When Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type in the 1400s, making mass production of the written word possible, authorities were enthusiastic. Early printers produced Bibles and religious tracts, which were consistent with the values of the intertwined institutions of state and church. It did not occur to anybody that the new invention might be used for heretical or traitorous purposes. Later, occasional tracts appeared that challenged the authorities, but their threat was easily dismissed because, even in the early 1500s, printing was still mostly in Latin, which could be read only by the ruling elite. Most common people were unable to read even their native language, let alone Latin. The printed word seemed an unlikely vehicle for the foment