In these memoranda, says Mr. Humphreys, (pp. 66-67) “we have positive proof that printed Doctrinals were commonly sold in Flanders in 1445; and M. Bernard was the first to elucidate the full value and bearing of this passage, of which M. Van Praet,[128] who had already mentioned it, failed to see the drift, from not understanding the meaning of the term _gette_, or rather _jette_, _en molle_, which simply means cast in a mould, in reference to the metallic types, which were so cast. That M. Bernard is correct in his explanation of the term, is clearly proved by many passages having reference to the same subject, in which the term is used as one well understood. For instance, in the letters of naturalization accorded to the first printers with moveable types established in Paris, a document dated 1474 (old style) the terms _ecriture en molle_ or writing by means of moulds, or moulded letters, is used. Also, in 1496, on the occasion of the purchase of two books of prayer by the Duke of Orleans, the Constable describes them as both _escrites en moule_. Also, in the list of furniture and books of Anne of Britanny about the same time, books are mentioned ‘_tant en parchemin que en papier, à la main, et en molle_;’ that is, both on vellum and on paper, both manuscript and printed.” Commenting upon these memoranda, Mr. Blades exclaims, “_Jettez en molle!_--Cast in a mould! What can this expression mean, except that the ‘Doctrinals’ were printed from cast types? As applied to manuscripts, or to stencilling, or to block-printing, ‘_jettez en molle_’ has no meaning whatever.” “Drowning men,” it has well been said, “will clutch at a straw,” and surely a consciousness of the peril in which their argument stood, must have made the above writers clutch at Abbé Jean le Robert’s memoranda in the way they have. It may be admitted, that the phrase “à la main, et en molle,” means “_both manuscript and printed_;” but upon what fair principle of philology M. Bernard and Mr. Humphreys make out that the words “jettez en molle,” “ecriture en molle,” and “escrites en moule,” mean “cast in a mould, _in reference to the metallic types which were so cast_,” and “writing by means of moulds, _or moulded letters_;” is more than I can make out. They may certainly be understood in such a sense _now_, but when originally used they could only have referred to the moulded appearance,--the indented impressions on the leaves of the book, totally irrespective of the types or blocks by which such appearance was produced.