It is evident that what the writer of this book calls the virgil, is our comma: and his come, our colon. There is nothing, however, allusive to our semicolon.
1541. Cranmer's Bible. Here we find the comma, colon, and period, and also the note of interrogation, but not the semicolon.
1597. Gerard's Herbal contains the comma, colon, semicolon, and period.
1604. First part of Shakspeare's Henry IV., 4to. Here the comma, colon, and period are used, but not the semicolon.
1631. Baker's Well-spring of Science also uses the comma, colon, and period, but not the semicolon.
1636. Record's Ground of Arts. Here all the stops now in use are found.
1639. Cockeram's English Dictionary defines the comma, colon, and period, but not the semicolon. The latter, however, is used in the preface.
1650. Moore's Arithmetic employs all the four common stops.
1670. Blount's Glossographia defines the four common stops.
Generally speaking, the stops now in use may be found in books from about 1630. So much concerning punctuation.