This certifies that four hundred and fifty copies only, all on hand-made Holland paper and printed from types, of this edition of Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises,” in two volumes, were completed in August, 1896, and that the types have been distributed.

MOXON’S
MECHANICK EXERCISES

The true Effigies of Laurenz Ians Kofter
Delineated from his Monumentall Stone Statue, Erected at Harlem.

The true Effigies of Iohn Guttemberg
Delineated from the Original Painting at Mentz in Germanie.

MOXON’S
MECHANICK EXERCISES

OR THE DOCTRINE OF HANDY-WORKS
APPLIED TO THE ART OF
PRINTING
A LITERAL REPRINT IN TWO VOLUMES OF
THE FIRST EDITION PUBLISHED IN THE YEAR 1683
WITH PREFACE AND NOTES BY
THEO. L. DE VINNE
VOLUME I

PREFACE

JOSEPH MOXON was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, England, August 8, 1627. There is no published record of his parentage or his early education. His first business was that of a maker and vender of mathematical instruments, in which industry he earned a memorable reputation between the years 1659 and 1683. He was not content with this work, for he had leanings to other branches of the mechanic arts, and especially toward the designing of letters and the making of printing-types.

In 1669 he published a sheet in folio under the heading of “Prooves of the Several Sorts of Letters Cast by Joseph Moxon.” The imprint is “Westminster, Printed by Joseph Moxon, in Russell street, at the Sign of the Atlas, 1669.” This specimen of types seems to have been printed, not to show his dexterity as a type-founder, but to advertise himself as a dealer in mathematical and scientific instruments. The reading matter of the sheet describes “Globes Celestial and Terrestrial, Large Maps of the World, A Tutor to Astronomie and to Geographie”—all of his own production. Reed flouts the typography of this sheet: “It is a sorry performance. Only one fount, the Pica, has any pretensions to elegance or regularity. The others are so clumsily cut or badly cast, and so wretchedly printed, as here and there to be almost undecipherable.”[1] The rude workmanship of these early types proves, as he afterward admitted, that he had never been properly taught the art of type-founding; that he had learned it, as he said others had, “of his own genuine inclination.”

It was then a difficult task to learn any valuable trade. The Star Chamber decree of 1637 ordained that there should be but four type-founders for the kingdom of Great Britain, and the number of their apprentices was restricted. When the Long Parliament met in 1640, the decrees of the Star Chamber were practically dead letters, and for a few years there was free trade in typography. In 1644 the Star Chamber regulations were reimposed; in 1662 they were made more rigorous than ever. The importation of types from abroad without the consent of the Stationers’ Company was prohibited. British printers were compelled to buy the inferior types of English founders, who, secure in their monopoly, did but little for the improvement of printing.[2]

It is probable that the attention of Moxon was first drawn to type-founding by the founders themselves, who had to employ mechanics of skill for the making of their molds and other implements of type-casting. In this manner he could have obtained an insight into the mysteries of the art that had been carefully concealed. He did not learn type-making or printing in the usual routine. The records of the Company of Stationers do not show that he was ever made a freeman of that guild, yet he openly carried on the two distinct businesses of type-founding and printing after 1669. It is probable that he had a special permit from a higher authority, for in 1665 he had been appointed hydrographer to the king, and a good salary was given with the office. He was then devoted to the practical side of scientific pursuits, and was deferred to as a man of ability.

He published several mathematical treatises between the years 1658 and 1687; one, called “Compendium Euclidis Curiosi,” was translated by him from Dutch into English, and printed in London in 1677. Mores supposes that he had acquired a knowledge of Dutch by residence in Holland, but intimates that he was not proficient in its grammar.[3]

In 1676 he published a book on the shapes of letters, with this formidable title: “Regulæ Trium Ordinum Literarum Typographicarum; or the Rules of the Three Orders of Print Letters, viz: the Roman, Italick, English—Capitals and Small; showing how they are Compounded of Geometrick Figures, and mostly made by Rule and Compass. Useful for Writing Masters, Painters, Carvers, Masons and others that are Lovers of Curiosity. By Joseph Moxon, Hydrographer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty. Printed for Joseph Moxon on Ludgate Hill, at the Sign of Atlas, 1676.” He then dedicated the book to Sir Christopher Wren, “as a lover of rule and proportion,” or to one who might be pleased with this attempt to make alphabetical letters conform to geometric rules.

There is no intimation that the book was intended for punch-cutters. It contains specific directions about the shapes of letters, covering fifty-two pages, as proper introduction to the thirty-eight pages of model letters that follow, rudely drawn and printed from copper plates. Moxon says that these model letters are his copies of the letters of Christopher Van Dijk, the famous punch-cutter of Holland. He advises that each letter should be plotted upon a framework of small squares—forty-two squares in height and of a proportionate width, as is distinctly shown in the plates of letters in this book.[4] Upon these squares the draftsman should draw circles, angles, and straight lines, as are fully set forth in the instructions.

These diagrams, with their accompanying instruction, have afforded much amusement to type-founders. All of them unite in saying that the forming of letters by geometrical rule is absurd and impracticable. This proposition must be conceded without debate, but the general disparagement of all the letters, in which even Reed joins, may be safely controverted. It is admitted that the characters are rudely drawn, and many have faults of disproportion; but it must not be forgotten that they were designed to meet the most important requirement of a reader—to be read, and read easily. Here are the broad hair-line, the stubby serif on the lower-case and the bracketed serif on the capitals, the thick stem, the strong and low crown on letters like m and n, with other peculiarities now commended in old-style faces and often erroneously regarded as the original devices of the first Caslon. The black-letter has more merit than the roman or italic. Some of the capitals are really uncouth; but with all their faults the general effect of a composition in these letters will be found more satisfactory to the bibliophile as a text-type than any form of pointed black that has been devised in this century as an improvement.

Moxon confesses no obligation to any one for his geometrical system, but earlier writers had propounded a similar theory. Books on the true proportions of letters had been written by Fra Luca Paccioli, Venice, 1509; Albert Dürer, Nuremberg, 1525; Geofroy Tory, Paris, 1529; and Yciar, Saragossa, 1548. Nor did the attempt to make letters conform to geometrical rules end with Moxon. In 1694, M. Jaugeon, chief of the commission appointed by the Academy of Sciences of Paris, formulated a system that required a plot of 2304 little squares for the accurate construction of every full-bodied capital letter. The manuscript and diagrams of the author were never put in print, but are still preserved in the papers of the Academy.

This essay on the forms of letters seems to have been sent out as the forerunner of a larger work on the theory and practice of mechanical arts. Under the general title of “Mechanick Exercises,” in 1677, he began the publication, in fourteen monthly numbers, of treatises on the trades of the smith, the joiner, the carpenter, and the turner. These constitute the first volume of the “Mechanick Exercises.” The book did not find as many buyers as had been expected. Moxon attributed its slow sale to political excitement, for the Oates plot put the buying and study of trade books away from the minds of readers. He had to wait until 1683 before he began the publication of the second volume, which consists of twenty-four numbers, and treats of the art of printing only. It is this second volume that is here reprinted, for the first volume is of slight interest to the printer or man of letters.

Moxon’s book has the distinction of being not only the first, but the most complete of the few early manuals of typography. Fournier’s “Manuel Typographique” of 1764 is the only book that can be compared with it in minuteness of detail concerning type-making, but he treats of type-making only. Reed says: “Any one acquainted with the modern practice of punch-cutting cannot but be struck, on reading the directions laid down in the ‘Mechanick Exercises,’ with the slightness of the changes which the manual processes of that art have undergone during the last two centuries. Indeed, allowing for improvements in tools, and the greater variety of gauges, we might almost assert that the punch-cutter of Moxon’s day knew scarcely less than the punch-cutter of our day, with the accumulated experience of two hundred years, could teach him.... For almost a century it remained the only authority on the subject; subsequently it formed the basis of numerous other treatises both at home and abroad; and to this day it is quoted and referred to, not only by the antiquary, who desires to learn what the art once was, but by the practical printer, who may still on many subjects gather from it much advice and information as to what it should still be.”[5]

During his business life, Moxon stood at the head of the trade in England. He was selected to cut a font of type for an edition of the New Testament in the Irish language, which font was afterward used for many other books. He cut also the characters designed by Bishop John Wilkins for his “Essay towards a Real Character and a Philosophical Language,” and many mathematical and astronomical symbols. Rowe Mores, who describes him as an excellent artist and an admirable mechanic, says that he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1678.[6] There is no known record of the date of his death. Mores gives the year 1683 as the date of his relinquishment of the business of type-making, but he was active as a writer and a publisher for some years after.

The first volume of the “Mechanick Exercises,” concerning carpentry, etc., went to its third edition in 1703, but the second volume, about printing, has been neglected for two centuries. During this long interval many copies of the first small edition of five hundred copies have been destroyed. A perfect copy is rare, and commands a high price, for no early book on technical printing is in greater request.[7]

The instruction directly given is of value, but bits of information indirectly furnished are of greater interest. From no other book can one glean so many evidences of the poverty of the old printing-house. Its scant supply of types, its shackly hand-presses, its mean printing-inks, its paper-windows and awkward methods, when not specifically confessed, are plainly indicated. The high standard of proof-reading here exacted may be profitably contrasted with its sorry performance upon the following pages. The garments worn by the workmen are shown in the illustrations. Some of the quainter usages of the trade are told in the “Customs of the Chappel,” and those of the masters, in the ceremonies of the Stationers’ Company, and in the festivals in which masters and workmen joined. To the student of printing a reading of the book is really necessary for a clear understanding of the mechanical side of the art as practised in the seventeenth century.

