That this character was not designed to distinguish proper names, nor for several other uses to which it has been applied, can be readily proved, even from works printed in this country. Many have considered it as depriving Roman of its beauty, by loading it with Italic words and terms of common signification and meaning; and have thought it inconsistent to intermix letter of an erect position with that of an oblique inclination. What Roman letter suffers by being interlarded with Italic, is of equal importance to this, when it is invaded by the former: because Roman having a much bolder appearance than Italic of the same body, takes advantage of the soft and tender face of the latter; which, in England, has arrived to a high degree of perfection. Is it not a pity that two such significant bodies as Roman and Italic, of which neither stands in need of the other, should often be so maimed, that it is difficult to discover which of them is most entitled to our decided preference? It would be a desirable object, if the use of Italic could be governed by some rules. We shall here recommend to those authors who appear so solicitous, by their frequent introduction of Italic, that the beauty and essence of their writings may not be lost, to trust a little more to the discernment and understanding of their readers. That the frequent use of Italic is useless, and generally *Upon the establishment of the Roman character, the Germans used it for proper names and words of Latin. But if the English adopted their idea, and put similar words in Italic, they are not upon an equal footing with the former; the Roman and German being of a parallel position, but Italic of an oblique inclination: The mixture of types has been attributed to the fancy of some author, whose work abounded with proper names either of persons or places; and, in order that such words might be more readily seen in the text, which would save him the trouble of reading over the whole work when he had occasion to make out an Index of the names contained in the matter, the names would appear more conspicuous to the reader, by being in a different character. That such a contrivance may have afterwards been looked upon as an improvement; or the printer may have supported the same, to make more use of his Italic, seems not altogether improbable. absurd, cannot be doubled. The compositor is materially retarded, by moving from one case to another. It is too often made use of to mark emphatical sentences or words, but without any direct rule. It destroys in a great measure the beauty of printing, and often confuses the reader where it is improperly applied, who, pausing to consider why such words are more strongly noted, loses the context of the sentence, and has to revert back to regain the sense of his subject. Not only does Italic confuse the reader, but the bold face of the Roman suffers by being contrasted with the fine strokes of the Italic; that symmetry and proportion is destroyed, which it is so necessary and desirable to preserve, the former being a parallel, the latter an oblique position. Nor can we discover for what purpose it was at first introduced into the body of a work, in names of persons, places, dates, &c. unless that might have been thought an improvement, which the better judgment of the 18th century, much to its credit, considers otherwise. Were gentlemen informed of the inelegance occasioned by a mixture of Italics, they would dispense with it. Let it not be imagined, from what has been said, that we enter our protest against the necessity of Italic in every instance; its utility must be allowed in critical and satirical works, &c. where the sense requires a distinguishing mark on a particular word or subject: wo wish to be understood as not arguing against the use of Italic, but the abuse of it. Italic, if justly formed, discovers a particular delicacy, and requires considerable mathematical nicety in the letter-cutter to keep the slopings within the degree requisite for each body. But this is not always attended to, as a want of uniformity is too often observed in two lower-case letters of a particular sort coming together, which require an hair space between them to prevent their riding, and occasions an unpleasant gap. BLACK LETTER. This letter, which is used in England, descended from the Gothic characters: it is called Gothic, by some; and Old English, by others; but Printers term it Black Letter, on account of its taking a larger compass than either Roman or Italic, the full and spreading strokes thereof appearing more black upon paper. On the introduction of the Roman character, its use began to decline, and it was seldom used except in Law works, particularly Statute Law; it was at length expelled from these, and only made its appearance in the heads of Statutes, &c. According to the predictions of all our predecessors, it was reasonable to conclude that it would, ere this, have been banished from every office, and consigned to rest in Oblivion's tomb, with its parent the Gothic, which, in the primitive time of printing, was the established character, and prevailed against the Latin; which had been first introduced in Spain, by Alphonsus VI. 1080, when that Prince put an end to writing in Gothic characters throughout his dominions. This opinion might have been fulfilled, had not our founders produced the above modern Black; which so captivated the printers, that it immediately became in general use, being cast in all the various sizes, both Full-faced and Open. Upon the gradual improvement of metal types, our Founders (emulating each other) in addition to their plain two-line letters, commenced cutting open letters of almost every size: yet here their exertions did not end, they have now taken [nearly] the whole range of Fancy, in bringing forward ornamented letters of every size and description, together with a new character, which they term Egyptian: this latter is all the rage at present, particularly in placards, jobs, &c. THE DIFFERENT SIZES OF PRINTING LETTERS. THE several bodies to which printing letters are cast in England, are nineteen in number, viz. 1. Diamond. 2. Pearl. 3. Nonpareil. 4. Minion. 5. Brevier. 6. Burgeois. 7. Long Primer. 8. Small Pica. 9. Pica. 10. English. 11. Primer. 12. Great Primer. 15. Two-lines Pica. 16. Two-lines English. 17. Two-lines Great Primer. REGULAR-BODIED LETTER. THE class of regular-bodied letter takes in, viz. Great Primer, English, Pica, Long Primer, Brevier, Nonpareil, and Pearl: but to those which go before them, viz. French Canon, Two-lines Double Pica, Two-lines Great Primer, Two-lines English, Twolines Pica, and Double Pica, we will give the name of Title-letters; considering that the first three sorts are used in titles of books, and in jobs, only, to make emphatical words or lines appear more conspicuous. And as to the three other sizes, they are mostly used in heads, and for jobs; though they, and even Twolines Great Primer, sometimes serve for short Dedications, or Prefaces, to works of a large size. Among the Title-letters, Two-lines Pica being looked upon as a letter of no general use, and very apt to be mixed with Double Pica, but few printers are fond of it; especially as they find that the difference between Two-lines Pica and Double Pica, as well in face, as body, is but inconsiderable; and that of the two, the latter is fittest for poems, prefaces, and other introductory parts of a work. That Double Pica is not the right name for that letter, no printer will disown, because its depth an BLACK LETTER. This letter, which is used in England, descended from the Gothic characters: it is called Gothic, by some; and Old English, by others; but Printers term it Black Letter, on account of its taking a larger compass than either Roman or Italic, the full and spreading strokes thereof appearing more black upon paper. On the introduction of the Roman character, its use began to decline, and it was seldom used except in Law works, particularly Statute Law; it was at length expelled from these, and only made its appearance in the heads of Statutes, &c. According to the predictions of all our predecessors, it was reasonable to conclude that it would, ere this, have been banished from every office, and consigned to rest in Oblivion's tomb, with its parent the Gothic, which, in the primitive time of printing, was the established character, and prevailed against the Latin; which had been first introduced in Spain, by Alphonsus VI. 1080, when that Prince put an end to writing in Gothic characters throughout his dominions. This opinion might have been fulfilled, had not our founders produced the above modern Black; which so captivated the printers, that it immediately became in general use, being cast in all the various sizes, both Full-faced and Open. Upon the gradual improvement of metal types, our Founders (emulating each other) in addition to their plain two-line letters, commenced cutting open letters of almost every size: yet here their exertions did not end, they have now taken [nearly] the whole range of Fancy, in bringing forward ornamented letters of every size and description, together with a new character, which they term Egyptian: this latter is all the rage at present, particularly in placards, jobs, &c. |