides that St. Anthony's temptation, which was fo well performed, that MICHAEL ANGELO (exceedingly ravished with it) would needs wash it over with his own hands.

The next that appeared of note, was the formerly mentioned and renowned ALBERT DURER, who flourished about the year MDIII, and who had performed wonders both in copper and wood, had he once fortuned upon the leaft notion of that excellent manner, which came afterwards to be in vogue, of giving things their natural distances and agreeable sweetness, the defect of which Sir H. WOTTON does worthily perftringe both in him and fome others*. But to proceed: ALBERT, being very young, fet forth Our lady; fome defigns of borfes after the life; The prodigal; St. Sebastian in little; A nymph ravished by a monster; A woman on borfeback; Diana chaftifing a nymph who flies to a fatyr for protection, in which he difcovered his admirable talent and skill in expreffing nudities; A countryman and woman playing on bagpipes, with poultry, &c. about them; Venus, or the temptation of the ftove; his two St. Christophers, rare cuts. After that, he engraved feveral stamps in wood, proof whereof he gave in The decollation of St. Jo. Bapt. with Herodias; Pope Sixtus; St. Stephen; Lazarus; St. George; A paffion in great; The last fupper; Chrift's apprehenfion in the garden, defcent into limbo, and refurrection; with eight more prints of this fubject, which are held to be fpurious: All these he published Anno MDX. The year fol

* Element of Architect.

lowing

lowing, he fet forth The life of our lady in twenty fheets rarely conducted; The Apocalyps in fifteen fheets, of which the painters have made fufficient ufe; Chrift bemoaning our fins. Then applying himself to grave in copper again, he published his Melancholia, three different Madonas; with thirty peices befides concerning The paffion; and which being afterwards imitated by that rare artift MARCO ANTONIO (who had procured them at Venice) and published for originals (fo exactly it seems they were performed) did fo incenfe ALBERT, that he made a journey to Venice exprefly to complain of the injury to the fenate, and obtained at laft, that M. ANTONIO fhould no more be permitted to fet his mark or plagia, which was all he could procure of them. Another emulator of ALBERT'S was LUCAS VAN LEYDEN, whom, at his return into Germany, he found had well near overtaken him for the sweetnefs of his burin, though fomething inferior of defign: fuch were A Chrift bearing the crafs, and another of his Crucifixion; Sampfon; David on a horfe; The martyrdom of St. Peter; Saul and David; The flaughter of Goliah; the famous Piper, Virgil's, and fome other beads; all which works did fo inflame his antagonift ALBERT, that in a laudable revenge, he published his Armed cavalier or dream, in which the brightnefs and luftre of the armour and horfe is rarely conducted. Then in the year MDXII he fet forth fix other fmall ftories of The paffion, which LUCAS alfo imitated, though hardly reached: then A St. George; Solomon's idolatry, The baptifm of our Lord, Pyramus and Thisbe; Abafuerus and Efther; &c. These again incited ALBERT to pub

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