NOTE BY THE PRINTER

This edition of the “Mechanick Exercises” is a line-for-line and page-for-page reprint of the original text. The only suppression is that of the repetition of the words “Volume II” in the running title and the sub-titles, which would unnecessarily mislead the reader, and of the old signature marks that would confuse the bookbinder. Typographic peculiarities have been followed, even to the copying of gross faults, like doublets, that will be readily corrected by the reader. The object of the reprint is not merely to present the thought of the author, but to illustrate the typographic style of his time with its usual defects. A few deviations from copy that seemed to be needed for a clearer understanding of the meaning of the author have been specified at the end of the second volume. The irregular spelling and punctuation of the copy, its capricious use of capitals and italic, its headings of different sizes of type, have been repeated. At this point imitation has stopped. Turned and broken letters, wrong font characters, broken space-lines, and bent rules have not been servilely reproduced. These blemishes, as well as the frequent “monks” and “friars” in the presswork, were serious enough to prevent an attempt at a photographic facsimile of the pages.

The two copies of Moxon that have served as “copy” for this reprint show occasional differences in spelling and punctuation. Changes, possibly made in the correction of batters, or after the tardy discovery of faults, must have been done while the form was on press and partly printed. The position of the plates differs seriously in the two copies; they do not follow each other in the numerical order specified. In this reprint the plates that describe types and tools have been placed near their verbal descriptions.

The type selected for this work was cast from matrices struck with the punches (made about 1740) of the first Caslon. It is of the same large English body as that of the original, but a trifle smaller as to face, and not as compressed as the type used by Moxon; but it repeats many of his peculiarities, and fairly reproduces the more important mannerisms of the printing of the seventeenth century.

The portraits have been reproduced by the artotype process of Bierstadt; the descriptive illustrations are from the etched plates of the Hagopian Photo-Engraving Company.

Joseph Moxon.
Born at Wakefeild August. 8.
Anno 1627.

MECHANICK EXERCISES:

Or, the Doctrine of
Handy-works.
Applied to the Art of
Printing.
By Joseph Moxon, Member of the Royal
Society, and Hydrographer to the King’s
Most Excellent Majesty.
LONDON.
Printed for Joseph Moxon on the Westside
of Fleet-ditch, at the Sign of Atlas.
1 6 8 3.

To the Right Reverend Father in GOD, JOHN Lord Bishop of Oxford, and Dean of Christ-Church; And to the Right Honourable Sir LEOLINE JENKINS Knight, and Principal Secretary of State; And to the Right Honourable Sir JOSEPH WILLIAMSON Knight; and one of His Majesties most Honourable Privy-Council.

Right Honourable.

YOur ardent affections to promote Typographie has eminently appeared in the great Charge you have been at to make it famous here in England; whereby this Royal Island stands particularly obliged to your Generous and Publick Spirits, and the whole Common-Wealth of Book-men throughout the World, to your Candid Zeal for the promulgation of good Learning.

Wherefore I humbly Dedicate this Piece of Typographie to your Honours; and as it is (I think) the first of this nature, so I hope you will favourably excuse small Faults in this Undertaking; for great ones I hope there are none, unless it be in this presumptuous Dedication; for which I humbly beg your Honours pardon: Subscribing my self, My Lord and Gentlemen,

Your Honours most Humble
and Obedient Servant.
Joseph Moxon.

Footnotes.

[1] “A History of the Old English Letter Foundries, with Notes Historical and Biographical on the Rise and Progress of English Typography.” By Talbot Baines Reed, London, 1887, p. 181.

[2] The four founders appointed by the Star Chamber did not thrive. One of them, Arthur Nicholls, said of himself: “Of so small benifitt hath his Art bine that for 4 yeares worke and practice he hath not taken above 48£, and had it not bine for other imploymente he might have perrisht.” Reed, p. 168.

[3] “A Dissertation upon English Typographical Founders and Founderies.” By Edward Rowe Mores, A. M. & A. S. S. [London], 1778. 8vo, p. 43.

[4] See plates Nos. 11 to 17.

[5] Reed, “Old English Letter Foundries,” pp. 185, 186.

[6] Mores, “English Founders,” p. 42.

[7] Hansard says (“Typographia,” p. vii): “I have never been able to meet with more than two copies of this work—one in the Library of the British Museum—the other in the Library of the Society of Arts.” The writer knows of but three copies in America: one in the Library Company of Philadelphia; one in the Library of the Typothetæ of New-York; one in his own collection.

MECHANICK EXERCISES:

Or, the Doctrine of
Handy-works.
Applied to the Art of
Printing.

PREFACE.

BEfore I begin with Typographie, I shall say somewhat of its Original Invention; I mean here in Europe, not of theirs in China and other Eastern Countries, who (by general assent) have had it for many hundreds of years, though their Invention is very different from ours; they Cutting their Letters upon Blocks in whole Pages or Forms, as among us our Wooden Pictures are Cut; But Printing with single Letters Cast in Mettal, as with us here in Europe, is an Invention scarce above Two hundred and fifteen years old; and yet an undecidable Controversie about the original Contriver or Contrivers remains on foot, between the Harlemers of Holland, and those of Mentz in Germany: But because the difference cannot be determin’d for want of undeniable Authority, I shall only deliver both their Pleas to this Scientifick Invention.

The Harlemers plead that Lawrensz Jansz Koster of Harlem was the first Inventer of Printing, in the year of our Lord 1430. but that in the Infancy of this Invention he used only Wooden Blocks (as in China, &c. aforesaid) but after some time he left off Wood, and Cut single Letters in Steel, which he sunck into Copper Matrices, and fitting them to Iron Molds, Cast single Letters of Mettal in those Matrices. They say also, that his Companion, John Gutenberg, stole his Tools away while he was at Church, and with them went to Mentz in Germany, and there set his Tools to work, and promoted His claim to the first Invention of this Art, before Koster did His.

To prove this, they say that Rabbi Joseph (a Jew) in his Chronicle, mentions a Printed Book that he saw in Venice, in the year 5188. according to the Jewish Account, and by ours the year 1428. as may be read in Pet. Scriverius.

They say much of a Book intituled De Spiegel, Printed at Harlem in Dutch and Latin; which Book is yet there to be seen: and they alledge that Book the first that ever was Printed: But yet say not when this Book was Printed.

Notwithstanding this Plea, I do not find (perhaps because of their imperfect Proofs) but that Gutenberg of Mentz is more generally accepted for the first Inventer of Printing, than Koster of Harlem.

The Learned Dr. Wallis of Oxford, hath made an Inquiry into the original of this Invention, and hath in brief sum’d up the matter in these words.

About the year of our Lord 1460. The Art of Printing began to be invented and practised in Germany, whether first at Mentz or first at Harlem it is not agreed: But it seems that those who had it in consideration before it was brought to perfection, disagreeing among themselves, did part Company; and some of them at Harlem, others at Mentz persued the design at the same time.

The Book which is commonly reputed to have been first Printed is, Tullies Offices, of which there be Copies extant (as a Rarity) in many Libraries; which in the close of it is said to be Printed at Mentz, in the year of our Lord 1465. (so says that Copy in the Bodleyan Library) or 1466. (so that in the Library of Corpus Christi.) The words in the close of that in Corpus Christi Colledge Oxon are these,

Præsens Marcij Tullij Clarissimum opus, Johanes Hust, Moguntinus Civis, non Atrimento, plumali canna, neq; ærea, sed Arte quadam perpulchra, Petri manu Petri de Geurshem pueri mei, feliciter effeci, finitum Anno M CCCC LX VI quarto die Mensis Februarij.

The like in the Bodleyan Library; save there the Date is only thus, Finitum Anno M CCCC LX V. In the same Book there are these written Notes subjoyned: Hic eft ille Johannes Faustus, coadjutor Johannes Gutenbergij primi Typographiæ inventaris, Alter coadjuto erat Petrus Schœfer, i. Opilio. Quovix.

Cælando promptior alter erat, inquit Johan. Arnoldus in Libello de Chalcographiæ inventione, Scheffer primas finxit quas vocant Matrices. Hi tres exercuerunt artem primo in communi. mox rupto fœdere seorsim sibi quisq; privatim.

And again (in a later hand) Inventionem artis Typographicæ ad Annum 1453. aut exerciter referunt Sabillicus En. 10.lib.6. & Monsterus. Alij ad Annum 1460. Vide Polid. Virg.lib. 2. de Invent. Rerum, Theod. Bibland. de Ratione communis linguarum. cap. de Chalcographia.

At Harlem and some other places in Holland, they pretend to have Books Printed somewhat ancienter than this; but they are most of them (if not all) done by way of Carving whole Pages in Wood, not by single Letters Cast in Mettal, to be Composed and Distributed as occasion serves, as is now the manner.

The chief Inventer at Harlem is said to be Laurens Jansz Koster.

After these two places (Mentz and Harlem) it seems next of all to have been practised at Oxford: For by the care, and at the charge of King Henry the 6th, and of Thomas Bourchier then Arch-Bishop of Canterbury (and Chancellour of the University of Oxford) Robert Turner Master of the Robe, and William Caxton a Merchant of London were for that purpose sent to Harlem, at the charges partly of the King, partly of the Arch-Bishop, who then (because these of Harlem were very chary of this secret) prevailed privately with one Frederick Corseles an under-Workman, for a sum of Money, to come over hither; who thereupon did at Oxford set up the Art of Printing, before it was exercised any where else in England, or in France, Italy, Venice, Germany, or any other place, except only Mentz and Harlem (aforementioned): And there be several Copies yet extant (as one in the Archives of the University of Oxford, another in the Library of Dr. Tho. Barlow, now Bishop of Lincoln) of a Treatise of St. Jerome (as it is there called (because found among St. Jerom’s Works) or rather Ruffinus upon the Creed, in a broad Octavo) Printed at Oxford in the year 1468. as appears by the words in the close of it.

Explicit expositio Sancti Jeronimi in sembolo Apostolorum ad papam Laurentium Impressi Oxonie & finita Anno Domini M CCCC LX VIII. xvij die Decembris.

