In the cut, _a_ is the body; _b_, the face, or part from which the impression is taken; _c_, the shoulder, or top of the body; _d_, the nick, designed to assist the compositor in distinguishing the bottom of the face from the top; and _e_, the groove made in the process of finishing. As soon as a heap of types is cast, a boy takes them away, and breaks off the superfluous piece at the end of each, when another rubs its sides on a stone, to render it smooth. The face, or printing part of the type, is not touched after it leaves the matrix, that giving it all the distinctness and sharpness of which it is capable. Type-metal is a compound of lead and antimony, in the proportion of three to one, with a small portion of tin, and sometimes a little copper. In Gutenberg’s day types were necessarily an imitation of the handwriting of the monk-copyists, with little variety and beauty. Now the types which compose an ordinary book-fount consist of Roman CAPITALS, SMALL CAPITALS, and lower-case letters, and _Italic capitals_ and lower-case letters, with accompanying figures, points and reference-marks,--in all about two hundred characters. Including the various modern styles of fancy types, some three or four hundred varieties of face are made. Besides the ordinary Roman and _Italic_, the most important of the varieties are [Illustration: Old English or Black Letter. German Text. Full-face, Antique, Script. Old Style, GOTHIC.] The smallest body in common use is _diamond_; then follow, in order of size as below-- [Illustration: Diamond. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Pearl. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Agate. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Nonpariel. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Minion. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Brevier. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Bourgeois. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Long Primer. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Small Pica. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Pica. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz English. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Great Primer. abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv ]