Printers Devlls.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 246, 19 September 1883, Page 2

Printers Devlls.

As I was going the other day into Lincoln's-inn, (says a writer m the Grub fctreet Journal of Oct. 26, 1732), I under a great gateway, I met several lads loaded with great bundles of newspapers, which they brought from the Stamp office. They were all exceedingly black and dirty ; from whence I inferred they were " printers' devils," carrying from thence the returns of nn~ sold newspapers, after the stamps had been cat off. "They stopped- under the gateway, and there laid do.Wn their loads { when ono of them made the following harangue ;-??" Devils, gentlemen, and brethren : — Though I think we have no reason to be ashamed on account of the vulgar opinion concerning the origin ofournam3,yetweonghtto acknowledge ourselves obliged to the learne I herald, who, upon the death of any person of title, constantly gives an exact account of his ancient family m the London Evening Post. Hb says, j there was one monsieur Deyille, or De Ville, who came over with William the . Conqueror, m company with De Laune, De Vice, De Val, D f Ashwood, : [ D'Urtie, DUmpling, etc. One of the ' sons of a descendant of this monsieur De Ville, was taken m by the fam ms Oaxton m 1471, as an errand boy j was afterwards his apprentice, and m time an eminent printer, from whom our order took their name ; but, suppose chsy took it from infernal devils, it was nob because they were messengers frequently sent m darkness, and appeared very black, but, upon a reputable account, viz. : John Fust or Faustss of Mentis, m Germany, was the inventor of printing, for which he was called a cocjuror, and his art, the black art. As he kept a constant succession of boys to run on errands, who were always very black, these they called . devils ; some who being raised to be his apprentices, he was said to have raised many a devil, As to the inferior order among us, called flies, employed m taking off, they are of later extraction, being no older than newspapers. It is thought their original nama was lies, taken from the papers they so took off, and the ■ alteration ocsasionei thus. To hasten these boys, the p-essmen used to cry "flic, life," which niturallyjfell into one ■ single word lie, bince, therefore^ we

■ire both comprehended under the.^ title,; of <levils, let us discharge our offioa,* wih diligence; bu we may attain as; many of our predecessors, have done, to the dignity of printers, and to have an opportunity of others as much like poor devils, as we have been use! by them, or as th&y and authors are loused by booksellers. -3?hese are an^np-' ''start profession, who nave engrossed the business of bookselling, which original ty belonged to our masters. Bui let them remember, that if we worship Beli- d and Beelzebub, the God of flies, all -the world,.agcee3,.,that .their God is Mammon."