According to the testimony of a fellow printer, de Lignamine, in the "Chronica summorum Pontificum," Rome, 1474, Mentelin as early as 1458 was printing at Strassburg 300 sheets a day. The third Latin Bible (1460-1461) and the first German Bible came from his press, but the first work to which he affixed his name and a date was the Speculum historiale of Vincent of Beauvais in 1473. He died in 1478.
The Wodhull copy, bought at "Hayes's sale" in 1794 for £5.5s., and bound in russia gilt, with Wodhull arms on side, by Mrs. Weir for £1.2s. Leaf 15 3/4 × 11 in.
4. GESTA ROMANORUM. [Cologne, Ulrich Zell, c. 1473.]
Fol. 1, blank. Fol. 2a: Ex gestis romanorum hystorie notabiles: de vitijs virtutibusque tractantes: cum applicacionibus moralizatis et misticis: Incipiunt feliciter. Fol. 160b, col. 1, Colophon: Ex gestis romanorum cum pluribus applicatis historijs: de virtutibus et vitijs mistice ad intellectum transsumptis Recollectorij finis est feliciter. LAVS. DEO. Fol. 160b, col. 2: Incipiunt tituli numerorum omnium capitulorum et exemplorum. Fol. 163a: Tabula omnium exemplorum et capitulorum operis præcedentis. secundum ordinem alphabeti. Fol. 170a: Explicit tabula. Fol. 170b, blank.
Folio. 170 leaves in seventeen quires of ten leaves each, 2 columns, 36 lines to the column, gothic letter, without signatures, catchwords, pagination, place, printer's name or date. Two- to five-line spaces left for capitals. One pinhole in side margin, others possibly cut away in binding. Hain 7734, Pellechet 5247. Brit. Mus. 15th cent., I, p. 196 (IB. 2994).
On fol. 2a and 163a five-line initials in blue with graceful pen decoration in red. Initials of chapters and morals supplied in alternate red and blue. Paragraph-marks and initial-strokes in red; headings underlined in red. Blank first leaf wanting.
This edition of the Gesta contains 181 chapters and appears to have been preceded only by another undated edition printed at Utrecht by Ketelaer and Leempt, in long lines, with 152 chapters and no index.
Ulrich Zell was the first printer of Cologne. His first dated book was issued in 1466 and he continued to print quite up to the close of the fifteenth century. Nearly all his books are, like the present, without place, date or printer's name. Of the 177 books which he is known to have printed, the British Museum possesses 123.
The Wodhull copy, bound in russia, gilt edges. Leaf 10 3/4 × 7 1/2 in. Mem. on fly-leaf: "Pateson's Auction. £5.5s; washing, cleaning, mending and binding by Roger Payne £1.2s.6d. M. Wodhull, May 25th, 1786."