“From the beginning of printing up to a time not far distant from our own, the engravers of punches for types were goldsmiths, die-sinkers, medallists, niellists,—masters in their art. It will be found in Zani that Fust and Schœffer were goldsmiths, and so, it is believed, was Guttenberg; while, in the opinion of the said Zani, it was Giovanni Dunne, ‘a most excellent goldsmith, who led the way in the formation of metal types.’ ... Every one knows how distinguished Francia was as a goldsmith, his first and chief profession, and how frequently he signed his paintings with the words, ‘Franciscus Francia aurifaber,’ or ‘aurifex,’ as if he gloried in the designation. Vasari says, in the Life of Francia, that his fine medals stood on a par with those of Caradosso; but he says never a word of the Furnius conjured up by Gaurico.”

“I had long suspected that this Francesco da Bologna, was no other than the Bolognese Francesco Raibolini, generally known as ‘Francia.’ Some years ago, in running through a work of some note in former times, I found that after mentioning various ancient artists, exactly as Gaurico does, it went on to speak of the modern ones thus:—‘I find amongst the ancients one great omission of which the moderns take notice, and that is with regard to engravers or artists in silver, a kind of work known as niello. I am acquainted with a man of the highest excellence, and very famous in his art, his name is Francesco da Bologna, otherwise Franza; he forms or engraves on a diminutive orb or plate of silver, so many men and animals, so many mountains, trees, and castles, and in so many various shapes and positions that it is wonderful to behold or describe.’”

“And here I might stop,” continues Panizzi, “were it not that the direct testimony of Leonardi is corroborated irrefragably by a very remarkable circumstance.... I think I may conclude by answering the question which I have put to myself, thus:—Francesco da Bologna was Francesco Raibolini, called Francia, the worthy contemporary and compatriot of Leonardo, Raphael, and Michel Angelo, great as a painter, great as an engraver, great as a medallist, great as a niellist, without equal as a type-cutter, a shining ornament of illustrious and learned Bologna.”

Conclusive as Panizzi’s argument appeared to be, there were, of course, dissentients, and among them was Count Giacomo Manzoni, who, in a jocular letter to the late librarian of the Laurenziana (Florence) Cav. Ferrucci, expressed his doubts. Panizzi, in a tone of equal good humour, confuted the Count, and issued a second edition in 1873, containing his answer to Count Manzoni’s suggested objections.

The “bijou” work (or as Monsieur Brunet, the celebrated bibliophile termed it, un véritable bijou typographique), once out of the publisher’s hands, it was circulated amongst Panizzi’s friends, and translated by Mr. Charles Cannon. The laudatory letters, replete with thanks, which followed were numerous, but as an example of these, that from the already mentioned Mons. Brunet must suffice:—

“Paris, 30 Nov., 1858.

“Monsieur,

J’ai bien tardé à vous remercier du charmant opuscule que M. Mérimée m’a fait l’honneur de me remettre de votre part. C’est qu’avant de vous écrire je voulais avoir pris connaissance de cette curieuse dissertation, et que malheureusement, occupé sans relâche d’un travail in extremis, pour ma nouvelle édition, il me reste bien peu de temps à donner à mes plaisirs. C’en a été un véritable pour moi de vous lire et d’admirer l’exactitude de vos fac-simile. Vos conjectures, Monsieur, sur Francesco de Bologna, me paraissent bien fondées: elles font connaître tout le mérite d’un artiste, que jusqu’ici, on avait regardé seulement comme un habile graveur de poinçons à l’usage des imprimeurs.

A l’égard de ces poinçons, permettez moi, Monsieur, de faire ici une réserve en faveur de l’Alde l’ancien. Cet imprimeur, à ce qu’il parait, les a achetés de Francesco, il en a fait frapper les matrices nécessaires pour la fonte des caractères cursifs dont il a fait un si fréquent usage à partir de 1501. Or, avant de se livrer aux dépenses considérables où cela devait l’entraîner, il a dû naturellement se réserver la propriété exclusive des objects acquis par lui, alors s’il en agit ainsi, il a eu raison de se plaindre de ce que l’artiste eut livré des caractères semblables à Géronimo Soncino pour son Pétrarque de 1503, et il était parfaitement dans son droit lorsqu’il sollicitait et obtenait du Pape un privilège[privilège] exclusif pour ses nouveaux caractères.

Je connaissais déjà[déjà] plusieurs des petites éditions données par Francesco, en 1516, mais pas le Cicéron, et j’ignorais que cet artiste n’eut exercé la Typographie, que moins d’une année. J’aurais, j’en suis certain bien d’autres choses à apprendre de vous, Monsieur, qui possédez de si grandes connaissances en ce genre, mais, à mon grand regret, éloigné de vous pour toujours, et occupé de terminer un travail que mon grand âge m’avertit de limiter, je ne pourrai guère profiter des secours que vous m’avez si obligemment offerts lorsque j’ai eu le plaisir de vous voir.