Nicolas Jenson, a Frenchman, I This book have printed. Who’ll deny The skill it shows? Then, reader kind, The while ’tis read please bear in mind The printer’s name with friendly thought Who this Suetonius has wrought. 1471. In the “De Bello Italico aduersus Gotthos” of Leonardo Aretino, printed in the same year, we find this sentiment expressed more concisely in a couplet which could be inserted in any book: Gallicus hunc librum impressit Nicolaus Ienson. Artifici grates, optime lector, habe. Nicolas Jenson, a Frenchman, took The pains to put in print this book. Then to the craftsman, reader good, Be pleased to show some gratitude. Lastly, in this same year, we have two variants of a prose colophon which contains a fine phrase of epigrammatic brevity. In an edition of the “Familiar Letters of Cicero” it runs: MCCCCLXXI. Opus praeclarissimum M. T. Ciceronis Epistolarum Familiarium a Nicolao Ienson Gallico viuentibus necnon et posteris impressum feliciter finit. 1471. A very notable book, the Familiar Letters of Marcus Tullius Cicero, printed by Nicolas Jenson for this and also for future generations, comes happily to an end. The phrase, but slightly enlarged, recurs in the “Institutes of Quintilian” of the same year. Quintilianum eloquentiae fontem ab eruditissimo Omnibono Leoniceno emendatum M. Nicolaus Ienson Gallicus viuentibus posterisque miro impressit artificio annis M.CCCC.LXXI Mense Maii die xxi. Quintilian, the fountain of eloquence, corrected by the most learned Omnibonus Leonicenus, was printed by Nicolas Jenson, a Frenchman, with wonderful craftsmanship, for this and future generations, in the year 1471, on the 21st day of the month of May. After this, until he joined John of Cologne, Jenson’s colophons become short and featureless. Meanwhile, however, a third printer, Christopher Valdarfer of Ratisbon, had set up a press at Venice, and toward the close of 1470 joined in the contest of poetical colophons. His first contribution to it appears to be these three couplets in praise of his edition of Cicero’s “De Oratore”: [Illustration: Cicero. De Oratore. Venice: C. Valdarfer, 1470.] ANNO DO. M.CCCC.LXX. Si quem oratoris perfecti audire iuuabit Materiam: fons est hoc Ciceronis opus. Hic tersum eloquium uelut Attica lingua refulget: Christophori impressus hic liber arte fuit. Cui stirps Valdarfer patria estque Ratispona tellus. Hunc emat, orator qui uelit esse, librum. Who’d know the perfect orator’s stock-in-trade Only this work of Cicero let him read, Where polished speech, like Greek, doth light impart, And all is printed by Cristoforo’s art, Whose clan’s Valdarfer, Ratisbon his home. The would-be orator need but buy this tome.