Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/245

 ajzd Sentiments. 225 on the cardboard intended to receive the impreffion, was bruflied over with ink or colour, which paffed through the cut out hues, and imparted the figure to the material beneath. A further improvement was made by cutting the figures on blocks of wood, and literally printing them on the cards. Thefe card-blocks are fuppofed to have given the firfl:Jdea of wood-engraving. When people faw the efiefts of cutting the figures of the cards upon blocks, they began to cut figures of iaints on blocks in the fame manner, and then applied the method to other fubjeds, cutting in like manner the few words of neceflary explanation. This praftice further expanded itfelf into what are called block-books, confifting of pi6lorial fubjeds, with copious explanatory text. Some one at length hit upon the idea of cutting the pages of a regular book on fo many blocks of wood, and taking imprefiions on paper or vellum, inftead of writing the manufcript ; and this plan was foon further improved by cutting letters or words on feparate pieces of wood, and fetting them up together to form pages. The wood was fubfequently fuperfeded by metal. And thus originated the noble art of PraNXiNG.