POllNTING. 
'sJIffiised over Europe. When it was first 
established at Paris, the copiers, finding 
tlieir business so materially injured, pre- 
sented a memorial of complaint to the par- 
liament, and that tribunal, as superstitious 
•as the people, who took tlie printere for 
bonjurers, had their books seized and con- 
fiscated. Louis XI. who, villain as he was, 
was the friend and patron of letters, forbade 
the parliament to take any farther cogni- 
zance of tiie affair, and restored their pro- 
perty to the printers. 
The art -of printing now began to sjrread 
itself over a greatpart of Europe with asto- 
nishing rapidity. It was practised at Rome 
in the year 1467, and the year following it 
was introduced into England by Thomas 
Bonrchier, Archbishop of Canterbtiry, who 
sent W. Turner, master of the robes, and 
W. Caxton, merchant, to the continent to 
learn the art, Turner and Caxton met 
w'ith one Corseilles, an under-workman, 
w'hom they bribed with considerable pre- 
sents and large promises, to come over to 
England, and instruct them in the art. This 
business having been accomplished, a press 
was set up at Oxford, which was afterwards 
removed to St. Albans, and after that to 
Westiniaster Abbey. The learned Dr. 
Conyers Middleton, and others, aie inclined 
to doubt the truth of this part of the history 
of printing. It is certain, that Caxton 
did not return immediately to England, but 
continued some time on the continent, fol- 
lowing the business of a printer. Indeed, 
both the origin and the history of tlie first 
introduction of the art of printing into tliis 
country are involved in doiibt and obscu- 
rity, and nothing has ever yet been published 
pertectly satisfaetory on this subject. We 
will, therefore, proceed to an account of , 
THE METHOD OF PBINTING. 
The Workmen employed in this art are 
compositors and pressmen. The first are 
those persons whose business it is to range 
and dispose the letters into words, lines, 
pages, &e. The pressmen are those who, 
properly speaking, are the printers, as they 
take off the isnpressions from the letters 
after they are prepared for that purpose by 
the compositors. The types being provided 
for the compositor, he distributes each kind, 
or sort, by itself, into small cells or boxes, 
made in two wooden frames, called the 
eases ; the upper-case and the lower-case. 
The cells in the upper-case are ninety-eight 
in number; tliose of the lower-case are 
§fty-four. ' 
The upper-case contains two alphabets of 
capitals ; large, or full capitals, and small 
capitals. They also contain cells for the 
figures, the accented letters, the characters 
used in references to notes, &c. ; and one 
cell, -being a middle one in the bottom row, 
for the small letter, k. Tire capitals in this 
case are disposed alphabetically. 
The lower-case is appropriated to the 
small letters, the double letters, the points, 
parentheses, spaces, and quadrats. The 
boxes of tlie lower-case are of different 
sizes; the largest being for the letters most 
in use ; but the arrangement is not in this 
instance alphabetical, those letters oftenest 
wanted being placed nearest to the compo- 
sitor’s hand. As there is nothing on the 
outside of the boxes to denote the letters 
they respectively contain, it is curious to 
observe the dexterity manifested by ^the 
compositor in finding and taking up the let- 
ters, as he wants them, from the different 
cells. Each case is placed in an inclined 
direction, tliat the compositor may reach 
the upper-case with ease. 
Tlie instrument in which the letters are 
set is called a composing-stick, which con- 
sists of a long plate 6f brass or iron, on the 
side of which arises a ledge, which runs the 
whole length of the plate, and serves to 
support the letters, the sides of which are 
to rest against it. Along this ledge is a row 
of hoks, for introducing a screw to lengthen 
or shorten the line, by moving the sliders 
farther from, or nearer to, the shorter ledge 
at the end of the composing stick. Where 
marginal notes are required, the two sliding 
pieces are opened to a proper distance from 
each other. Before the compositor begins 
to compose, he puts a thin slip of brass plate, 
called a rule, cut to the length of the line, 
and of the same height as the letter, in the 
Gomposing stick, parallel with the ledge, 
against which the letters are intended to 
bear. The compositor being thus furnished 
with an instrument suited to hold the letters 
as they are aranged into words, lines, &c. 
he places hi? copy on the upper case, just 
before him, and holding the stick in his left 
hand, his thumb being over the slider, with 
the right he takes up the letters, spaces, &c. 
one by one, and places them against the 
rule, while he supports them with his left 
thumb, by pressing them against the slider, 
the other hand being constantly employed 
in setting in other letters. Having in this 
manner composed a line, he takes the brass 
rule from behind it, and places it before 
the letters of which it is composed, anct 
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