Which is but three years later than that of Tullies Offices at Mentz, in 1465. and was perhaps one of the first Books Printed on Paper; (that of Tully being on Vellom.) And there the excercise of Printing hath continued successively to this day.

Soon after William Caxton (the same I suppose who first brought it to Oxford) promoted it to London also, which Baker in his Chronicle (and some others) say to have been about the year 1471. but we have scarce any Copies of Books there Printed remaining (that I have seen) earlier than the year 1480. And by that time, or soon after, it began to be received in Venice, Italy, Germany, and other places, as appears by Books yet extant, Printed at divers places in those Times. Thus far Dr. Wallis.

But whoever were the Inventers of this Art, or (as some Authors will have it) Science; nay, Science of Sciences (say they) certain it is, that in all its Branches it can be deemed little less than a Science: And I hope I say not to much of Typographie: For Dr. Dee, in his Mathematical Preface to Euclids Elements of Geometrie, hath worthily taken pains to make Architecture a Mathematical Science; and as a vertual Proof of his own Learned Plea, quotes two Authentique Authors, viz. Vitruvius and Leo Baptista, who both give their descriptions and applause of Architecture: His Arguments are somewhat copious, and the Original easily procurable in the English Tongue; therefore instead of transcribing it, I shall refer my Reader to the Text it self.

Upon the consideration of what he has said in behalf of Architecture, I find that a Typographer ought to be equally qualified with all the Sciences that becomes an Architect, and then I think no doubt remains that Typographie is not also a Mathematical Science.

For my own part, I weighed it well in my thoughts, and find all the accomplishments, and some more of an Architect necessary in a Typographer: and though my business be not Argumentation, yet my Reader, by perusing the following discourse, may perhaps satisfie himself, that a Typographer ought to be a man of Sciences.

By a Typographer, I do not mean a Printer, as he is Vulgarly accounted, any more than Dr. Dee means a Carpenter or Mason to be an Architect: But by a Typographer, I mean such a one, who by his own Judgement, from solid reasoning with himself, can either perform, or direct others to perform from the beginning to the end, all the Handy-works and Physical Operations relating to Typographie.

Such a Scientifick man was doubtless he who was the first Inventer of Typographie; but I think few have succeeded him in Science, though the number of Founders and Printers be grown very many: Insomuch that for the more easie managing of Typographie, the Operators have found it necessary to devide it into several Trades, each of which (in the strictest sence) stand no nearer related to Typographie, than Carpentry or Masonry, &c. are to Architecture. The several devisions that are made, are,

First The Master-Printer, who is as the Soul of Printing; and all the Work-men as members of the Body governed by that Soul subserveient to him; for the Letter-Cutter would Cut no Letters, the Founder not sinck the Matrices, or Cast and Dress the Letters, the Smith and Joyner not make the Press and other Utensils for Printing, the Compositer not Compose the Letters, the Correcter not read Proves, the Press-man not work the Forms off at the Press, or the Inck-maker make Inck to work them with, but by Orders from the Master-Printer.

ADVERTISEMENT.

The continuation of my setting forth Mechanick Exercises having been obstructed by the breaking out of the Plot, which took off the minds of my few Customers from buying them, as formerly; And being of late much importun’d by many worthy Persons to continue them; I have promised to go on again, upon Condition, That a competent number of them may be taken off my hand by Subscribers, soon after the publication of them in the Gazet, or posting up Titles, or by the Mercurius Librarius, &c.

Therefore such Gentlemen or others as are willing to promote the coming forth of these Exercises, are desired to Subscribe their Names and place of abode: That so such Persons as live about this City may have them sent so soon as they come forth: Quick Sale being the best encouragement.

Some Gentlemen (to whom they are very acceptable) tell me they will take them when all Trades are finish’t, which cannot reasonably be expected from me (my Years considered) in my life-time; which implies they will be Customers when I’me dead, or perhaps by that time some of themselves.

The price of these Books will be 2d. for each Printed Sheet. And 2d. for every Print taken off of Copper Cuts.

There are three reasons why this price cannot be thought dear.

1. The Writing is all new matter, not Collected, or Translated from any other Authors: and the drafts of the Cuts all drawn from the Tools and Machines used in each respective Trade.

2. I Print but 500 on each Sheet, And those upon good Paper: which makes the charge of Printing dear, proportionable to great numbers.

3. Some Trades are particularly affected by some Customers, (who desire not the rest,) and consequently sooner sold off, which renders the remainder of the un-sold Exercises unperfect, and therefore not acceptable to such as desire all: so that they will remain as waste-Paper on my hands.

JOSEPH MOXON.

MECHANICK EXERCISES:

Or, the Doctrine of
Handy-works.
Applied to the Art of
Printing.

§. 2. Of the Office of a Master-Printer.

I Shall begin with the Office of a Master-Printer, because (as aforesaid) he is the Directer of all the Work-men, he is the Base (as the Dutchmen properly call him) on which the Workmen stand, both for providing Materials to Work withal, and successive variety of Directions how and in what manner and order to perform that Work.

His Office is therefore to provide a House, or Room or Rooms in which he is to set his Printing-House. This expression may seem strange, but it is Printers Language: For a Printing-House may admit of a twofold meaning; one the Vulgar acceptance, and is relative to the House or Place wherein Printing is used; the other a more peculiar Phrase Printers use among themselves, viz. only the Printing Tools, which they frequently call a Printing-House: Thus they say, Such a One has set up a Printing-House, when as thereby they mean he has furnish’d a House with Printing Tools. Or such a one has remov’d his Printing-House, when thereby they only mean he has remov’d the Tools us’d in his former House. These expressions have been used Time out of mind, and are continued by them to this day.

But to proceed, Having consider’d what number of Presses and Cases he shall use, he makes it his business to furnish himself with a Room or Rooms well-lighted, and of convenient capacity for his number of Presses and Cases, allowing for each Press about Seven Foot square upon the Floor, and for every Frame of Cases which holds Two pair of Cases, viz. one pair Romain and one pair Itallica, Five Foot and an half in length (for so much they contain) and Four Foot and an half in breadth, though they contain but Two Foot and Nine Inches: But then room will be left to pass freely between two Frames.

We will suppose he resolves to have his Presses and Cases stand in the same Room (though in England it is not very customary). He places the Cases on that side the Room where they will most conveniently stand, so, as when the Compositer is at work the Light may come in on his Left-hand; for else his Right-hand plying between the Window-light and his Eye might shadow the Letter he would pick up: And the Presses he places so, as the Light may fall from a Window right before the Form and Tinpan: And if scituation will allow it, on the North-side the Room, that the Press-men, when at their hard labour in Summer time, may be the less uncommoded with the heat of the Sun: And also that they may the better see by the constancy of that Light, to keep the whole Heap of an equal Colour.

He is also to take care that his Presses have a solid and firm Foundation, and an even Horizontal Floor to stand on, That when the Presses are set up their Feet shall need no Underlays, which both damage a Press, are often apt to work out, and consequently subject it to an unstable and loose position, as shall further be shewn when we come to the Setting up of the Press.

And as the Foundation ought to be very firm, so ought also the Roof and Sides of the Press Room to be, that the Press may be fastned with Braces overhead and on its Sides, as well and steddy as under foot.

He is also to take care that the Room have a clear, free and pretty lofty Light, not impeded with the shadow of other Houses, or with Trees; nor so low that the Sky-light will not reach into every part of the Room: But yet not too high, lest the violence of Winter (Printers using generally but Paper-windows) gain too great advantage of Freesing the Paper and Letter, and so both Work and Workman stand still. Therefore he ought to Philosophize with himself, for the making the height of his Lights to bear a rational proportion to the capacity of the Room.

Here being but two sides of the Room yet used, he places the Correcting-stone against a good Light, and as near as he can towards the middle of the Room, that the Compositers belonging to each end of the Room may enjoy an equal access to it. But sometimes there are several Correcting-stones plac’d in several parts of the Room.

The Lye-Trough and Rincing-Trough he places towards some corner of the Room, yet so as they may have a good Light; and under these he causes a Sink to be made to convey the Water out of the Room: But if he have other conveniencies for the placing these Troughs, he will rather set them out of the Room to avoid the slabbering they cause in.

About the middle of the Room he places the Destributing-Frame (viz. the Frame on which the Forms are set that are to be Destributed) which may stand light enough, though it stand at some considerable distance from the Window.

In some other empty place of the Room (least frequented) he causes so many Nest-Frames to be made as he thinks convenient to hold the Cases that may lye out of present use; and the Letter-boards with Forms set by on them, that both the Cases and the Forms may be the better secured from running to Pye.

Having thus contrived the several Offices of the Room, He furnishes it with Letters, Presses, Cases, Chases, Furniture, &c. Of each of which in Order.

¶. 2. Of Letter.

He provides a Fount (properly a Fund) of Letter of all Bodies; for most Printing-Houses have all except the two first, viz. Pearl, Nomparel, Brevier, Long-Primmer, Pica, English, Great-Primmer, Double-Pica, Two-Lin’d-English, Great-Cannon.

These are the Bodies most of use in England; But the Dutch have several other Bodies: which because there is little and almost no perceivable difference from some of these mentioned, I think they are not worth naming. Yet we have one Body more which is sometimes used in England; that is a Small Pica, but I account it no great discretion in a Master-Printer to provide it; because it differs so little from the Pica, that unless the Workmen be carefuller than they sometimes are, it may be mingled with the Pica, and so the Beauty of both Founts may be spoil’d.

These aforesaid Bodies are commonly Cast with a Romain, Italica, and sometimes an English Face. He also provides some Bodies with the Musick, the Greek, the Hebrew, and the Syriack Face: But these, or some of these, as he reckons his oppertunities may be to use them.

