But how much earlier than 1610, date of the Tagal Arte, or in what part of the Philippine archipelago, the press was at work, is a puzzle, that relying on the only authorities bearing in any manner on the priority of the press, we shall now seek to unravel. When referring to this question of early typography [26] Retana declares that there are only two authors that treat of the introduction of the press into the Philippines,--one the history of his province (of the Holy Rosary), which with the Philippines embraced also China and Japan, by the Dominican traveler and missionary, Father Diego Aduarte, whose work, published at Manila, in 1640, is the second title in our Biblioteca, bearing the name of that city as place of imprint, and the only old-time authority (in print) treating of ancient Malaysian typography. The other is a history (published a few years ago) entitled La Orden de Predicadores, of the Dominicans (Madrid, 1884), by a member of that brotherhood, Father Martínez-Vigil, at one time resident at Manila, where he held a chair in the university of that city, and now (1900) bishop of Oviedo in Spain. We shall, therefore, summon these two witnesses in the question in point of primeval Philippina. Aduarte's reference to early typography [27] contains substantially the following statements: that living with the Fathers of his Order (at Binondo) was a Christian Chinese, named Juan de Vera, a most worthy man, printer by trade, who had learned his art at home, and "the first printer" in the Philippines; that moreover he was employed by Father Blancas in getting out divers hand-books of devotion for the Indians, as well as for the missionaries themselves; and that as the said Juan was a good worker, always busy at his trade, he printed very many books, among them a Memorial of the Christian life; book on the postrimerias--that is, the Four Great Last Truths--Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell; Preparation for Communion; Confession-Book; the Mysteries of the Rosary; an Arte for the Tagals, or Aid to learn Spanish, and the like. Such are the titles of some of the books printed at Binondo by Juan de Vera.