2)ro Account of- the Origin and Progrcfs of 



wanted, appeared to be a likely way of ftill further reducing 

 the price of book-7naki?ig, as the fame types might be after- 

 wards employed for different works. 



This advance in the art was alfo foorr obtained, but dill 

 printers were not fatisfied. A great number of each parti- 

 cular letter was required to enable them to fet up or compofe 

 (as putting the letters together is called) a (ingle (beet of any 

 work ; each letter was to be cut and adjufted with fuch ac- 

 curacy, as to make it (land exactly to the fame height of every 

 other letter ; and all fo as to range well with each other. It 

 the cutting of a Jingle alphabet could be made to anfwer in- 

 ftead of fo many, what a faving of labour ! Can we wonder 

 that the attempt was made ? It fucceeded, and gave rife to a> 

 new art, that of the type-founder, as practifed at this day. 



In this art, the letters are firft cut upon fteel punches : 

 thefe are afterwards hardened, that they may bear ftriking 

 into pieces of copper, in which they leave their impreffion, 

 which pieces, called matrixes, being furniflied with a proper 

 apparatus for forming the ftalk or (hank of the type, ferve as 1 

 moulds, from which any number of types may be caft, every 

 one exactly like its original punch. 



Thus we fee that book printing has been, in its progrefs, 

 connected with arts very different in thcmfelves. At its firft 

 origin the blockcutter was the principal agent in producing 

 the copy of the MS. , Preffmen were alfo neceflary. In it3 

 next (lep, the block-cutter turns letter-cutter, each like each 

 other in height and body, that they might range properly in 

 lines ; a labour fo prodigious that words cannot convey any 

 idea of the mechanical patience it mull have required ! An- 

 other fet of workmen now became neceifarv, anew bufinefs 

 was formed, that of the compofitor ; the perfon who arranges 

 the letters into words, lines, and pages. The third (lage of 

 the art was that in which moveable metallic types were 

 employed, which embraces the arts of the punch-cutter* 

 the (inker and adjufter of the matrixes, the mould-maker, 

 (the mould, properly fpeaking, is that part of the apparatus 

 which forms the (hank or body of the type; the letter formed 

 by the matrix is called the face;) the type-founder, the com- 

 pofitor, and the preflman. 



This kind of printing is called leffer-firefs, to difiinguifh it 

 from another, which is radically different both in the mode 

 of its production and in that of its working — we mean copper- 

 plate work. 



Engraving on metals is an art of great antiquity. Almoft 

 every kind of antient armour that has yet been found, as alfo 

 many antique houfehold implements, are embellifhed with 

 engravings of lefs or more merk. We fpeak not now of 



fculpturcs 



