2

this art, above all others, justly deserves to be encouraged; because from it we derive almost every intellectual comfort which man cap boast on this side the grave.

In order sufficiently to appreciate this inestimable treasure, let us glance our eyes over the page of History during the dark ages, before it pleased the Allwise Creator, in his bountiful goodness, to bestow upon mankind this invaluable blessing, and contrast their situation with the present state of society. Must not the mind be filled with admiration of the Author of Nature, for thus condescending so essentially to benefit his undeserving creatures? By means of the press, curiosity is roused; the mind is expanded; it no longer groans under the oppression of Ignorance and Folly-Vice and Virtue are depicted in their true colours; and Cruelty and Oppression are ever held up to the scorn and detestation of the world: in a word, the harvest is now complete. It is not one country alone that has to boast of this distinguished blessing, its influence is felt by the whole civilized globe; all partake of its advantages, and all should acknowledge the great obligation to their Maker, by promoting Christianity and the glory of God.' Vol. I. pp. 76-8.

After this eulogy on his art, the Author reviews the progress of Printing in Britain, giving biographical sketches of the early printers, Caxton, Wynkyn de Worde, Pynson, &c. and their portraits, devises, and monograms, beautifully cut in wood. The titles, dates, and full and interesting descriptions are given of the works which issued from their presses, arranged in chronological order. This portion of the work, which Lappears to have been executed with great care, cannot fail to be highly acceptable to the Bibliographer. From the press of De Worde, the number of articles thus described is not less than four hundred and ten! The honour of having been the first printer in England, is satisfactorily awarded to Caxton; the opposing claim of Oxford to that distinction being disallowed after a full and impartial investigation. The title of the University rested upon the vague authority of one Richard Atkyns, who, in the year 1664, published a thin quarto volume in order to prove that the art had been practised in Oxford as early as the year 1468, which is three or four years prior to the received date of the erection of Caxton's press in the Abbey Church of St. Peter's, Westminster, and six years before the date (1474) affixed to "The Game and Playe of

the Chesse," which is considered to have been the first book printed in England with a date. "The Historyes of Troye" is considered to be the first book printed in the English language; this is ascertained to have been executed by Caxton in Germany, in 1471, he having translated the same from a French version previously printed by him, which is admitted to

have been his first essay. Atkyns's veracity appears to be very questionable, for he had a law-suit depending with the Stationers' Company, at the time of publishing his " Original "and Growth of Printing," which suit would in some degree be influenced by the agitation of the question. Accordingly, he brought forward a book bearing date at Oxford in 1468, entitled "Exposicio Sancti Jeronimi in Simbolum Apostolorum: "ad Papum Laurentium;" and he endeavoured to establish this proof of priority, by a document said to have been obtained from the Registry of the See of Canterbury at Lambeth, wherein it was affirmed, that the printer, Frederick Corsellis, had been seduced over to this country through the authority of the king, by whom he was established at Oxford. This argument is refuted by supposing an error to have been made in the date of the "Exposicio," of 1468 for 1478; a blunder by no means uncommon in the infancy of printing. Of this mistake, Atkyns is thought to have taken advantage, and to have bolstered up his theory either by forging the document said to have been discovered at Lambeth, or by giving it an existence it never possessed. This part of the controversy remains in doubt, for no such document seems ever to have been seen or heard of by any one save Mr. At"kyns, and his supporters are compelled to assume that it was destroyed in the great fire at London, which, unfortunately for it and them, occurred soon after its supposed discovery

Copies of the " Expositio" which has occasioned all this controversy, are extant, one of which may be seen in the public Library of Cambridge.

The origin and history of copper-plate and wood engraving are detailed, in which investigation the Author has made great use of the valuable works of Mr. Otley and Mr. Dibdin.

The second volume is entitled the "PRINTER'S INSTRUC"TOR." It contains every species of information necessary for the operative printer, and many of the remarks will be equally useful to those who write for the press.' It is, moreover, illustrated by alphabets in all characters and languages. Those denominated Doomsday contractions occur, we believe, for the first time in this work; and they cannot but be considered as an acquisition to those who have to decipher old documents; particularly to writers upon subjects of early topography, wherein these puzzling abbreviations frequently oc

cur.

We shall subjoin an extract or two, to shew the manner in which the Author has accomplished this useful division of his work.

⚫ POINTS,-Points are not of equal antiquity with printing, though, not long after its invention, the necessity of introducing stops or pauses in sentences, for the guidance of the reader, brought forward the colon and full-point, the two first invented. In process of time, the comma was added to the infant punctuation, which then had no other figure than a perpendicular line, proportionable to the body of the letter. These three points were the only ones used till the close of the fifteenth century, when Aldus Manutius, a man eminent for the. restoration of learning, among other improvements in the art of printing, corrected and enlarged the punctuation, by giving a better shape to the comma, adding the semi-colon, and assigning to the former points a more proper place; the comma denoting the smaller pause, the semi-colon next, then the colon, and the full-point termiinating the sentence. The notes of interrogation and admiration were not added till many years after.

These points are allowed to answer all the purposes of punctua tion, though some pedantic persons have suggested the propriety of increasing them, by having one below the comma, and another between the comma and semi-colon. So far are we from imagining that such an introduction will meet with encouragement, that we confidently expect to see the present number diminished, by the total exclusion of the colon, a point long since considered unnecessary, and now but seldom used.