And that the Reader may the better understand the sizes of these several Bodies, I shall give him this Table following; wherein is set down the number of each Body that is contained in one Foot.

Pearl,184}
Nomparel,150}
Brevier,112}
Long-Primmer,92}
Pica,75} contained in one Foot.
English,66}
Great-Primmer,50}
Double-Pica,38}
Two-Lin’d English,33}
Great-Cannon.17½}

His care in the choice of these Letters are,

First, That the Letter have a true shape: Which he may know, as by the §. of Letter-Cutting.

I confess this piece of Judgement, viz. knowing of true Shape, may admit of some controversy, because neither the Ancients whom we received the knowledge of these Letters from, nor any other authentick Authority have delivered us Rules, either to make or know true shape by: And therefore it may be objected that every one that makes Letters but tolerably like Romain, Italick, &c. may pretend his to be true shap’d.

To this I answer, that though we can plead no Ancient Authority for the shape of Letters, yet doubtless (if we judge rationally) we must conclude that the Romain Letters were Originally invented and contrived to be made and consist of Circles, Arches of Circles, and straight Lines; and therefore those Letters that have these Figures, either entire, or else properly mixt, so as the Course and Progress of the Pen may best admit, may deserve the name of true Shape, rather than those that have not.

Besides, Since the late made Dutch-Letters are so generally, and indeed most deservedly accounted the best, as for their Shape, consisting so exactly of Mathematical Regular Figures as aforesaid, And for the commodious Fatness they have beyond other Letters, which easing the Eyes in Reading, renders them more Legible; As also the true placing their Fats and their Leans, with the sweet driving them into one another, and indeed all the accomplishments that can render Letter regular and beautiful, do more visibly appear in them than in any Letters Cut by any other People: And therefore I think we may account the Rules they were made by, to be the Rules of true shap’d Letters.

For my own part, I liked their Letters so well, especially those that were Cut by Christophel Van Dijck of Amsterdam, that I set my self to examine the Proportions of all and every the parts and Members of every Letter, and was so well pleased with the Harmony and Decorum of their Symetrie, and found so much Regularity in every part, and so good reason for his Order and Method, that I examined the biggest of his Letters with Glasses, which so magnified the whole Letter, that I could easily distinguish, and with small Deviders measure off the size, scituation and form of every part, and the proportion every part bore to the whole; and for my own future satisfaction collected my Observations into a Book, which I have inserted in my Exercises on Letter-Cutting. For therein I have exhibited to the World the true Shape of Christophel Van Dijcks aforesaid Letters, largely Engraven in Copper Plates.

Whence I conclude, That since common consent of Book-men assign the Garland to the Dutch-Letters as of late Cut, and that now those Letters are reduced unto a Rule, I think the Objection is Answered; And our Master-Printers care in the choice of good and true shap’d Letters is no difficult Task: For if it be a large Bodied Letter, as English, Great-Primmer and upwards, it will shew it self; and if it be small, as Pearl, Nomparel, &c. though it may be difficult to judge the exact Symetry with the naked Eye, yet by the help of a Magnifying-Glass or two if occasion be, even those small Letters will appear as large as the biggest Bodied Letters shall to the naked Eye: And then it will be no difficult Task to judge of the Order and Decorum even of the smallest Bodied Letters. For indeed, to my wonder and astonishment, I have observ’d V. Dijcks Pearl Dutch Letters in Glasses that have Magnified them to great Letters, and found the whole Shape bear such true proportion to his great Letters, both for the Thickness, Shape, Fats and Leans, as if with Compasses he could have measur’d and set off in that small compass every particular Member, and the true breadth of every Fat and Lean Stroak in each Letter, not to exceed or want (when magnified) of Letter Cut to the Body it was Magnified to.

His second care in the choice of Letters is, That they be deep Cut; for then they will Print clear the longer, and be less subject to entertain Picks.

His third care, That they be deep sunck in the Matrices least the bottom line of a Page Beard. Yet though they be deep sunk, His care ought to be to see the Beard also well cut off by the Founder.

And a Fourth Care in the choice of Letter is, That his Letter be Cast upon good Mettal, that it may last the longer.

Of each Body he provides a Fount suitable to such sorts of Work as he designs to do; But he provides not an equal weight of every Fount; Because all these Bodies are not in equal use: For the Long-Primmer, Pica and English are the Bodies that are generally most used; And therefore he provides very large Founts of these, viz. of the Long-Primmer in a small Printing-House, Five hundred Pounds weight Romain and Italica, whereof One hundred and fifty Pounds may be Italica. Of the Pica and English, Roman and Italica, Eight, Nine hundred, or a Thousand Pounds weight: when as of other Founts Three or Four hundred Pounds weight is accounted a good Fount: And of the Cannon and Great-Cannon, One hundred Pounds or somewhat less may serve his turn; Because the common use of them is to set Titles with.

Besides Letters he Provides Characters of Astronomical Signs, Planets, Aspects, Algebraical Characters, Physical and Chimical Characters, &c. And these of several of the most used Bodies.

He Provides also Flowers to set over the Head of a Page at the beginning of a Book: But they are now accounted old-fashion, and therefore much out of use. Yet Wooden-Borders, if well Drawn, and neatly Cut, may be Printed in a Creditable Book, As also, Wooden-Letters well Drawn and neatly Cut may be used at the beginning of a Dedication, Preface, Section, &c. Yet instead of Wooden Letters, Capitals Cast in Mettal generally now serves; because but few or good Cutters in Wood appear.

He also provides Brass-Rules of about Sixteen Inches long, that the Compositer may cut them into such Lengths as his Work requires.

In the choice of his Brass-Rules, he examines that they be exactly Letter high; for if they be much too high, they may cut through Paper, Tinpan and Blankets too; And if they be but a little too high, not only the Sholder, or Beard, on either side them will Print black; but they will bear the Plattin off the Letters that stand near them, so that those Letters will not Print at all: And if they be too low, then the Rules themselves will not Print.

It sometimes happens through the unskilfulness of the Joyner, (for they commonly, but unproperly, imploy Joyners to make them) that a Length shall be hollow in the middle both on the Face and Foot, and shall run driving higher and higher towards both ends: Hence it comes to pass, that when the Compositer cuts a piece of Rule to his intended Length, the Rule shall Print hard at one end, and the other shall not Print at all; So that he shall be forced to knock up the foot of the low end, as shall be shewn in its proper place.

But the careful Master-Printer having found that his Brass-Rules is Letter high all the whole Length, will also examine whether it be straight all the whole Length, which he does by applying both the Face and Foot to the surface of the Correcting-stone; And if the Face and Foot comply so closely with the Correcting-stone, that light cannot be seen between them, he concludes the Brass-Rule is straight.

Plate 1.

Then he examines the Face or Edge of the Rule, whether it have an Edge of an equal breadth all the whole Length, and that the Edge be neither too thick nor too fine for his porpose.

He should also take care that the Brass, before it be cut out, be well and skilfully Planish’t, nor would that charge be ill bestowd; for it would be saved out of the thickness of the Brass that is commonly used: For the Joyners being unskilful in Planishing, buy Neal’d thick Brass that the Rule may be strong enough, and so cut it into slips without Hammering, which makes the Rule easily bow any way and stand so, and will never come to so good and smooth an Edge as Planish’t Brass will. Besides, Brass well Planish’t will be stiffer and stronger at half the thickness than unplanish’t Brass will at the whole: As I shall further shew when I come to Exercise upon Mathematical Instrument-making.

§. 3. Of Cases.

Next he provides Cases. A Pair of Cases is an Upper-Case and a Lower-Case.

The Upper-Case and the Lower-Case are of an equal length, breadth and depth, viz. Two Foot nine Inches long, One Foot four Inches and an half broad, and about an Inch and a quarter deep, besides the bottom Board; But for small Bodied Letters they are made somewhat shallower, and for great Bodies deeper.

Long-Primmer and downwards are accounted small Bodies; English and upwards are accounted great Bodies.

The conveniencies of a shallow Case is, that the Letters in each Box lye more visible to the last, as being less shadowed by the sides of the Boxes.

The conveniencies of a deep Case is, that it will hold a great many Letters, so that a Compositer needs not so often Destribute. 2dly. It is not so soon Low, (as Compositers say when the Case grows towards empty) and a Low Case is unconvenient for a Compositer to work at, partly because the Case standing shelving downwards towards them, the Letters that are in the Case tend towards the hither-side of the Case, and are shadowed by the hither side of that Box they lye in, so that they are not so easily seen by the Eye, or so ready to come at with the Fingers, as if they lay in the middle of the Box.

These Cases are encompassed about with a Frame about Three quarters of an Inch broad, that the ends of the several partitions may be let into the substance of the Frame: But the hithermost side of the Frame is about half an Inch higher than the other sides, that when either the Galley or another pair of Cases are set upon them, the bottom edge of the Galley, or of those Cases may stop against that higher Frame, and not slide off.

Both the Upper and the Lower-Case have a thick Partition about three quarters of an Inch broad, Duff-tail’d into the middle of the upper and under Rail of the Frame. This Partition is made thus broad, that Grooves may be made on either side of it to receive the ends of those Partitions that devide the breadth of the Case, and also to strengthen the whole Frame; for the bottom Board is as well nailed to this thick Partition as to the outer Frame of the Case.

But the devisions for the several Boxes of the Upper and Lower-Cases are not alike: for each half of the whole length of the Upper-Case is devided into seven equal parts, as you may see in Plate 1. at A, and its breadth into seven equal parts, so that the whole Upper-Case is divided into Ninety eight square Boxes, whose sides are all equal to one another.

But the Two halfs of the length of the Lower-Case are not thus devided; for each half of the length of the Lower-Case is devided into Eight equal parts, and its breadth into Seven; but it is not throughout thus devided neither; for then the Boxes would be all of equal size: But the Lower-Case is devided into four several sizes of Boxes, as you may see in Plate 1. B.

