The Parts of a Punch are already described in §. 13. ¶. 1. of this Volumne; and so is the Body: But the several Terms that relate to the Face of Letters are not yet defined. Now therefore you must note, that the Body of a Letter hath four principal Lines passing through it (or at least imagined to pass through it) at Right Angles to the Body; viz. The Top-Line, The Head-Line, The Foot-Line, and The Bottom-Line.
Between two of these Lines is contained the Heighth of all Letters.
These are called Lines, because the Tops, the Heads, the Feet and the Bottoms of all Letters (when Complicated by the Compositor) stand ranging in these imagin’d Lines, according as the Heighth and Depth of each respective Letter properly requires.
The Long-Letters are (as I told you in §. 13. ¶. 1. of this Volumne) contained between the Top and Bottom-Lines, The Ascending Letters are contained between the Top and Foot-Lines, The Descending Letters are contained between the Head and Bottom-Lines, and The Short-Letters are contained between the Head and Foot-Lines.
Through what Parts of the Body all these Lines pass, you may see by the Drafts of Letters, and the following Descriptions.
What the Long-Letters, Ascending Letters, and Short-Letters are, I shewed in the afore-cited ¶. Therefore I shall now proceed to particular Terms relating to the Face. As,
1. The Topping, is the straight fine Stroak or Stroaks that lie in the Top-Line of Ascending Letters: In Roman Letters they pass at Right Angles through the Stems; but in Italicks, at Oblique Angles to the Stems; as you may see in the Drafts of Letters, B, B, H, H, I, I, &c.
2. The Footing, is the straight fine Stroak or Stroaks that lie in the Foot-Line of Letters, either Ascending or Descending. In Romans they pass at Right Angles through the Stem, but in Italicks, at Oblique Angles; as you may see in B, B, H, H, I, I, &c.
3. The Bottom-Footing, is the straight fine Stroaks that lie in the Bottom-Line of Descending Letters. In Romans they pass at Right Angles through the Stem; but in Italicks at Oblique Angles; as you may see p, p, q, q.
4. The Stem is the straight Fat Stroak of the Letter: as in B, B, the straight Stroak on the Left-Hand is the Stem; and I, I, is all Stem, except the Footing and Topping.