Perhaps there never existed on any subject among men of learning, a greater difference of opinion, than on the true mode of punctuation, and scarcely can any two people be brought to agrée in the same method; some making the pause of the semi-colon where the sense will only bear a comma; some contending for what is termed stiff pointing, and others altogether the reverse.

The want of an established rule in this particular is much to be regretted. The loss of time to a compositor, occasioned often through whim or caprice, in altering points unnecessarily, is one of the greatest hardships he has to complain of in the progress of his profession.

Scarcely nine works out of ten are sent properly prepared to the press; either the writing is illegible, the spelling incorrect, or the punctuation defective. The compositor has often to read sentences of his copy more than once before he can ascertain what he con ceives the meaning of his author, that he may not deviate from him in the punctuation; this retards him considerably. But here it does not end-he, and the corrector of the press, though perhaps both intelligent and judicious men, differ in that in which few are found to agree, and the compositor has to follow either his whim or better opinion. The proof goes to the author-he dissents from them both, and makes those alterations in print, which ought to have rendered his manuscript copy correct.

Some compositors do not possess so perfect a knowledge of punctuation as others; to such the hardship becomes greater; the loss of time to them will be very considerable. The author should, in the first instance, send his copy properly prepared to the press.

He must be the most competent judge of the length and strength of His own sentence, which the introduction of a point from another might materially alter, a circumstance not uncommon, as instances have occurred where a single point has completely reversed the meaning of a sentence.

"The late Dr. Hunter, in reviewing a work, had occasion to censure it for its improper punctuation. He advises authors to leave the pointing entirely to the printers, as from their constant practice they must have acquired a uniform mode of punctuation. We are decidedly of this opinion; for unless the author will take the responsibility of the pointing entirely upon himself, it will be to the advantage of the compositor, and attended with less loss of time, not to meet with a single point in his copy, unless to terminate his senrence, than to have his mind confused by commas and semi-colons placed indiscriminately in the hurry of writing, without any regard, to propriety. The author may reserve to himself his particular mode of punctuation, by directing the printer to point his work either loosely or not, and still have the opportunity of detecting in his proofs, whether a misplaced point injures his sentence, The advantage resulting from this method would ensure uniformity to the work, and remove in part from the compositor a burthen which has created no small degree of contention.' Vol. II. pp. 54-6.

There is much truth in these observations, though there are doubtless many exceptions to this charge of carelessness in authors. One instance we well remember in the person of the late veteran Cumberland, whose press copy, when nearly at the age of eighty, seldom bore the marks of erasure or correction. His page was a perfect picture,-pointed with the truest accuracy, written in a fine, bold, even hand, which gave his lines all the advantage of being formed upon a mas thematical scale, and his return proofs for press were, as far as related to himself, as free as his manuscript was clear. We have often heard compositors declare that they would as soon compose from his manuscript as from any printed copy they ever saw. The advantages and the rarity of this qualification will, however, further appear from the following remarks.

CASTING OFF COPY.-To cast off manuscript with accuracy and precision, is a task of a disagreeable nature, which requires great attention and deliberation. The trouble and difficulty is much increased, when the copy is not only irregularly written, (which is too frequently the case,) but also abounds with interlineations, erasures, and variations in the sizes of paper. To surmount these defects, the closest application and attention is required; yet at times, so numerous are the alterations and additions, that they not unfrequently baffle the skill and judgement of the most experienced calculators of copy. Such an imperfect and slovenly mode of sending works to

the press (which is generally attended with unpleasant consequences to all parties) cannot be too strongly deprecated by all admirers of the art.' V. II. p. 90.

Upon illegible writing, it is remarked:

Among men of learning there are some who write after such a manner, that even those who live by transcribing, rather shun than crave to be employed by them: no wonder, therefore, if compositors express not the best wishes to such promoters of printing But it is not always the capacious genius that ought to be excused for writing in too great a hurry; for sometimes those of no exuberant brains affect uncouth writing, on purpose to strengthen the common notion that the more learned the man, the worse is his hand writing; which shews that writing well, or bad, is but a habit with those who can write. V. II. p. 95. Fewer mistakes would be made, were authors to endeavour to render their copy more legible, before they place it in the hands of the printer. It can hardly be expected that the corrector, under whose inspection such a variety of subjects are continually passing, should be able to enter thoroughly into every one of them, and to guess so nicely at the author's meaning when the copy is obscure and unable to afford him any assistance. Vol. II. p. 142.

CORRECTING. By correcting, we understand the rectifying of such faults, omissions, and repetitions, as are made by the compositor either through inadvertency or carelessness. And though the term of corrections is equally given to the alterations that are made by authors, it would be more proper to distinguish them by the name of emendations; notwithstanding it often happens, that after repeatedly mending the matter, the first conceptions are at last recalled for the truth thereof none can be better vouchers than compositors, who often suffer by fickle authors that know no end to making alterations, and at last doubt whether they are right or wrong; whereby the work is retarded, and the compositor greatly prejudiced in his endeavours; especially where he is not sufficiently satisfied for spending his time in humouring such whimsical gentlemen.' Vol. II. p. 221.

:

Under the head of ANTIENT CHARACTERS AND HIEROGLYPHICS,' the Author gives a full account of the Rosetta stone, the Sarcophagus of Alexander, and other curious inscriptions. These are illustrated by specimens of the characters; but, without these specimens, a transcription of the pages would be incomplete. We can therefore only refer to page 319 of Vol II. for an elucidation of this very interesting part of the subject.

The properties of the various presses are detailed, and representations of them are given, even to their most minute parts; also, the nature and qualities of inks, and the mode of using