'6l Invi'Ktion of Prhiting. — Stereotype Improvement. , 



.isfufficlent to change the face of the univerfe. Let us leave thofe men who have more erudi- 

 tion than genius to feek the origin of printing in the ages of antiquity. They are ignorant 

 that the great advantage of this art confifts ftill more particularly in cafling the characters, 

 than in their mobility ; for which rcafon we join in the opinion of thofe who affirm John of 

 Gottenburgh, Furft, and SchoefFer, made the difcovery in 1439- We muft, however, obfervc, 

 that Schoeffer, the cleric or principal workman of the goldfmith, Furft, was the inventor of 



.moveable types, according to the learned Trithemius, author of the Chronicle Herfanges, 

 vv»ho was particularly acquainted with Schoeffer. Trithemius was fo well fatisfied with this 



,procefs, that he gave his daughter in marriage to Schoeffer. But whatever may be the deci- 

 fions refpecSing this point of hiftorv, the immediate objeft of my memoir will not allow me 

 to enter into any filrther difcuffion refpciSting the degrees of perfedfion which this art has fuc- 

 ceflively acquired nncethat memorable epocha. I cannot, however, pafs over in filence a me- 

 thod invented in Scotland, by William Ged, to make fixed plates with moveable charadlers. 

 By means of thtfe plates he printed an edition of Salluft, with the title " C. Crifpi Salujl'ii Ca- 



Jtiinarii W yuguthlni Hijlorla^ EJinhurgi, GullL Ged, Auri Fahcr ed'tnsnfts non typis mobUi- 



■J>U5 Ut vulgo fieri fokt., fed tabellh feu laminis fufis excudebat, 1744.," in i6mo. 



The Salluft of Ged is well printed, and refembles, in every refpsfl:, a book printed with 

 raaveable charaflers. But Ged reduced his printing jcharafters to a moderate price, and ob- 

 tained, befides, a much greater faving on the paper, becaufe he printed no greater number of 



>copies, at a time, than he had reafonable ground to expe<3: he fhould fell. His procefe is 

 more particularly advantageous forclaffical books, which are of flow, though fteady, fale. Thefe 

 Polytype plates, as they are now called, are likewife capable of affording a confiderable profit 



-to the founder, who may make them, for the purpofe of ex[;ortation or fale, at great diftances 



vfrom the place of fabrication. Hoffman, an induftrious artift, communicated, in 1784, to the 

 French Academy, a procefs fimilar to that here defcribed; but be applied his art to the 

 compOntion of a journal, for which it was little calculated, If we could flatter ourfelves 

 with making any addition to the fame of the Didots, we fliould not fail to make honorable 

 mention of their labours. But the obj eft of the prefent communication is lefs the art of printing, 



. or impreflion, than of typography. Typography embraces the generality of the art of multiply- 

 ing copies, whether the plates prefent an engraving in relief or excavated, and whether the cha- 

 rafters be fixed or moveable. It will not be contended, but that the art of typography was 

 very anciently known in China. Duhalde, and every other writer who has treated of the in- 

 diiftry of that nation, informs us, that they transfer to a blocic, of apple or pear tree, the 

 work of which they are defirous of multiplying copies, by firft palling a written copy, upon 

 ;thin paper, on the face of the block, through which they trace the marks of the writing with 

 a point, and afterwards ^lear away the blank parts with the graving-tool. Duhalde obferves, 

 .that this method of procuring copies 'has the great inconvenience of requiring an exceffive 

 .multiplicity of blocks for fuch works as are voluminous. But how could it be poffible for 

 .the Chinefe to make ufe of moveable caft types, fince they have near one hundred thoufand 

 ocharafters. Neverthekfe, according to the fame author, this people are not ignorant of .the 



ufe 



