Your Honours most Humble
and Obedient Servant.
Joseph Moxon.
Footnotes.
[1] “A History of the Old English Letter Foundries, with Notes Historical and Biographical on the Rise and Progress of English Typography.” By Talbot Baines Reed, London, 1887, p. 181.
[2] The four founders appointed by the Star Chamber did not thrive. One of them, Arthur Nicholls, said of himself: “Of so small benifitt hath his Art bine that for 4 yeares worke and practice he hath not taken above 48£, and had it not bine for other imploymente he might have perrisht.” Reed, p. 168.
[3] “A Dissertation upon English Typographical Founders and Founderies.” By Edward Rowe Mores, A. M. & A. S. S. [London], 1778. 8vo, p. 43.
[4] See plates Nos. 11 to 17.
[5] Reed, “Old English Letter Foundries,” pp. 185, 186.
[6] Mores, “English Founders,” p. 42.
[7] Hansard says (“Typographia,” p. vii): “I have never been able to meet with more than two copies of this work—one in the Library of the British Museum—the other in the Library of the Society of Arts.” The writer knows of but three copies in America: one in the Library Company of Philadelphia; one in the Library of the Typothetæ of New-York; one in his own collection.
MECHANICK EXERCISES:
Or, the Doctrine of
Handy-works.
Applied to the Art of
Printing.
PREFACE.
BEfore I begin with Typographie, I shall say somewhat of its Original Invention; I mean here in Europe, not of theirs in China and other Eastern Countries, who (by general assent) have had it for many hundreds of years, though their Invention is very different from ours; they Cutting their Letters upon Blocks in whole Pages or Forms, as among us our Wooden Pictures are Cut; But Printing with single Letters Cast in Mettal, as with us here in Europe, is an Invention scarce above Two hundred and fifteen years old; and yet an undecidable Controversie about the original Contriver or Contrivers remains on foot, between the Harlemers of Holland, and those of Mentz in Germany: But because the difference cannot be determin’d for want of undeniable Authority, I shall only deliver both their Pleas to this Scientifick Invention.