THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY

be, ' there can be no doubt that we have here a survival from the remotest age of
printing, and that they merit careful description.

The impression of the punch in the matrix was shallow; the undersides of the
matrices were rounded with a file, and some were no wider than the thickness of the
types cast in them there being no margin on either side of the letter. Their shape
was thought by Enschedé to explain the faults of alignment to which I have referred.
He divined that the caster put two, three or more matrices side by side in the mould
and cast so many letters together on one piece of type. These combinations of
matrices were held tight between the registers of the mould, and the letters cast
from them had no wider intervals between them than letters cast singly. But, inevi¬
tably, this contrivance was specially liable to the errors common in casting in early
times : alignment and height-to-paper were irregular and no two pieces of type were
exactly alike. Enschedé made experiments : he cast up the fount and tried the effect.
of combinations such as I have described with five or six of the letters. I have had
an electrotype made from his fount, which we still possess, and I reproduce it in
fig. 22 by means of a process block. The two topmost lines are set in types car¬
rying three letters each. The matrices were changed about, and their alignment and
height-to-paper were purposely varied by my ancestor, so that the impression is too
heavy in some parts and too light in others and the letters are some high some low
for line.

Johannes Enschedé valued these matrices for the partial insight they gave him
into the technique of typefounding at an early stage. But he saw no use for them,
perhaps because the set was incomplete. He had many types far more beautiful,
and he regarded the ancient matrices as a curiosity. But he treasured the little fount

q'e qe9 eq9 eq9 eq^ qFu ФФ pug №
pig pqií lipg úc¡p püg 154
BBBDDDFFFKKKMMM NN
NOOOSSVVVXXX Y YY Z Z Z

PPP í ì i èèèdSdqq^q'q'qqqqkkkk ì d999

крррддзд I I I Ші i t t «Рйда.рррррр
dpppppp q; qj q; q; qj щщщесе qvqvqvqvqfi
vuguguguguyyyyyî55î5 f f f f f f fififig
fififlflfl-ff--ff-ff* * * ^444^6667771*1 Í

mmñññééé í ï ôoôâââé e с ôôôûuuaaaééé í

Fig. 22. Electrotype from the fount cast by Johannes I Enschedé
with matrices of English-bodied Roman no. 6.

[ 1 ] The type was identified by A. F. Johnson with one used A. F. Johnson, Some Cologne and Basle types, 1525-1552, Gutenberg-
by Peter Quentell of Cologne in 1527. No earlier use of it has Jahrbuch 1939, pp. 197-201, reprinted in Selected Essays, 1970,
been noticed. He ascribes it to a punchcutter in Cologne. See pp. 238-245.

ЗО

BERNARDVS NERLIVS PETRO MEDICAE LAVRENTII

FILIO .S.
Vm doftíffimorum bomínum 8¿ bor um grauiffimorum fen-
tentía: grecas Iítteras non folum latinís plurímum ornamenti
afierre: Sed etiam perneceíTarías effe anímaduerterem: omni
ftudio ac labore ad bec ftudía percipíenda me conuerti. Sed cu
uíderem non nullos lítterarum grecarum ftudíofos ob inopia}
librorum magno affici icómodo: qd cV ípfe una cum íllis expíebar: operepre-
tium me fafturum exiftímaui : ñ eadem ratione tum borum tum mee incorno
ditatí occurrerem: qua latinas litteras difcentíbus íam prídem confultum effe
uidebam. Itaq; ut Ы de grecís lítterís bene mererer:8¿earum ftudiofis alíquo
modo prodeffem: utqj alíí copia librorum alleiti: ad bec ftudia magísincitaré
tur: decreuí grecum aliquem auétorem: qui et apud eos nobílíffimus effet: 8¿
nobis difcentíbus perutílís foret: imprimendum fufcípere. Quod et fiarduuj
& perdífficíle uídebatur: tarnen cum ea que adboc opus conficíudú neceffaría
erant: in bac noftra cíuítate concurrerent: eiufmodí occafionem minime pre
termíttendam putaui. Nam ut omíttam Neríi fratrís líberalítate5:8¿ Ioannís
Accaíolí auxílium: Demetríiqj Cretenfisdexteritatem: id inprímis míbí opor
tunum fuit: maxímeqj optatum:quod ad banc rem Demetríum Cbalcondylë
Atbeníenfem naftus eram: Vírum profefto tempeftate noftra doftiffimum:
preceptoremqj meum: a quo buiusmodi opus accuratiffime recognofcí poffet.
Perdífficile enim míbí uídebatur fine erudítíffimo uíro id operís caftígatifñ-
mum emendati ffimumq,1 fieri poffe. Itaq; ex íllíus confilío Homerum ut uetu
ftate prímum: ita etíam díuíno quodam ingenio fummum poetam: ac líttera
aum fontem elegí: qui quidem ob íncuríam atqj neglígentíam líbraríorum ita
fui díflímílís uídebatur: ut in nullo fere codice quáuís perueteri integer agno-
fceretur. Quáobrem erudítíffimí fane uírí opera: qualem Demetríum naftus
eft: fummopere indigebat: qui clamore quo me non mediocri profequítur: &¿
communis utílítatís gratía maxime adduftus ipfa Homerí opera fingularí di
lígentía fummoq; ftudio cum Euftatbíí commentaríís conferens examínauít:
atq; emendauít: cuius quidem Viri dílígentíam: aut níbíl arbítror preterííffe:
aut fiqua preterííffe uídebuntur: ea certe uel dubia quedam funt: uel eiufmo¬
dí: ut ea m tali tantoq; opere íuftus equusq5 rerum eftímator non magnifací-
at. Ad bec non folum Homerí opera quecunq; reperíuntur: queq5 eius ferun
tur: ímprímenda curauí: Verum etíam bis adíecí Herodotum:Plutarcbum:
atq5Dionem: qui et Poete uitam lítterís dílígentíffime mandauerunt: 8¿fen-
fus utríusqj díuíní operís: mírumqj ordínem ac Doftrínam omnium rerum
cognítíone plenam ita grauí íudícío: fubtilíqj acumíne dífcufferunt: atqj exa
mínarut: ut ftudíofos 8¿ utílitatís plurímü ex eorum leñíone confequuturos:
8¿ Poetam altíus perfeñíusq5 íntellefturos minime dubítem. Que omnia сиз
iam ad optatam metam perdufta fint: multoq5 felicius q ab initio exíftímará
annuente Deo fuccefferint: conftitui PetreMedices: ut bee omnia nomine tuo
impreffa ederentur: Quem a puerítia grecís ínftítutum lítterís cognoui: uide
oq5 in Homerí prefertím Ieítíone quotídíe uerlarí. Quod (\ tibí gratum íocú-
dumq5 efle itellexero: uel bac una re cumulatíffime míbí putauero fatiffaftu.
Vale. FLORENTIAE Idibus Ianuaríís. M.CCCCLXXXVIII.

Fig. 23. English-bodied Roman N0.6.

Resetting of the prefatory letter by the

printer Bernardus Nerlius to his edition of Homer,

printed at Florence in 1487 in a different type.

V