Wednesday Octob. 26. 1698
1 Ordered, yt Mr Cornelius Crownfield do go to London to procure an Alphabet of Box flourish't Letters, and to retain Workmen for the Press, and to take care for ye Carriage of Mr Tonson's Paper: and to hasten ye return of ye double Pica Letter from Holland.
2 Upon ye proposall of Mr Talbot of Ds Penny[79] to be his correctour for ye edition of Horace with ye approbation of ye delegates; agreed, yt the said Ds Penny be spoken to to undertake ye said office of Correctour.
January ye 4th 1698/9.
At a meeting of Eight of ye Curators—
Ordered that Mr Talbot have full power to treat about & procure a Rolling press fit for ye service of ye Printing house the charges thereof to be defrayed out of such money as he shall receive upon subscriptions to ye press at London.
Agreed also that 4 pence p̲ week for copy money be allowed to ye workmen at ye Press and half a crown p̲ Quarter for cleaning ye Press[80].
The three following entries show that in their first few years of office, at any rate, the Curators approached their duties in a business-like way:
March 4 1698
1 Orderd, that a particular account of each Body of Letter, & of all Tooles & Moveables belonging to ye New Printing House be taken in writing in ye presence of the Delegates for ye weekly meetings of this Month, and yt it be entered into ye Journal Book by ye person appointed to keep that Book: and yt ye said account be sign'd by ye Delegates, & Mr Crownfield ye Printer....