The reason of these different sizes of Boxes is, That the biggest Boxes may be disposed nearest the Compositers hand, because the English Language, and consequently all English Coppy runs most upon such and such Sorts; so that the Boxes that holds those Sorts ought to be most capacious.

His care in the choice of these Cases is, That the Wood they are made of be well-season’d Stuff.

That the Partitions be strong, and true let into one another, and that the ends fill up and stand firm in the Grooves of the Frame and middle Rail of the Case.

There is an inconvenience that often happens, these thin Partitions, especially if they be made of unseason’d Stuff, viz. as the Stuff dries it shrinks in the Grooves of the Frame, and so not only grows loose, but sometimes starts out above the top of the Frame. To prevent this inconvenience, I have of late caused the ends of these thin partitions to be made Male-Duf-tails, broadest on the under-side, and have them fitted into Female-Duf-tails in the Frame of the Case, and middle Rail before the bottom Boards are nailed on.

That the Partitions be full an English Body thick.

That the Partitions lye close to the bottom of the Case, that so the Letters slide not through an upper into an under Box, when the Papers of the Boxes may be worn.

§. 4. Of Frames to set the Cases on.

Frames are in most Printing-Houses made of thick Deal-board Battens, having their several Rails Tennanted into the Stiles: but these sorts of Frames are, in respect of their matter (viz. Fir) so weak, and in respect of their substance (viz. little above an Inch thick) so slight, that experience teaches us, when they are even new made, they tremble and totter, and having lasted a little while, the thinness of their Tennants being a little above a quarter of an Inch thick, according to the Rules of Joynery, as I have shewn in Numb. 5. §. 17. They Craze, their Tennants break, or Mortesses split, and put the Master-Printer to a fresh Charge.

It is rationally to be imagined that the Frames should be designed to last as long as the Printing-house; and therefore our Master-Printer ought to take care that they be made of matter strong enough, and of substance big enough to do the Service they are intended for; that they stand substantial and firm in their place, so as a small Jostle against them shake them not, which often reiterated weakens the Frame-work, and at that present is subject to shake the Letter in the Galley down.

I shall not offer to impose Rules upon any here, especially since I have no Authority from Prescript or Custom; yet I shall set down the Scantlings that I my self thought fit to use on this occasion. A Delineation of the Frames are in Plate 1. at C.

I made the Rails and Stiles of well-seasoned fine Oak, clean, (that is free from Knots and Shakes) the Stiles and Rails two Inches and an half square, the Top and Bottom Fore-Rails and the Bottom Hind-Rail four Foot three Inches long, besides their Tennants; And the Top Hind-Rail five Foot three Inches long. The two Fore-Rails and Bottom Hind-Rail had Iron Female-Screws let into them, which, through an hole made in the Stiles, received a Male-Screw with a long shank, and a Sholder at the end of it to screw them tight and firm together, even as the Rails of a Bedsted are screwed into the Mortesses of a Bed-Post.

Each Back-Stile was four Foot one Inch and an half high besides their Tennants, and each Fore-Stile three Foot three Inches high, each Fore and Back-Stile had two Rails one Foot seven Inches long, besides their Tennants Tennanted and Pin’d into them, because not intended to be taken assunder.

It must be considered, that the Fore-stiles be of a convenient height for the pitch of an ordinary Man to stand and work at, which the heighth aforesaid is; And that the Hind stiles be so much higher than the Fore-stiles, that when the Cross-Bearers are laid upon the upper Fore and Hind-Rail, and the Cases laid on them, the Cases may have a convenient declivity from the upper-side the Upper-Case, to the lower side the Lower-Case.

The Reason of this declivity is, because the Cases standing thus before the Workman, the farther Boxes of the Upper-Case are more ready and easie to come at, than if they lay flat; they being in this position somewhat nearer the hand, and the Letters in those Boxes somewhat easier seen.

If the Workman prove taller than Ordinary, he lays another or two pair of Cases under the Cases he uses, to mount them: If the Workman be short, as Lads, &c. He lays a Paper-board (or sometimes two) on the floor by the Fore-side of the Frame, and standing to work on it, mounts himself.

The Bearers are made of Slit-Deal, about two Inches broad, and so long as to reach from the Fore-Rail through the Upper-Rail, and are let in, so as to lye even with the superficies of the Fore and Hind-Rail, and at such a distance on both the Rails, as you may see in the Figure.

Plate 2.

On the Superficies of the Fore-Rail, even with its Fore-Edge is nailed a small Riglet about half an Inch high, and a quarter and half quarter of an Inch thick, that the Cases set on the Frame having the aforesaid declivity, may by it be stop’t from sliding off.

§. 5. Of the Galley.

Our Master-Printer is also to provide Galleys of different sizes, That the Compositer may be suited with small ones when he Composes small Pages, and with great ones for great Pages.

The Galley is marked A in Plate 2.

These Galleys are commonly made of two flat Wainscot Boards, each about a quarter and half quarter of an Inch thick, the uppermost to slide in Grooves of the Frame, close down to the undermost, though for small Pages a single Board with two sides for the Frame may serve well enough: Those Wainscot Boards are an Oblong Square, having its length longer than its breadth, even as the form of a Page hath. The three Sides of the Frame are fixed fast and square down on the upper Plain of the undermost Board, to stand about three fifth parts of the height of the Letter above the superficies of the Slice. The Sides of the Frame must be broad enough to admit of a pretty many good strong Oaken Pins along the Sides, to be drove hard into the Bottom Board, and almost quite through the Sides of the Frame, that the Frame may be firmly fixed to it: But by no means must they be Glewed on to the Bottom Board, because the Compositer may sometimes have occasion to wet the Page in the Galley, and then (the Galley standing aslope upon the Case) the Water will soak between the sides of the Frame, and under Board, and quickly loosen it.

§. 6. Of the Correcting-stone.

The Correcting-Stone marked B in Plate 2. is made of Marble, Purbeck, or any other Stone that may be made flat and smooth: But yet the harder the Stone is the better; wherefore Marble is more preferable than Purbeck. First, Because it is a more compact Stone, having fewer and smaller Pores in it than Purbeck. And Secondly, because it is harder, and therefore less subject to be prick’d with the corners of a Chase, if through carelessness (as it sometimes happens) it be pitch’d on the Face of the Stone.

It is necessary to have it capacious, viz. large enough to hold two Chases and more, that the Compositer may sometimes for his convenience, set some Pages by on it ready to Impose, though two Chases lye on the Stone: Therefore a Stone of about Four Foot and an half long, and Two Foot broad is a convenient size for the generality of Work.

This Stone is to be laid upon a strong Oaken-wood Frame, made like the Frame of a common Table, so high, that the Face of the Stone may lye about three Foot and an Inch above the Floor: And under the upper Rail of the Frame may be fitted a Row or two of Draw-Boxes, as at a a a a a a and b b b on each of its longest Sides to hold Flowers, Brass-Rules, Braces, Quotations, small Scabbords, &c.

§. 7. Of Letter-Boards, and Paper-Boards.

Letter-Boards are Oblong Squares, about two Foot long, eighteen Inches broad, and an Inch and a quarter thick. They ought to be made of clean and well-season’d Stuff, and all of one piece: Their upper-side is to be Plained very flat and smooth, and their under-side is Clamped with pieces about two Inches square, and within about four Inches of either end, as well to keep them from Warping, as to bear them off the Ground or any other Flat they stand on, that the Fingers of the Compositer may come at the bottom of the Board to remove it whither he will: They are commonly made of Fir, though not so thick as I have mentioned, or all of one Piece: Deal-Boards of this breadth may serve to make them of; but Joyners commonly put Master-Printers off with ordinary Deal-Boards, which not being broad enough, they joyn two together; for which cause they frequently shrink, so as the joynt comes assunder, and the Board becomes useless, unless it be to serve for a Paper-Board afterwards: For small and thin Letters will, when the Form is open, drop through, so as the Compositer cannot use the Board.

I us’d to make them of Sugar-Chest; That Stuff being commonly well-season’d, by the long lying of the Sugar in it, and is besides a fine hard Wood, and therefore less subject to be injured by the end of the Shooting-Stick when a Form is Unlocking.

Paper-Boards are made just like the Letter-Boards, though seldom so large, unless for great Work: Nor need such strict care be taken in making them so exactly smooth: their Office being only to set Heaps of Paper on, and to Press the Paper with.

§. 8. Of Furniture, Quoyns, Scabbord, &c.

By Furniture is meant the Head-sticks, Foot-sticks, Side-sticks, Gutter-sticks, Riglets, Scabbords and Quoyns.

Head-sticks and all other Furniture, except Scabbord, are made of dry Wainscot, that they may not shrink when the Form stands by; They are Quadrat high, straight, and of an equal thickness all the length: They are made of several thicknesses for several Works, viz. from a Brevier which serves for some Quarto’s to six or eight Pica thick, which is many times us’d to Folio’s: And many of the Head-sticks may also serve to make Inner Side-sticks of; for the Master-Printer provides them of lengths long enough for the Compositer to cut to convenient Scantlins or Lengths, they being commonly about a Yard long when they come from the Joyners. And Note, that the Head and Side-sicks are called Riglets, if they exceed not an English thick.

Outer Side-sticks and Foot-sticks marked C in Plate 2. are of the same heighth of the Head-sticks, viz. Quadrat high, and are by the Joyner cut to the given length, and to the breadth of the particular Pages that are to be Imposed: The Side-sticks are placed against the outer-side of the Page, and the Foot-sticks against the foot or bottom of the Page: The outer-sides of these Side and Foot-sticks are bevil’d or sloped from the further to the hither end.

