LIGATURES

LIGATURES, amongst printers, are types consisting of two letters or characters joined together; as $\backslash delta$, $\backslash beta$, $\backslash phi$, $\backslash pi$. The old editions of Greek authors are extremely full of ligatures; but the ligatures of Stephens are by much the most beautiful. Some editions have been printed without any ligatures at all; and there was a design to explode them quite out of printing. Had this succeeded, the finest ancient editions would in time have grown useless; and the reading of old manuscripts would have been rendered almost impracticable to the learned themselves.