A History of the Old English Letter Foundries: with Notes, Historical and Bibliographical, on the Rise and Progress of English Typography.Reed, Talbot Baines
History
A History of the Old English Letter Foundries: with Notes, Historical and Bibliographical, on the Rise and Progress of English Typography.
Reed, Talbot Baines
Printing -- England -- History; Type and type-founding -- England -- History
shall provide and make ready for the press, and shall print such a
number of each copy, as yourself, or your successors for the time
being, shall think fit; and all this they shall perform, whether
the said copy or copies be to be printed in London, Oxford, or
Cambridge, which shall be left free to their judgments and desire,
whose pains prepare the copy or copies for the press. And last
of all, our further will and pleasure is, that the aforesaid
patentees do without any delay procure such, and so many matrices
and letters, as aforesaid, that no hindrance be put upon the work,
and that they be at the charge of printing in the mean time with
such letters, as are already in the kingdom. Of all which or any
other necessary circumstances for the furtherance of this work,
we shall not fail to call for a strict account from you; and
therefore do look that you call for as strict a one from them:
provided always, that it shall be, and remain in your power to
mitigate their fine aforesaid, according as you shall see their
diligence and care for the advancing of this work.”[248]
This letter Laud forwarded to the printers, who in reply, “accounted
it so {144} great a happiness” to receive the royal commands in the
matter, and stated that they were already labouring “to find out
the best fount and matrices, and to purchase the same at what cost
soever.”[249]
The new Greek press, thus furnished, was in due time settled in London,
at the King’s Printing House in Blackfriars, and from its types was
printed, in 1637, Patrick Young’s _Catena on Job_,[250] “in as curious
a letter,” says Bagford, “as any book extant.” In this interesting
work, from which we here give a facsimile, two Greek founts are used,
the larger being a handsome Double Pica,[251] not dissimilar to that in
which Estienne’s great folio _Greek Testament_ was printed in Paris.
The smaller fount, a Great Primer, bears so close a resemblance to the
fount used in the Eton _Chrysostom_, that it is probable it may have
been cast abroad from the same matrices. The Double Pica Roman and
Italic used in the work are the same as those employed by Day in the
preface to the _Ælfredi_ in 1574; the matrices having apparently been
secured by the Archbishop for the use of the Royal press.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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