Gutter-sticks marked D in Plate 2. are as the former, Quadrat high, and are used to set between Pages on either side the Crosses, as in Octavo’s, Twelves, Sixteens, and Forms upwards; They are made of an equal thickness their whole length, like Head-sticks; but they have a Groove, or Gutter laid on the upper-side of them, as well that the Water may drain away when the Form is Washed or Rinced, as that they should not Print, when through the tenderness of the Tinpan, the Plattin presses it and the Paper lower than ordinary.

Scabbord is that sort of Scale commonly sold by some Iron-mongers in Bundles; And of which, the Scabbords for Swords are made: The Compositer cuts it Quadrat high, and to his Length.

The Master-Printer is to provide both Thick and Thin Scabbord, that the Compositer may use either when different Bodied Letter happens in a Page, to justifie the Page to a true length; And also that the Press-man may chuse Thick or Thin to make truer Register, as shall be shewed in proper place.

Quoyns are also Quadrat high, and have one of their sides Bevil’d away to comply with the Bevil of the Side and Foot-sticks; they are of different Lengths, and different Breadths: The great Quoyns about three Inches square, except the Bevil on one side as aforesaid; and these sizes deminish downwards to an Inch and an half in length, and half an Inch in breadth.

Of these Quoyns our Master-Printer provides several hundreds, and should provide them of at the least ten different Breadths between the aforesaid sizes, that the Compositer may chuse such as will best fit the Chase and Furniture.

The Office of these Quoyns are to Lock up the Form, viz. to wedge it up (by force of a Mallet and Shooting-stick) so close together, both on the sides and between Head and Foot of the Page, that every Letter bearing hard against every next Letter, the whole Form may Rise; as shall be shewed hereafter.

Their farther Office is to make Register at the Press.

§. 9. ¶. 1. Of the Mallet, Shooting-stick and Dressing-Block, Composing-sticks, Bodkin, and Chase. &c.

Printers Mallets have a Cilindrick Head, and a round Handle; The Head somewhat bigger, and the Handle somewhat longer than those Joyners commonly use; Yet neither shape or size different for any reason to be given: But only a Custom always used to have them so. The Head is commonly made of Beech.

¶. 2. Of the Shooting-stick.

The Shooting-stick must be made of Box, which Wood being very hard, and withal tough, will best and longest endure the knocking against the Quoyns. Its shape is a perfect Wedge about six Inches long, and its thicker end two Inches broad, and an Inch and an half thick; and its thin end about an Inch and an half broad, and half an Inch thick.

¶. 3. Of the Dressing-Block.

The Dressing-Block should be made of Pear-tree, Because it is a soft wood, and therefore less subject to injure the Face of the Letter; it is commonly about three Inches square, and an Inch high. Its Office is to run over the Face of the Form, and whilst it is thus running over, to be gently knock’t upon with the Head of the Shooting stick, that such Letters as may chance to stand up higher than the rest may be pressed down.

Our Master-Printer must also provide a pair of Sheers, such as Taylors use, for the cutting of Brass-Rules, Scabbords, &c.

A large Spunge or two, or more, he must also provide, one for the Compositers use, and for every Press one.

Pretty fine Packthread to tye up Pages with; But this is often chosen (or at least directed) by the Compositer, either finer or courser, according to the great or small Letter he works upon.

¶. 4. Of the Composing-stick.

Though every Compositer by Custom is to provide himself a Composing-stick, yet our Master-Printer ought to furnish his House with these Tools also, and such a number of them as is suitable to the size of his House; Because we will suppose our Master-Printer intends to keep some Apprentices, and they, unless by contract or courtesie, are not used to provide themselves Composing-sticks: And besides, when several Compositers work upon the same Book, their Measures are all set alike, and their Titles by reason of Notes or Quotations broader than their common Measure, So that a Composing-stick is kept on purpose for the Titles, which must therefore be common to all the Compositers that work upon that Work; And no one of them is obliged to provide a Composing-stick in common for them all: Therefore it becomes our Master-Printers task to provide them.

It is delineated in Plate 2. at E.

These Composing-sticks are made of Iron Plate about the thickness of a thin Scabbord, and about ten Inches long doubled up square; so as the Bottom may be half an Inch and half a quarter broad, and the Back about an whole Inch broad. On the further end of this Iron Plate thus doubled up, as at a is Soldered on an Iron Head about a Long-Primmer thick; But hath all its outer-edges Basil’d and Fil’d away into a Molding: This Iron Head must be so let into the Plate, and Soldered on to it, that it may stand truly square with the bottom, and also truly square with the Back, which may be known by applying the outer-sides of a square to the Back and Bottom; as I shewed, Numb. 3. Fol. 38, 39. About two Inches from the Head, in the Bottom, is begun a row of round holes about an Inch assunder, to receive the shank of the Male-Screw that screws the Sliding-Measures fast down to the Bottom; so that the Sliding-Measures may be set nearer or further from the Head, as the Measure of a Page may require.

The lower Sliding-Measure marked d is an Iron Plate a thick Scabbord thick, and of the Breadth of the inside of the Bottom; It is about four Inches long, and in its middle hath a Groove through it within half an Inch of the Fore-end, and three quarters of an Inch of the hinder end. This Groove is so wide all the way, that it may receive the Shank of the Screw. On the Fore-end of this Plate stands square upright another Iron Head about a Brevier thick, and reaches so high as the top of the Back.

The upper Sliding-Measure is made just like the lower, only it is about three quarters of an Inch shorter.

Between these two Sliding-Measures, Marginal Notes are Composed to any Width.

Compositers commonly examine the Truth of their Stick by applying the head of the Sliding-Measure to the inside of the Head of the Stick; and if they comply, they think they are square and true made: But this Rule only holds when the Head it self is square. But if it be not, ’tis easy to file the Sliding-Measures to comply with them: Therefore, as aforesaid, the square is the only way to examine them by.

¶. 5. Of the Bodkin.

The Bodkin is delineated in Plate 2. at F Its Blade is made of Steel, and well tempered, its shape is round, and stands about two Inches without the Shank of the Handle. The Handle is turned of soft wood as Alder, Maple, &c. that when Compositers knock the Head of the Bodkin upon the Face of a Single Letter when it stands too high, it may not batter the Face.

¶. 6. Of Chases, marked G on the Correcting-Stone, Plate 2.

A Chase is an Iron Frame about two and twenty Inches long, eighteen Inches broad, and half Inch half quarter thick; and the breadth of Iron on every side is three quarters of an Inch: But an whole Inch is much better, because stronger. All its sides must stand exactly square to each other; And when it is laid on the Correcting-Stone it must lye exactly flat, viz. equally bearing on all its sides and Angles: The outside and inside must be Filed straight and smooth. It hath two Crosses belonging to it, viz. A Short-Cross marked a a and a Long-Cross marked b b: These two Crosses have on each end a Male Duftail Filed Bevil away from the under to the upper-side of the Cross, so that the under-side of the Duftail is narrower than the upper-side of the Duftail. These Male-Duftails are fitted into Female-Duftails, Filed in the inside of the Chase, which are also wider on the upper side of the Chase than on the under-side; because the upper-side of the Cross should not fall through the lower side. These Crosses are called the Short and the Long-Cross.

The Short-Cross is Duftail’d in as aforesaid, just in the middle of the Chase as at c c, and the Long-Cross in the middle of the other sides the Chase, as at d d. The Short-Cross is also Duftail’d into Female-Duftails, made as aforesaid, about three Inches and an half from the middle, as at e e: So that the Short-Cross may be put into either of the Female-Duftails as occasion serves. The middle of these two Crosses are Filed or notched half way through, one on its upper, the other on its under-side to let into one another, viz. the Short-Cross is Filed from the upper towards the under-side half way, and the Long-Cross is Filed from the lower towards the upper-side half way: The Crosses are also thus let into each other, where they meet at f, when the Short-Cross is laid into the other Female-Duftails fitted to it at e e.

In the middle, between the two edges of the upper side of the Short-Cross, is made two Grooves parallel to the sides of the Cross, beginning at about two Inches from each end, and ending at about seven Inches from each end: It is made about half an Inch deep all the way, and about a quarter of an Inch broad, that the Points may fall into them. The Short-Cross is about three quarters of an Inch thick, and the Long-Cross about half that thickness. All their sides must be Fil’d straight and smooth, and they must be all the way of an equal thickness.

Hitherto our Master-Printer hath provided Materials and Implements only for the Compositers use; But he must provide Machines and Tools for the Press-mans to use too: which (because I am loath to discourage my Customers with a swelling price at the first reviving of these Papers) I shall (though against my interest) leave for the subject of the next succeeding Exercises.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

THe first Volumne of Mechanick Exercises, Treating of the Smiths, the Joyners, the Carpenters, and the Turners Trades, containing 37½ sheets, and 18 Copper Cuts, are to be had by the Author. Joseph Moxon. Price 9s. 3d. in Quires.

THe first Volumne of the Monthly Collection of Letters for Improvement of Husbandry and Trade, containing Twenty four Sheets with an Index, is now finished, and the second is carrying on:

By John Haughton, Fellow
of the Royal Society.

Plate 3.

MECHANICK EXERCISES:

Or, the Doctrine of
Handy-works.
Applied to the Art of
Printing.

§. 10. Of the Press.

THere are two sorts of Presses in use, viz. the old fashion and the new fashion; The old fashion is generally used here in England; but I think for no other reason, than because many Press-men have scarce Reason enough to distinguish between an excellently improved Invention, and a make-shift slovenly contrivance, practiced in the minority of this Art.

The New-fashion’d Presses are used generally throughout all the Low-Countries; yet because the Old-fashion’d Presses are used here in England (and for no other Reason) I have in Plate 3. given you a delineation of them; But though I give you a draft of them; yet the demensions of every particular Member I shall omit, referring those that think it worth their while, to the Joyners and Smiths that work to Printers: But I shall give a full description of the New-fashion’d Press, because it is not well known here in England; and if possible, I would for Publick benefit introduce it.

