A History of the Old English Letter Foundries / with Notes, Historical and Bibliographical, on the Rise and Progress of English Typography.

by Talbot Baines Reed

[Μ] 56. From the original in the Library of the London Institution.

Mr. Mores, unfortunately, did not live to see the publication of his {227} Dissertation, or to complete the Specimen which was to accompany it. He died in 1778, and four years elapsed before the foundry was put up to auction, and the catalogue with its specimen attached finally appeared.

Of this interesting document we need only observe that in point of execution and printing it calls for all the apology which Mr. Mores offers on its behalf;[429] for one could hardly imagine a specimen doing less justice to the collection it represents. Yet, in spite of its imperfections, it is a work of the highest importance to anyone interested in the history of the old English letter-founders, and we regret that space forbids quoting the Catalogue in full.

We shall, however, present our readers with an abstract of the Specimen as far as it relates to the matrices of the “learned” languages in the foundry; adding, as far as possible, the initials of the foundries through which each fount had come into James’ hands.[430]

• The specimens shown are as follows:—
  • Hebrew (Biblical).[431]—
    • [A.][432] 2-l. English Mod.
    • 2-line English No. 2.
    • [P.] 2-line English Ancient.
    • [P.] [A.] Double Pica.
    • [A.] Great Primer.
    • English Antique.
    • [P.] [A.] English Ancient, No. 2.
    • English Ancient, No. 3.
    • English Modern.
    • [G.?] Pica Ancient.
    • [A.] Pica Modern.
    • [A.] Small Pica Antique.
    • [A.] Small Pica Antique. No. 2.
  • Hebrew.—
    • Small Pica Modern.
    • [G.?] Long Primer.
    • [A.] Brevier.
    • [S.A.] Brevier. No. 2.
    • [A.] Nonpareil.
  • Hebrew (Rabbinical).—
    • [A.] English German (a spurious Rashi).
    • [A.] Rashi Pica.
    • [A.] Rashi Long Primer.*
    • [A.] Rashi Brevier.*
    • [A.] Rashi Nonpareil.*
  • Samaritan.[433]—
    • [A.] Double Pica (Leusden’s).
    • [P.] [G.] English* (with English face).
  • Syriac.—
    • [P.][G.] Double Pica.
    • [A.] Great Primer.
    • [G.] Pica.
  • Arabic.[434]—
    • [P.?][G.] Double Pica (Gt. Primer?)*
    • [A.] Great Primer.
  • Æthiopic.—
    • [P.][A.] Gt. Primer or English*.
    • [Anon.] English.
  • Greek.[435]—
    • [Royal][G.] Double Pica.[436]
    • [G.] Great Primer.*
    • Great Primer. No. 2.
    • [R.] Great Primer. No. 3.
    • English.
    • English. No. 2.
    • [R.] Pica.
    • Pica. No. 2.
    • [P.] Small Pica.
    • [R.?] Small Pica. No. 2.
    • [P.] Small Pica. No. 3.
    • [A.] Brevier.
    • [R.] Brevier. No. 2.
    • [G.] Brevier. No. 3.[437]
    • [A.] Nonpareil.
    • [N.?] Pearl.
    • [G.] English Alexandrian.*
  • Gothic.—
    • [Anon.] Pica.
  • Anglo-Saxon.[438]—
    • [G.] Great Primer.
    • [G.] Great Primer, No. 2.
    • [A.] English (Pica).
    • [A.?] Long Primer.
  • Anglo-Norman.[439]—
    • [A.] Great Primer.
    • [Anon.] English.
  • Runic.—
    • Pica.
  • Court Hand.—
    • [G.] Double Pica.
    • [G.] English.*
    • [G.] Union.—Double Pica.*
  • Scriptorial (Cursive).[440]—
    • [G.] Double Pica.
    • [G.] English.
    • [G.] English. No. 2.
    • [G.] Pica.*
    • [G.] Small Pica.
  • Secretary.—
    • [G.] Great Primer.
  • Hieroglyphics.—
    • A Set.
  • English.[441]—
    • [De Worde?][G.] 2-line Great Primer.
    • [De Worde?][G.] Great Primer.
    • [A.] Great Primer. No. 2.
    • [Anon.] English.
    • [A.] English. No. 2*
    • [G.] English. No. 4.
    • [A.] Pica.
    • [Anon.] Pica. No. 2.
    • [R.?] Pica. No. 3.
    • [A.] Small Pica No. 2.
    • [Anon.?] Small Pica No. 3.
    • [A.] Small Pica No. 6.
    • [A.?] Small Pica No. 7.
    • [G.?] Long Primer (Dutch cut).
    • [G.] Long Primer No. 2.
    • [G.] Long Primer No. 3.
    • [G.?] Brevier.
    • [R.?] Brevier. No. 4.
    • [G.] Nonpareil.*

Of Roman capitals, eight founts were shown,[442] and of Roman and Italic from {229} Canon to Diamond, there were thirty-nine founts in specimen and a hundred and eight not shown.

In addition to the above, the specimen included ninety-seven varieties of flowers, chiefly from the Grovers’ foundry; while other odd flowers, with signs, rules, braces, and various imperfect founts (contained in sixteen drawers) were also sold, though not shown. At the end of the list of matrices came what was perhaps the most interesting feature of the sale, viz., a set of punches contained in a press named “Caxton,” consisting of twenty drawers. Of these the majority were Roman and Italics, which we will not specify, as it is impossible to determine whose handiwork they were in the first instance. We give, however, the contents of drawers A E F and G, which contained the following punches of the learned languages[443]:

A.—	Æthiopic	English*	[P.] [A.]
	Samaritan	Pica* (English?)	[P.] [G.]
	Samaritan	Long Primer
	Syriac	English (Pica?)	[G.]
	Arabic	Great Primer	[A.]
	Arabic	Pica (English?)	[A.]
	Greek	Brevier
	Saxon	Pica	[A.]
	Hibernian[444]	Pica*	[M.] [A.]
E.—	Greek	Great Primer,* points and ligatures	[G.]
F.	Greek	Pica, points and ligatures
G.	Greek	Nonpareil, points and ligatures	[A.]

It is at least remarkable that so few punches should have existed in so large a foundry; but it is to be remembered that the wear and tear of the matrices in those days was not so great as now, and the necessity for a new set of strikes from the punches was consequently less frequent. We may even suppose, from Mr. Mores’ own reference to the subject, already quoted, that it was a common practice to discard a set of punches as useless as soon as they had left their impression in the matrices.