Character:—Narrow Dutch Black.
Body:—English, nearly (10 lines = just less than 2 in.).
Used in the Cicero (1480?: by itself), Latin Grammar (1481?: by itself), Ales (1481: chiefly, but with no. 3), and Latteburius (1482: chiefly, but with no. 3).
The “upper case” consisted of 22 letters (J, K, U, W omitted).
The “lower case” consisted of at least 131 divisions. Of the simple letters j only occurs in colligation with i (as ij), and there are two forms of r, s (s, ſ) and y. There are about 93 colligated or modified letters.
Unfortunately it is very difficult to institute a close comparison of the use of letters, so as to establish a proper order of the books, in consequence of the fragmentary state of the Milo and the Latin Grammar. The Milo can be clearly separated from the rest: the type is spaced, so that 10 lines = between 29
16 and 2¾ in., and ( ), ؟ (= ?), | (= comma) are found in it alone. In fact, but for the closest resemblance of actual type, the Milo would have to be regarded as printed elsewhere: and it cannot yet be said to be quite certainly printed at Oxford. The Ales and Latteburius are hardly to be distinguished in the use of type, but I have observed w only in the Latteburius and Grammar.
The origin of the type is probably to be looked for near Cologne, from whence came Theodoricus Rood, the avowed printer of the Ales, and where a Theodoricus, who may probably be identified with Rood, printed in 1485–6 in a type smaller than, but similar to, the present one. The narrow stilted look of the letters and the semicircular sweep in front of the A are noticeable features. Henry Bradshaw detected a similarity between this type and that of Arnold ther Hoernen at Cologne.
Type 3 (1481–1485).
Character:—Heading and initial Black, a large special type.