But before I proceed, I think it not amiss to let you know who was the Inventer of this New-fashion’d Press, accounting my self so much oblig’d to his Ingeniety for the curiosity of this contrivance, that should I pass by this oppertunity without nameing him, I should be injurious to his Memory.

It was Willem Jansen Blaew of Amsterdam: a Man as well famous for good and great Printing, as for his many Astronomical and Geographical exhibitions to the World. In his Youth he was bred up to Joynery, and having learn’d his Trade, betook himself (according to the mode of Holland) to Travel, and his fortune leading him to Denmark, when the noble Tycho Brahe was about setting up his Astronomical Observatory, was entertain’d into his service for the making his Mathematical-Instruments to Observe withal; in which Instrument-making he shew’d himself so intelligent and curious, that according to the general report of many of his personal acquaintance, all or most of the Syderal Observations set forth in Tycho’s name, he was intrusted to make, as well as the Instruments.

Plate 4.

And before these Observations were publish’d to the World, Tycho, to gratify Blaew, gave him the Copies of them, with which he came away to Amsterdam, and betook himself to the making of Globes, according to those Observations. But as his Trade increased, he found it necessary to deal in Geographical Maps and Books also, and grew so curious in Engraving, that many of his best Globes and Maps were Engraved by his own Hands; and by his conversation in Printing of Books at other Printing-houses, got such insight in this Art, that he set up a Printing-house of his own. And now finding inconveniencies in the obsolete Invention of the Press, He contrived a remedy to every inconvenience, and fabricated nine of these New-fashioned Presses, set them all on a row in his Printing-house, and call’d each Press by the name of one of the Muses.

This short History of this excellent Man is, I confess forraign to my Title; But I hope my Reader will excuse the digression, considering it tends only to the commemoration of a Person that hath deserved well of Posterity, and whose worth without this small Monument, might else perhaps have slid into Oblivion.

The Press is a Machine consisting of many Members; it is delineated in Plate 4.

All these several Members, by their Matter, Form and Position, do particularly contribute such an assistance to the whole Machine, that it becomes an Engine managable and proper for its intended purpose.

But because the smallness of this altogether-Draft may obscure the plain appearance of many of these Parts; Therefore I shall give you a more particular description, and large delineation of every Member in the Press: And first of the Wooden-work: Where, Note, that all the Fram’d Wooden-work of a Press is made of Good, Fine, Clean, Well-season’d Oak.

¶. 1. Of the Feet.

The Feet (marked a a in Plate 5.) are two Foot nine Inches and an half long, five Inches deep; and six Inches broad, and have their outsides Tryed to a true square, as was taught, Numb. 5. §. 15. It hath (for ornament sake) its two ends bevil’d away in a Molding, from its upper-side to its lower, about four Inches within the ends; about four Inches and three quarters within each end of each Foot is made in the middle of the Breadth of the upper-side of the Foot a Mortess two Inches wide, to receive the Tennants of the lower end of the Cheek, and the Tennant of the lower end of the Hind-Post: The Mortess for the Cheek is eight Inches long, viz. the Breadth of the Cheek: And the Mortess for the Hind-Post is four Inches long, viz. the square of the Hind-Post.

¶. 2. Of the Cheeks.

The Cheeks (marked b b in Plate 5.) are five Foot and ten Inches long (besides the Tennants of the top and bottom) eight Inches broad, and four Inches and an half thick. All its Sides are tryed square to one another. It hath a Tennant at either end, its lower Tennant marked a to enter the Fore-end of the Foot, runs through the middle of the Breadth of the Cheek, which therefore is made to fit the Mortess in the Foot, and is about four Inches long, and therefore reaches within an Inch of the bottom of the Foot; But the Tennant at the upper end of the Cheek marked a, is cut athwart the breadth of the Cheek, and therefore can have but four Inches and an half of Breadth, and its thickness is two Inches, Its length is four Inches; so that it reaches into the Mortess in the Cap, within half an Inch of the Top.

In the lower end-Tennant is two holes bored, within an Inch and an half of either side, and within an Inch and an half of the Sholder, with a three quarter Inch Augure, to be pin’d into the Feet with an Iron Pin.

In the middle of the upper Tennant, and within an Inch and an half of the Sholder, is bored another hole, to Pin the Tennant into the Cap, also with an Iron Pin.

Between b c two Foot and half an Inch, and three Foot seven Inches of the Bottom-Sholder of the Tennant, viz. from the top of the Winter to the under Sholder the Till rests upon, is cut flat away into the thickness of the Cheek, three Inches in the Inside of the Cheek; so that in that place the Cheek remains but an Inch and an half thick: And the Cheeks are thus widened in this place, as well because the Duftail Tennants of the Winter may go in between them, as also that the Carriage and Coffin may be made the wider.

Even with the lower Sholder of this flat cutting-in, is made a Duftail Mortess as at d, to reach eight Inches and an half, viz. the depth of the Winter below the said Sholder. This Mortess is three Inches wide on the inside the Cheek, and three Inches deep; But towards the inside the Cheek, the Mortess widens in a straight line from the said three Inches to five Inches, and so becomes a Duftail Mortess. Into this Duftail Mortess is fitted a Duftail Tennant, made at each end of the Winter.

Two Inches above the aforesaid Cutting-in, is another cutting-in of the same depth, from the Inside the Cheek as at e. This cutting-in is but one Inch broad at the farther side the Cheek, and an Inch and a quarter on the hither-side the Cheek. The under-side of this Cutting-in, is straight through the Cheek, viz. Square to the sides of the Cheek: But the upper-side of this Cutting-in, is not square through the Cheeks, But (as aforesaid) is one quarter of an Inch higher on the fore-side the Cheek than it is on the further side; So that a Wedge of an Inch at one end, and an Inch and a quarter at the other end may fill this Cutting-in.

At an Inch within either side the Cheek, and an Inch below this Cutting-in, as at f f, is made a small Mortess an Inch and an half wide, to which two Tennants must be fitted at the ends of the Till, so that the Tennants of the Till being slid in through the Cutting-in aforesaid, may fall into these Mortesses, and a Wedge being made fit to the Cutting-in, may press upon the Tennants of the Till, and force it down to keep it steddy in its place.

Here we see remains a square Sholder or substance of Wood between two Cuttings-in; But the under corner of this square Sholder is for Ornament sake Bevil’d away and wrought into an Ogee.

At two Inches above the last Cutting-in, is another Cutting-in, but this Cutting-in goes not quite through the breadth of the Cheek, but stops at an Inch and an half within the further side the Cheek; So that above the Till and its Wedge is another Sholder or substance of Wood, whose upper Corner is also Bevil’d away, and wrought to a Molding as the former.

The last Cutting-in is marked g, and is eight Inches and a quarter above the Sholder of the Till, that it may easily contain the depth of the Head; The substance remaining is marked h. This Cutting-in is made as deep into the thickness of the Cheek as the former Cuttings-in are, viz. three Inches; and the reason the Cheek is cut in here, is, that the Cheeks may be wide enough in this place to receive the Head, and its Tennants, without un-doing the Cap and Winter.

Just above this Cutting-in is made a square Mortess in the middle of the Cheek, as at i, it is eight Inches long, and two Inches and an half wide, for the Tennant of the Head to play in.

Plate 5.

Upon the fore-side of the Cheek is (for Ornament sake) laid a Molding through the whole length of the Cheek (a square at the Top and Bottom an Inch deep excepted) it is laid on the outer side, and therefore can be but an Inch broad; Because the Cuttings-in on the inside leaves the substance of Stuff but an Inch and an half thick, and should the Moldings be made broader, it would be interrupted in the several Cuttings in, or else a square of a quarter of an Inch on either side the Molding could not be allowed, which would be ungraceful.

¶. 3. Of the Cap marked c in Plate 5.

The Cap is three Foot and one Inch long, four Inches and an half deep, and nine Inches and an half broad; But its fore-side is cut away underneath to eight Inches, Viz. the breadth of the Cheeks. Three quarters of an Inch above the bottom of the Cap, is a small Facia, which stands even with the thickness of the Cheeks; Half an Inch above that a Bead-Molding, projecting half an Inch over the Facia. Two Inches above that a broad Facia, also even with the thickness of the Cheeks; and an Inch and a quarter above that is the upper Molding made projecting an Inch and an half over the two Facia’s aforesaid, and the thickness of the Cheeks.

Each end of the Cap projects three Inches quarter and half quarter over the Cheeks, partly for Ornament, but more especially that substance may be left on either end beyond the Mortesses in the Cap; and these two ends have the same Molding laid on them that the fore-side of the Cap hath.

Within two Inches and half quarter of either end, on the under-side the Cap is made a square Mortess two Inches wide, and four Inches and an half long, viz. the thickness of the Cheek inwards, as at a a, to receive the Top Tennants of the Cheeks; which Top Tennants are with an Iron Pin (made tapering of about three quarters of an Inch thick) pin’d into the Mortess of the Cap, to keep the Cheeks steddy in their position.

¶. 4. Of the Winter marked d in Plate 5.

The Length of the Winter besides the Tennants, is one Foot nine Inches and one quarter of an Inch; The Breadth of the Winter eight Inches, viz. the Breadth of the Cheek, and its depth nine Inches; all its sides are tryed square; But its two ends hath each a Duftail-Tennant made through the whole depth of the Winter, to fit and fall into the Duftail Mortesses made in the Cheeks: These Duftail-Tennants are intended to do the Office of a Summer, Because the spreading of the ends of these two Tennants into the spreading of the Mortesses in the Cheeks, keeps the two Cheeks in a due distance, and hinders them from flying assunder.

