Faust was very much pleased. Now that he understood Gutenberg’s
invention he realized how great a thing it was destined to become, and
was anxious to help its progress in every way he could. One day
Gutenberg told him that they needed a good man to cut the designs for
the engravings. “Dost thou know of one?” asked Faust. “Of only one,”
was the answer. “He is Peter Schœffer, a youth who helped me
before. He is now a teacher of penmanship in Paris.”
“We must send for him,” said Faust.
So Gutenberg sent for Schœffer, and the printing staff was
increased to five.
Schœffer had considerable reputation as a scholar, and soon after
he had joined them Gutenberg asked him what he thought was the most
important book in the world. Schœffer replied that he was not
sufficiently learned to answer the question.
“But to the best of thy knowledge,” persisted Gutenberg.
“I remember that when I was in the Cathedral school,” said
Schœffer, “Father Melchior showed us the Gothic Gospels, or Silver
Book, and said that more art and expense had been spent on the Bible
than on any other book he knew. I believe therefore that it is the
most useful and important book in the world.”
“So I believe,” agreed Gutenberg, “and I intend to print it in the
best style possible to my art.”
“But what a tremendous undertaking, to print the whole Bible!”
exclaimed Schœffer.
“Yes, a stupendous work,” Gutenberg agreed. “And so I want to start
upon it at once.”
Schœffer was amazed when Gutenberg showed him the new press he had
built at the Zum Jungen. He watched the master dab the type with ink,
slide them under the platen, and having pressed it down, take out the
printed page.
“It is wonderful!” said he. “How many impressions canst thou take from
the press in a day?”
“About three hundred, working steadily.”
“Then books will indeed multiply! What would the plodding copyists say
to this!”
When they began printing with the lead type they soon found that the
metal was too soft. The nicest skill had to be used in turning the
screw of the press, and only Gutenberg seemed able to succeed with it.
Schœffer suggested that they should try iron.
“We have,” said Gutenberg, “but it pierced the paper so that it could
not be used.”
Schœffer was used to experimenting in metals, and the next day he
brought to the workroom an alloy which he thought might serve. It was
a mixture of regulus of antimony and lead. They tried it, and found it
was precisely the right substance for their use. Gutenberg and Faust
were both delighted, and very soon afterward made Peter Schœffer a
partner in the firm.
They now started on the great work of printing the Bible. Duttlinger
was commissioned to buy a Bible to serve for his own use. This was
brought in secret to the workrooms, and the partners inspected it
carefully. They realized what a huge undertaking it would be to print
such a long book, but nevertheless they set out to do it. Each man was
allotted his share in the labor, and the work began.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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