TYPE-FOUNDING

TYPE-FOUNDING. In the article PRINTING the reader will find that the invention of the art of type-founding was a very early consequence of the discovery of the rude art of taking impressions from laboriously excised letters of wood and metal; and that after an investigation of the statements of various authors, the honour of the invention has been given to the illustrious partnership of Gutenberg, Fust, and Schoeffler, the larger share being allowed to the latter, as having had practice in the design and proportioning of letters in his original employment of an illuminator; that the place of the invention was the city of Mentz, and that the time was about the year 1457. Nor, upon examination, will it appear that any other can dispute the honour with these worthies, inasmuch as they indisputably used cast metal types before

the secession of Gutenberg from his associates, and consequently before the dispersion of their workmen by the capture of Mentz in the year 1462; nor will the claims of Koster of Haarlem in any case interfere with these, the most sanguine of his supporters carrying his pretensions no farther than the art of taking impressions from excised characters of gold, of lead, and lastly of tin. The necessity of some improvement upon the original method of forming types, seen on the very limited scale upon which the first efforts in typography were conducted, must be obvious, and it appears to have advanced in a natural and rapid course. The first step seems to have been the striking of a letter approved cut, answering in some degree to the modern inch, into soft clay or plaster, and the infusion of metal into the mould thus formed; the shaft or body, which by so rude and uncertain a method must necessarily have been rough and untrue, being dressed into correctness by manual labour. The art of casting and working metals, however, being at that time by no means defective, and Fust being a profession a worker in gold and silver, it is probable that a process not unlike the modern was soon invented; it of this we have no certain evidence, the whole art of printing being carefully kept a "mystery" by the initiated till about half a century after the probable date of the invention.¹ This evidence is afforded us by the device of Julius Ascensius, an eminent printer of Paris and Lyon in the beginning of the sixteenth century, and also by that of an English printer, Anthony Scoloker of Ippeswich, who modified and adopted the device of Ascensius, as indeed many other printers of various countries. This curious sign exhibits in one apartment the various processes of printing, the foreground presenting a press in full work, the background on the left the cases and the compositor, and on the right the foundery; the matrix and other appliances bearing a precise resemblance to those at present in use. This introduces to observation the fact that the earlier printers generally combined all the various processes of their profession in their own offices, although it would appear, that as the art spread over Europe, and secrecy became less and less necessary, the most enterprising speedily began to furnish their distant brethren with types from their respective foundries. Thus it would appear that the first types of the English archtypographer Caxton were supplied by Ulric Zell, and that it was not until the establishment of his printing-house at Westminster that he began to cut letter in imitation of his own hand-writing, and more recalcable to the fashion of writing at that time in use in England. Lettou and Machlinia are supposed to have purchased their types from foreign foundries, perhaps from Lyon or Milan. But Wynkyn de Worde discarded that clumsy which had hitherto obstructed the progress of the art in England, and having cut many founts of considerable beauty, supplied his contemporary typographers. His black letter in especial was so much esteemed as to have been in use to a very late period, and it is said that remnants of his founts are to be found in some of the most ancient printing establishments; nay, it is even possible that some of his original punches or matrices might yet by diligent antiquary be discovered—a valuable and interesting addition to our many curious relics of the art. The first record of the separation of the art of type-making from that of printing, would appear to be a decree of the star-chamber in the reign of Charles I., dated 11th July 1637. This was probably one of the attempts to suppress the printing of seditious works by the rising puritans, and, after establishing secret printing-offices in various

parts of the kingdom, found it necessary for secrecy to cut their founts themselves. The decree seems to have been in some degree a revival of one of the same nature, 28 Elizabeth, limiting the number of printers to twenty. By the first-mentioned decree it was ordered,

That there shall be four founders of letters for printing, and no more.

That the archbishop of Canterbury, or the bishop of London, with six other high commissioners, shall supply the places of those four as they shall become void.

That no master founder shall keep above two apprentices at one time.

That all journeymen founders be employed by the masters of the trade, and that idle journeymen be compelled to work upon pain of imprisonment, and such other punishment as the court shall think fit.

That no master founder of letters shall employ any other person in any work belonging to the casting and founding of letters than freemen or apprentices to the trade, save only in pulling off the knots of metal hanging at the end of the letters when they are first cast, in which work every master founder may employ one boy only not bound to the trade.

The four founders appointed by this decree to serve the whole kingdom were John Grismand, Thomas Wright, Arthur Nicholas, and Alexander Fifield.

This decree was revived 14th Charles II., renewed 16th Charles II., and again for seven years 1st James II., at which term it expired, and was never renewed.

The founts in use in English printing-offices may be divided into two kinds; those used for book, and those for job printing, that is, hand and posting bills, &c. Of book types there are twelve regular bodies, viz. Great Primer, English, Pica, Small Pica, Long Primer, Bourgeois, Brevier, Minion, Nonpareil, Ruby, Pearl, and Diamond. Besides these, Minion-Nonpareil is a good deal used; and some founders have introduced intermediate founts, as Emerald.

It is much to be regretted that no uniform standard has been adopted by letter-founders for their founts of the same-named letter; they vary not only from those of other founders, but even from their own, owing to which it seldom happens that any two founts stand together. This is the cause of much inconvenience, as in the instance of capitals and small capitals, accented letters, signs, and other sorts introduced into common matter; the printer being obliged to purchase a small quantity of each with every fount, whereas, were there any uniformity, he might have a considerable quantity to be used with any fount as occasion required.

Great Primer (Fr. Gros Romain; Ger. Tertia) is the largest type in use in book printing, being chiefly for large Bibles, on which account it is sometimes called Bible Text; but it is very seldom employed. There are about 51½ ms to a foot: it is double the body of Bourgeois.

English (Fr. Saint Augustin; Ger. Mittel) is much used for church Bibles, and for works in folio and quarto. The French name is probably derived from its being first used to print the works of St Augustin; the German from its being the middle of seven standard founts used by the early German printers. There are about 64 ms to a foot: its body is equal to two Minions.

Pica (Fr. and Ger. Cicero, from its having been first used for Cicero's Epistles) is the fount which is used as the general standard of measurement in casting leads, quotations, cutting rule, and regulating the price of press-work, &c. It is in very extensive use for works of a standard