But yet I think it very convenient to have a Summer also, the more firmly and surer to keep the Cheeks together; This Summer is only a Rail Tennanted, and let into Mortesses made in the inside of the Cheeks, and Screwed to them as the Rails described, Numb. 15. §. 4. are Screwed into the Stiles of the Case-Frame; Its depth four Inches and an half, and its breadth eight Inches, viz. the breadth of the Cheeks.

¶. 5. Of the Head marked e in Plate 5.

The length of the Head besides the Tennant at either end, is one Foot nine Inches and one quarter of an Inch; The breadth eight Inches and an half, and its depth eight Inches. The Top, Bottom and Hind-sides are tryed Square, but the fore-side projects half an Inch over the Range of the fore-sides of the Cheeks; in which Projecture is cut a Table with a hollow Molding about it, two Inches distant from all the sides of the fore-side of the Head: Its Tennants are three Inches Broad, and are cut down at either end, from the top to the bottom of the Head, and made fit to the Mortesses in the Cheeks, that they may slide tight, and yet play in them.

In the under-side of the Head is cut a square Hole, (as at a,) about four Inches square, and three Inches and an half deep, into which the Brass-Nut is to be fitted: And to keep this Nut in its place (lest the weight of it should make it fall out) is made on either side the square hole, at about half an Inch distance from it, (as at b b) a square Hole quite through the Top and Bottom of the Head about three quarters of an Inch wide; and into this square Hole is fitted a square piece of Iron to reach quite through the Head, having at its under-end a Hook turned square to claspe upon the under-side of the Nut; and on its upper end a Male-Screw reaching about an Inch above the upper-side of the Head, which by the help of a Female-screw made in an Iron Nut, with Ears to it to turn it about draws the Clasp at the bottom of the Iron Shank close against the Nut, and so keeps it from falling out.

In the middle of the wide square Hole that the Nut is let into, is bored a round Hole through the top of the Head, of about three quarters of an Inch wide, for the Press-man to pour Oyl in at so oft as the Nut and Spindle shall want Oyling.

At three Inches from either end of the Head (as at c c) is bored a Hole quite through the top and bottom of the Head, which holes have their under ends squar’d about two Inches upwards, and these squares are made so wide as to receive a square Bar of Iron three quarters of an Inch square; But the other part of these Holes remain round: Into these Holes two Irons are fitted called the Screws.

The Shanks of these Screws are made so long as to reach through the Head and through the Cap: At the upper end of these Shanks is made Male-screws, and to these Male-screws, Iron Female-screws are fitted with two Ears to twist them the easier about.

So much of these Iron-Shanks as are to lye in the square Hole of the Head aforesaid, are also squared to fit those square Holes, that when they are fitted and put into the Holes in the Head; they may not twist about.

To the lower ends of these Iron-Shanks are made two Square, Flat Heads, which are let into and buried in the under-side of the Head; And upon the Sholders of those two Flat Heads, rests the weight of the Head of the Press; And by the Screws at the upper end of the Shanks are hung upon the upper-side of the Cap, and Screwed up or let down as occasion requires.

Plate 6.

¶. 6. Of the Till, marked f in Plate 5.

The Till is a Board about one Inch thick, and is as the Head and Winter, one Foot nine Inches and a quarter long, besides the Tennants at either end; Its Breadth is the Breadth of the Cheeks, viz. eight Inches; It hath two Tennants at either end as at a a a a, each of them about an Inch and an half long, and an Inch and an half broad, and are made at an Inch distance from the fore and Back-side, so that a space of two Inches is contained in the middle of the ends between the two Tennants; these Tennants are to be laid in the Mortesses in the Cheeks delineated at f f in Plate 5. and described in this §. 10. ¶. 2.

In its middle it hath a round Hole about two Inches and an half wide, as at b, for the Shank of the Spindle to pass through.

At seven Inches and a quarter from either end, and in the middle between the fore and Back-side, is made two square Holes through the Till, as at c c, for the Iron Hose to pass through.

¶. 7. Of the Hind-Posts marked a a in Plate 6.

At one Foot distance from the Hind-sides of the Cheeks are placed upright two Hind-Posts, they are three Foot and four Inches long besides the Tennants, which Tennants are to be placed in the Mortesses in the hinder-ends of the Feet; Their thickness is four Inches on every side, and every side is tryed square; But within eight Inches of the top is turned a round Ball with a Button on it, and a Neck under it, and under that Neck a straight Plinth or Base: This turn’d work on the top is only for Ornament sake.

There are six Rails fitted into these Hind-Posts, two behind marked a b, one of them standing with its upper-side at two Inches below the turned Work, the other having its upper-side lying level with the upper-side of the Winter.

These two Rails are each of them Tennanted at either end, and are made so long, that the outsides of the Hind-Posts may stand Range or even with the outer-sides of the Cheeks; These Tennants at either end are let into Mortesses made in the insides of the Hind-Posts, and Pin’d up with half Inch wooden Pins, Glewed in, as was shewn Vol. 1. Numb. 5. §. 17. Because the two Hind-Posts need not be separated for any alteration of the Press.

The two Side-Rails on either side the Press are Tennanted at each end, and let into Mortesses made in the Cheeks and Hind-Posts, so as they may stand Range with the outer-sides of the Cheeks and Hind-Posts; But the Tennants that enter the Mortesses in the Cheeks are not pin’d in with Wooden Pins, and Glewed, because they may be taken assunder if need be; But are Pin’d in with Iron Pins, made a little tapering towards the entring end, so as they may be driven back when occasion serves to alter the Press: And the Tennants that enter the Mortesses in the Hind-Posts are fastned in by a Female-screw, let in near the end of the Rail, which receives a Male-screw thrust through the Hind-Posts, even as I shew’d in

§. 4. the Fore and Back-Rails of the Case-Frames was.

¶. 8. Of the Ribs marked b in Plate 6.

The Ribs lye within a Frame of four Foot five Inches long, one Foot eleven Inches broad; its two End-Rails one Inch and an half thick, its Side-Rails two Inches and an half thick; and the breadth of the Side and End-Rails two Inches and an half. But the Side-Rails are cut away in the inside an Inch and an half towards the outer-sides of the Rails, and an Inch deep towards the Bottom sides of the Rails, so that a square Cheek on either Side-Rail remains. This cutting down of the Outer-Rails of the Frame is made, because the Planck of the Carriage being but one Foot eight Inches and an half broad, may easily slide, and yet be gaged between these Cheeks of the Rail, that the Cramp-Irons Nailed under the Carriage Planck joggle not on either side off the Ribs, as shall more fully be shewn in the next §.

Between the two Side-Rails are framed into the two End-Rails the two Wooden-Ribs two Inches and an half broad, and an Inch and an half thick; they are placed each at an equal distance from each Side-Rail, and also at the same distance between themselves. Upon these two Ribs are fast Nailed down the Iron-Ribs, of which more shall be said when I come to speak of the Iron-work.

¶. 9. Of the Carriage, Coffin and its Planck, marked a in Plate 7.

The Planck of the Carriage is an Elm-Planck an Inch and an half thick, four Foot long, and one Foot eight Inches and three quarters broad; upon this Planck at its fore-end is firmly Nailed down a square Frame two Foot four Inches long, one Foot ten Inches broad, and the thickness of its Sides two Inches and an half square; This Frame is called the Coffin, and in it the Stone is Bedded.

Upon each of the four Corners of this Coffin is let in and fastned down a square Iron Plate as at a a a a, with Return Sides about six Inches long each side, half a quarter of an Inch thick, and two Inches and a quarter broad; upon the upper outer-sides of each of these Plates is fastned down to them with two or three Rivets through each side, another strong Iron half an Inch deep, and whose outer Angles only are square, but the Inner-Angles are obtuse, as being sloped away from the Inner-Angle towards the farther end of each inner-side, so as the Quoins may do the Office of a Wedge between each inner-side and the Chase.

Plate 7.

The Plates of these Corners (as I said) are let in on the outer Angles of the upper-side of the Frame of the Coffin, so as the upper-sides of the Plates lye even with it, and are Nailed down, or indeed rather Rivetted down through the bottom and top-sides of the Frame of the Coffin, because then the upper-sides of the Holes in the Iron Plates being square Bored (that is, made wider on the upper-side of the Plate, as I shall shew when I come to the making of Mathematical Instruments) the ends of the Shanks of the Iron Pins may be so battered into the Square-boring, that the whole Superficies of the Plate when thus Rivetted shall be smooth, which else with the exturberancies of Nail-heads would hinder the free sliding of the Quoins.

At the hinder end of the Frame of the Coffin are fastned either with strong Nails, Rivets, or rather Screws, two Iron Half-Joynts, as at b b, which having an Iron Pin of almost half an Inch over put through them, and two Match-half-Joynts fastned on the Frame of the Tympan, these two Match-half-Joynts moving upon the Iron Pin aforesaid, as on an Axis, keeps the Tinpan so truly gaged, that it always falls down upon the Form in the place, and so keeps Register good, as shall further be shewed in proper place.

Behind the Coffin is Nailed on to its outside, a Quarter, as at c c this Quarter is about three Inches longer than the breadth of the Coffin, it hath all its sides two Inches over, and three of them square; but its upper-side is hollowed round to a Groove or Gutter an Inch and an half over. This Gutter is so Nailed on, that its hither end standing about an Inch higher than its further end, the Water that descends from the Tympan falling into it is carried away on the farther side the Coffin by the declivity of the farther end of the Gutter, and so keeps the Planck of the Carriage neat and cleanly, and preserves it from rotting.

Parallel to the outer-sides of the hind part of the Planck of the Carriage, at three Inches distance from either side, is Nailed down on the upper-side of the Planck two Female-Duftail Grooves, into which is fitted (so as they may slide) two Male-Duftails made on the two Feet of the Gallows (as at d d) that the Tinpan rests upon; and by the sliding forward or backward of these Duftail Feet, the heighth of the Tinpan is raised or depressed according to the Reason or Fancy of the Press-man.