*68 Account of the Origin and Trogrefs of 



idea was truly my own — for fuch was the fa6f. — but in per* 

 feeling the invention I had the afli (lance and joint labour of 

 another. At the time of the difcovery I flattered myfelf that 

 we were original ; and, with thofe fanguine ideas which are 

 natural to a young man, indulged the hopes of reaping fome 

 fame at leall from the difcovery: nay, 1 was even weak enough 

 to feel vexed when I afterwards found that we had been anti^ 

 cipated by a Mr. Ged, of Edinburgh, who had printed books 

 from letter-prefs plates about fifty years befofe! The know- 

 ledge of this facl leflened the value of the difcovery fo much 

 in my emmation, that I felt but little anxiety to be known as 

 a fecond inventor ; and but for the perfevcriug attempts of 

 others to deprive Ged of the fame his memory fo juftly merits, 

 and which he dearly earned, I might have Hill remained filent. 



It is not my intention at prefent to enter into a detail 

 of particulars refpec.ling the proceflTes connected with letter- 

 preis-pkite or liereotype printing, nor would it be proper 

 without previously obtaining the concurrence of Mr. Foulis, 

 the gentleman who aflifted me in my labours. Much lefs is 

 it my intention to enter into a hiilory of printing in general ; 

 a few remarks, however, refpecting its varieties may not 

 prove unacceptable to fome readers. 



Impreffing forms or images upon various fubftances, as 

 clay and metals, by means of feals, fiamps, dyes, punches, 

 and the like, muft have been an early invention : antique 

 coins, antient bricks with inferiptions on them, &c. are 

 proofs of this. In this cafe, the body to be imprefled muft 

 be in a it ate comparatively foft and plaftic, and the feal or 

 other (lamp is applied with fuch a force as to make it leave 

 its image in the Jubilance of the clay or metal. The transi- 

 tion from this to printing, which, in its fimpleft form, coi\- 

 fifts in fmearing over or daubing the prominences of a ftatnp 

 wiih any coloured fubftance, that when applied to another 

 body it may leave its impreffion ON thejurface of fuch body, 

 appears fo fimple, fo eafy, and natural, that it has been a 

 matter of much wonder to the moderns that it mould not 

 have been difcovered for fo many ages; not, indeed, till 

 within tlvefe few centimes. This obfervation, however, does? 

 jiot apply with all its force to the i fiatics ; for in China the 

 period of the difcovery is fo remote as to baffle any attempt 

 that might be made to fix the sera of printing from blocks in 

 that country. 



Printing from blocks may be confulered as the firft fpecie$ 

 of printing properly fo called. The end intended by this pro- 

 cefs is obtained by cutting, upon a fiat block of wood or rne- 

 tal, but commonly the former, the words or fentences in- 

 tended 



