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conGns of. long .nu narrow plate of bra f, . o\' iron, ¿ ro
e C; on lhe ri(thr fine of which arares a I~Jgc bh, which
IUO' lhe "hole lC'nglh of (he , :lnd fervts to fufl.¡in
lhe lctters, ,he fillc:s of 'A hich ~re lO TeH ilC1.infi it: ¡ –
long this Irdgc is a rQW of holes. ~lllch ftrve ror ¡ntro–
dueing the fercw ¡: io order tO Itngthen or filOrten the
cxtcnc of lhe Ilne, hy moving lhe: (ltdcrs ~ d farthcr
(rom or ocarer to lhe !horter ledge al Ihe cnd a. 'Vhcre
m:\Tginal nOtes are rcqutrecJ in a work. lhe UVQ fltding–
pieccs ~ ti are opened 10 a propcr dlllance from each
olher, in fuch a manner as that wlllle lhe d,(tance be~
twcen d and e forms lhe lco&1I1 of the IlOe in lhe texl ,
the diflance between lhe (wo Oidinc_pieces forms lhe
length of the lines (or Ihe note' on Ihe fiJe of the page.
Before lhe compofitOr procecds to compore, he pUl!. a
ru le. or thin Olp of brafs-pl..e, cut to the I<ngth of the
line, and of lhe: fame height as the leuer, in ,he campo–
ling-niek. ogain(\ Ihe lodge, for Ihe Imee 10 be.r .&.. n(\.
Thing, thu, prepared, the eompofilor having the eopy
Iying bdore him. and his n,ek in 1", leCt-hand, hi, Ihumb
being over Ihe Oíder d; with the righl, he t. k.e, up Ihe
letters, fpaees. &c. one by one, and place, thcm .galnn
Ihe rule, while he fuppom them with his left thu",b by
prefling them 10 the end o( the Oider d. the other hand
being eon(\antly erwployed in fetting in other leners : the
whole being performed with a degre< of expedition aod
adJref, nOI <ofy 10 be ' magined.
A little beiog thus eompofed, ifit end witn a word or
fyllable, and ex,aly fill Ihe meafure, Ihere needs no
r"nher care ; otherwifc, more e,aces are to be pUl in,
or elfe Ihe dinonees lelfened belween the feveral words,
iD arder to make the meafure quite fu 11 , (o that every
line m.y end even. The (p.ees here ufed are picce. of
metal exaaly !h. ped like the !h.nks of the letter. : thefe
are of variou, thicknelfe~, and ferve 10 fupport Ihe let–
ters, and to preferve a proper diOance betwecn che words';
bUI nOI reaehiug fo high as the le"e", they no im–
premon when Ihe work. i, printed. The lidl line being
thu, finifhed , lhe compo(jtOr proceeds to the neXl ; iD
order 10 whieh he move, the brafs-rule fronl uehind Ihe
'former, and places it befare it, 2nd'thus compores ano–
ther line agaiofl il arter lhe (ame manner as before; go–
ing on Ihu, till hi, Oiek is (ull. when he emplies .11 the
lines comained in it ioto lhe óally.
The eompolitor then fill. and empties hi, eompoling–
~iek a, before, till aeomplete page be formed ; "·hen he tie,
I! up with a con! or p.ek.thread• • nd fettinc it by, pro·
ceeds to the neXI , til! lhe number of p~ges tO be (antalO '
ed in a (hect is complt tcd: whieh dont, he carries them
to lhe impoCing-ftone. the re 10 be ranged in order, and
(.nened together in a frame e.\led a eh. fe. and ,his is
termed impofing . T he chafe is a reéhngular iron-frarne.
of different dimenGons, according te lhe fize of the pítpe.r
to be printed, having twO crofs.pieccs of the fa me metal,
callc:d a long and (hOrt crofs, mortiCed at each end fo as
to be taken out occafion-ally By the diflerent (jtuation
of Ihefe erolfe, the i, fittcd for diff<rent volumes :
for quanos and oftavos, one traverCes the middle length·
wife, the other croadwjfe, fo as l O interCt:él each olher
in the centre: for' tweJves and twenty fours, the filon
erar, j, fhifted nearer tO one cnd of the chafe : for folio"
the long erof, i, Idt enlirely OUt • • nd the !hort one left
in ,he middle ; .nd (or broad.lidcs, uoth crolfes are f"
VOL. llI. N° 90. 2
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.rode.. To dr,-fs the chafe. or r, nr.e .nd r.x thc p.;:es
Ihacln, the cOOlpofitor mAkc:s uCe of " r::t of fllrnl1 ulc.
