Compositers commonly examine the Truth of their Stick by applying the head of the Sliding-Measure to the inside of the Head of the Stick; and if they comply, they think they are square and true made: But this Rule only holds when the Head it self is square. But if it be not, ’tis easy to file the Sliding-Measures to comply with them: Therefore, as aforesaid, the square is the only way to examine them by.
¶. 5. Of the Bodkin.
The Bodkin is delineated in Plate 2. at F Its Blade is made of Steel, and well tempered, its shape is round, and stands about two Inches without the Shank of the Handle. The Handle is turned of soft wood as Alder, Maple, &c. that when Compositers knock the Head of the Bodkin upon the Face of a Single Letter when it stands too high, it may not batter the Face.
¶. 6. Of Chases, marked G on the Correcting-Stone, Plate 2.
A Chase is an Iron Frame about two and twenty Inches long, eighteen Inches broad, and half Inch half quarter thick; and the breadth of Iron on every side is three quarters of an Inch: But an whole Inch is much better, because stronger. All its sides must stand exactly square to each other; And when it is laid on the Correcting-Stone it must lye exactly flat, viz. equally bearing on all its sides and Angles: The outside and inside must be Filed straight and smooth. It hath two Crosses belonging to it, viz. A Short-Cross marked a a and a Long-Cross marked b b: These two Crosses have on each end a Male Duftail Filed Bevil away from the under to the upper-side of the Cross, so that the under-side of the Duftail is narrower than the upper-side of the Duftail. These Male-Duftails are fitted into Female-Duftails, Filed in the inside of the Chase, which are also wider on the upper side of the Chase than on the under-side; because the upper-side of the Cross should not fall through the lower side. These Crosses are called the Short and the Long-Cross.
The Short-Cross is Duftail’d in as aforesaid, just in the middle of the Chase as at c c, and the Long-Cross in the middle of the other sides the Chase, as at d d. The Short-Cross is also Duftail’d into Female-Duftails, made as aforesaid, about three Inches and an half from the middle, as at e e: So that the Short-Cross may be put into either of the Female-Duftails as occasion serves. The middle of these two Crosses are Filed or notched half way through, one on its upper, the other on its under-side to let into one another, viz. the Short-Cross is Filed from the upper towards the under-side half way, and the Long-Cross is Filed from the lower towards the upper-side half way: The Crosses are also thus let into each other, where they meet at f, when the Short-Cross is laid into the other Female-Duftails fitted to it at e e.
In the middle, between the two edges of the upper side of the Short-Cross, is made two Grooves parallel to the sides of the Cross, beginning at about two Inches from each end, and ending at about seven Inches from each end: It is made about half an Inch deep all the way, and about a quarter of an Inch broad, that the Points may fall into them. The Short-Cross is about three quarters of an Inch thick, and the Long-Cross about half that thickness. All their sides must be Fil’d straight and smooth, and they must be all the way of an equal thickness.
Hitherto our Master-Printer hath provided Materials and Implements only for the Compositers use; But he must provide Machines and Tools for the Press-mans to use too: which (because I am loath to discourage my Customers with a swelling price at the first reviving of these Papers) I shall (though against my interest) leave for the subject of the next succeeding Exercises.