“The Bishop, however, being resolved, if possible, to have the desired types, sent for Mr. Bowyer, and asked him whether he knew a letter-founder that could {239} cast him such a set out of hand, who immediately recommended Mr. Caslon; and being told what sad and disadvantageous character he had heard of him, Mr. Bowyer not only assured his Lordship that it was a very false and unjust one, but engaged to get the above-mentioned types cast by him, and a new font of his Hebrew ones, in as short a time as the thing could possibly be done. Mr. Caslon was accordingly sent for by his Lordship, and having made him sensible of the time the new ones would require to be made ready for use, did produce them according to his promise, and the book was soon after put to the press.”[468]

Among the other interesting founts cut by Caslon about this time, may be mentioned the Pica Black, of which we show a specimen, and which received special commendation for its faithful following of the traditional Old English character first used by Wynkyn de Worde.

[Μ] 60. Pica Black, cut by Caslon. (From the original matrices.)

He also cut an Armenian for Whiston’s edition of Moses Choronensis,[469] and an Etruscan for Mr. J. Swinton of Oxford, the learned antiquary and philologist, who published his De Linguâ Etruriæ[470] in 1738; as well as a Gothic and several other of the foreign and learned characters.

[Μ] 63. Pica Armenian, cut by Caslon, ante 1736. (From the original matrices.)

[Μ] 65. Pica Gothic, cut by Caslon, ante 1734. (From the original matrices.)

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