EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
733
tatioiis at the bar, and all papers laid upon the able. Mr. Almon was mucn encouraged and issisted in the prosecution of this work by per- lons of the first talents in both houses.
1774, Oct. Died, Sir James Hodges, knight, vho was many years a considerable bookseller [particularly in what were called Ckap Books) It the sign of the Looking-glass, on London mdge. He was also a member of the common
- ouncil for Bridge ward ; and was one of tEe
30urt of assistants of the stationers' company, ipril 15, 1757, he made his famous speech m
- he city senate, on moving the freedom of the
nty to Mr. Pitt, beginning with " History, the iej of knowledge ; and experience, the touch- itone of truth, hare convinced us that the M>untry owes the pieservaUon of its most excel- lent constitution to the frequent fears, jealousies, ind apprehensions of the people." Being a popular man, and of considerable abili^, he was elected in 1767 town clerk of the city of London; and was knighted in 1758, on pre- senting an address to king George II. In 1759, liaving been accused, by the friends of Mr. alderman Beckford, of partiality in the execu- tion of his office, in respect to some matters relative to the election of the lord mayor, he vindicated himself by an affidavit, which he thought it necessary to publish. He died at Bath.
1775, Jan. 8. Died, John Baskertille, a printer and letter-founder, at Birmingham, the beauty of whose editions have commanded and received universal admiration. " The typog^phy of Baskerville," remarks Dr. Dibdin, on the Classiet, " is eminently beautiful ; his letters are in genentl of a slender and delicate form, calcu- lated for an 8vo. oreven a4to., but not sufficiently bold to fill the space of an imperial folio, as is evident from a view of his great bible. He united, in a singularly happy manner, the ele- gance of Plantin with the clearness of the Elze- virs ; his 4to. and 12mo. Virgil, and small prayer book, or 12mo. Horace, of 1762, sufficiently con- firm the truth of this remark. He seems to have been extremely curious in the choice of his paper and ink. In his italic letter, whether capital or small, he stands unrivalled; such elegance, free- dom, and perfect symmetry being in vain to be looked for among the specimens of Aldus and Colinsus." John Baskerville was born at Wal- verley, in Worcestershire, in 1706. In the year 1726 he kept a writing school at Birmingham ; but in 1745 he engaged in the japanning busi- ness, and became possessed of considerable property. His inclination for letters induced him to turn his attention towards the press : he ^ent many years in the uncertain pursuit, sunk £600 before he could produce one letter to please, and some thousands before the shallow stream of profit began to flow. His speculations in printing appear to have yielded him more of honour than of profit. He obtained leave from the imiversity of Cambridge to print a bible in royal folio, and two editions of the common prayer; but that learned body appears to have had a stronger inclination for making their privi-
lege conducive to worldly gain, than for earning fame by the encouragement of printing. The oniversity exacted from Mr. Baskerville twenty pounds per thousand for the octavo, and twelve
Sounds ten shillings per thousand for the dno- ecimo editions of ithe prayer; and the station* ers' company, with similar liberality, took thirty- two pounds for their permission to print one edition of the psalms in metre, which was neces- sary to make uie prayer-book complete. Basker- ville certainly brought the art to a degree of per- fection till then unknown in this country. He trusted nothing to the manufacture of others. He was at once his own manufacturer of " ink, presses, chases, moulds for casting, and all the apparatus for printing ;" and, according to Mr. Derrick, he made his paper also. He carried on, at the same time, the japanning business to a great extent, in the most elegantly-designed and highly-finished manner. " He could weU design, but procured others to execute." "He was much of a humourist ; idle in the extreme ; but his invention was of the trueBirmingham model — active." "Taste accompanied him throu^ the different works of agriculture, architecture, and the fine arts." " His carriage, each pannel of which was a distinct picture, might be con- sidered the pattern-card of his trade ; and it was drawn by a beautiful pair of cream-coloured horses." It is evident, from a passage in the letter before-mentioned, that he was quite weary of printing. " The business of printing," says he, " whidi I am heartily tired of, and repent I ever attempted :" and he once made an offer, " on the condition of never attempting another tnie." Little or nothing was printed by him after the year 1765.
The means by which he gave effect to his work are excluded from the province of printing, in these days of improvement, by the triple in- congruities o{ fine as possible — qvickaa possible — cheap as possible. He had a constant succes- sion of hot plates of copper ready, between which, as soon as printed (aye, as they were dis- charge from the tympan) the sheets were in- serted; the wet was thus expelled, the ink set, and the trim glossy surface put on all simul- taneously. But in those times it was not neces- sary, in order to keep the bodies and souls of masters and men from uncoupling, to print, by one pair of men, three thousand five hundred sheets a-day, or have machines to do two thou- sand in an hour. John M'Creery, in his poem of the Preu, pays a handsome tribute to the me- mory of Mr. Baskerville in the following lines :
O Baskerville I the uudoiu wish was thine Utility with beauty to combine ; To bid tiie o'erweoiing tbintof fain sabsides Improrement all thy care and all thy |iride : When Birmingham, for riots and for inmei Shall meet the keen reproach of (tatnie times. Then shall she And amongst our bononred race. One name to save her frcmi entire disgrace.
He died without issue. His widow, in 1776, wholly declined the printing business, but con- tinued the letter-founding till 1777. "Many efforts were used after his death to dispose of the
