Page:Historic printing types, a lecture read before the Grolier club of New York, January 25, 1885, with additions and new illustrations; by De Vinne, Theodore Low, 1828-1914; Grolier Club.djvu/35

 V French Type-founders of the xvith and xvnth Centuries. HE brief popularity which Italic had as a text letter seems to have provoked the founders of Lyons to emulation. One of the number, Nicholas Gran j on, made himself famous in all Founder, printing houses by the novelty of his designs and the tome n, p. 265. merit of his punch-cutting. The "Cursive Francois," or "Civilite," as it was then called, of which an illustration is given on the next page, was made by him in 1556, in imitation of the polite style of penmanship then in fashion. Many books were printed entirely in this almost un- readable letter. Despite its obscurity we have to admire the dash and swing of the capital letters. Plantin, of Ant- werp, printed many books in this style of type with initials of wonderful eccentricity. The quaintness of this style induced a publisher of Paris, a few years ago, to have the matrices of this type hunted out of some cellar of Lyons where they had lain disused for nearly two hundred years, and to have a font recast, which he now uses as a fit letter for prefaces. I have a little font of this casting, from which this illustration is taken. 31