confilling 01 o( wooJ of erent d,mcofions, ane! ¡f –
b(lUl luir an Ineh high, dut lhey m¡.¡y he )ower than Ihe
Il"ucrs : fome of thcrc are pletced al the tOp of toe pag('s.
an.:1 callcd head-lIicks ¡ others lJetwec:n them, 10 tOrtU l he
inner margin ~ others on the fide3 of the cro(f~s, 10 form
the oUler margio, whc.. re Ihe p~pcr is 10 be duubleu i aotl
others io the torm of wedgcs 10 Ihe fides aod b:Jttom of
the P'C... Thus .1I the p'ges uClng plaeed al tlm r pro–
p" dillance" .nd fecu red from being injurtd by the chafe
and rurniture p);¡ced aboll t Ihem, they are all untiecl,
(.ilened tOcelher by drrvlnc fmall pieees o( .ood eal!ed
quoios. cut in 1he wedge-form, up betwecn lhe O.tntiog
fide o( the fool and fide fI,cks and the chafe, by means
o( • piece of hard wood and a mallet ; and.1I bClng thus
bound fan. IOgether, fo that none of Ihe lelters wllI (.11
out, it is ready 10 be commiucd 10 Ihe the pre{fman. [n
this coodilion the work is called a form; and as there
are two of thefe forms requireu for every (heet, when
both fides are 10 be prioted, it is the dinances
bet ..«n the pages io eaeh form !houlJ be plaeed wltn
fueh exaétnefs, tha! the imprdlion of che p~ges in one
form !h.1I f.1I exaaly on the back of Ihe P'gcs o( the
other. whieh is c.lled regirler.
As it is impoffiulo bUI thal Ihere mun be fóme mif–
I2kes io Ihe work , either Ihrough the overfight of the
compolilor. ar by Ihe c"fual traorpofition of Jetters in lhe
caCes ; a fhect is printed off, which is caJled a proof.
and given tO Ihe corre(tor; who readiog il over, and
rea,fying il by the copy, by making the alteration, in
Ihe margi o, it is delivercd back to the compoCitor tO be
correlled.
The eompolitor Ihen unloeking Ihe (orm upon the eor–
relling. (lone. by loofening the quoios or wedEes whicn
bouod the letters tOgelher, reélifies the mi(\ake, by piek–
¡ng out the faulty or wrong letters with a flender fharp.
pointed fleel-bodkin, and pu" others inlo Ihei r pl.ees.
After this aoolher proof js made, feot lO the author,
and correéled :u before; aod IAnly, there is another
proof, called a revife, which is made In order {Q fee whe·
Iher all the miOakes marked io Ihe proofare eorreaed.
The pre(fman's bulinefs is tO work off Ihe fo rms IhU$
prepared and eorreaed by the eompolitor; in doing ",hien
there are four thíngs required, paper, ink, balJs, and a
prefs. To prepare the p'per (or ufe, il is to be fir(\
wetted by dipping feveral !heets together in water : thefe
are afterw:.rds laid in .a h(ap O\1er e3eh other : and lO
make them I2ke the water equally, 011 prelfed
clofe down with a weight at lhe toro Thc. ink is mOlde
of oi l and lamp-black; for Ihe manner of preparing which,
(ee Prillling INK . Thc b, lIs. uy whieh the ink is ar–
p!.erl on che fornl$: are a kind of wooden funneJs with
handlt:s, Ihe cavities of which ur filled Wilh wool or
hair, as is al(o a piece of alUOl-lealher or pelt oailed ·o·
ver the cavity. aod made ('xtremcly fofl by foaking in u·
rine, .nd by being well rubbed. One of thefe the prerr–
man takes in each hand; and applyinCone of them lO
the ink·bloek, daubs and works thcOI tOgether tO dlllri–
byte Ihe ink equ. lly. and then bloekens the form whicn
is pl.eed OA the pref., by beating with tbe balls upon the
face of lhe lener.
The prioling·pref, reprefe'led in PIate CXL VII. fig. l .
6N t ~ l .