Take Printers Blacking, grinde it fine, and temper it with faire water, and with a pen dipt therein, draw ouer the master stroakes and out lines of the muscles: wet then a faire paper with a spunge, and clap the picture upon it, pressing it very hard thereupon, and you shall finde the stroakes you drew, left upon the faire paper.
An easie way to lessen any picture: that is, to draw a picture from another, in a lesser compasse.
First, with a ruler, and a blacke lead plummet, draw a line at the very top: also another at the bottome paralell, or equally distant from the other: from the upper line, let fall two perpendicular or plum-lines euen unto the lowermost line, so those foure lines will make a square: now you must diuide this square into diuers equall parts, with a paire of compasses, and draw lines with a ruler and blacke lead plummet, quite over the picture: so the lesselines will divide the picture into equall parts or squares: then take a faire paper, and make as many squares upon it, as there is in the picture: you may make them as little as you will, but be sure that they are equall, and of just number with those in the picture. Having thus crossed your picture, and drawne over your faire paper into squares, take a blacke lead pen, and draw the picture by little and little, passing from square unto square, untill you have finished the whole: still observing the order of the squares as they stand in either: then draw it ouer with a pen, in which second drawing of it over, you may easily mend any fault: when it is dry, rub it over with the crum of white bread, and it will take off all the blacke lead strokes, and your draught onely will remaine faire upon the paper or parchment. Here I might have entred into discourse of drawing paralels, perpendiculars, making of squares, and such like: but to deal truely, I was as loth to trouble my selfe, as to wearie you: you shall neede onely to provide a ruler of thin brasse or copper, having a crosse thwart one end of it: the charge will not be much, nor the use tedious: the figure followeth, noted A, B.
Let a, b, c, d, be a line given, whereon to erect a perpendicular or plumb line: lay the ruler so, that the crosse over the end of it, may lye full upon the Line, then draw a Line by the side of the rule, and it is done.
A verie easie way, to describe a Towne, or Castle: being within the full sight thereof.
For the effecting of this, you must have a frame made, and crossed into equall squares with Lute strings, and figured at the end of each string: this frame must have a foot, wherein it must be made to be lifted higher or lower as occasion serveth; also you must divide your paper that you are to draw upon into so many equal squares as your frame containeth: having the like figures at the ends of each line that there is on the frame; before this frame must be placed a style or bodkin having a little glasse on the top of it for to direct the sight. Note now that the nearer any thing commeth unto the Center, the lesser it appeareth: hence it is that a Towne of a mile, or more long, or a huge great Castle, at a distance may be comprehended, and that easily within the limits of so small a frame; By the stile direct your sight from one part to another, beginning at one square, and proceeding through the rest in order as they lie; Marke well the following figure.
