SERVIEN.
“The alphabets of the nations descended from the Scythians
established in Europe, namely, the Servien, the Russian, the
Sclavonian, and the Bulgarian, are all derived from the Greek. The
Servien letters are called the Cyrillitan characters, from St Cyril,
who converted the Moravians to Christianity; smaller characters were
afterwards introduced, called Glogolitici. The Russian letters are
immediately derived from those used by St. Cyril.”--_Astle._
SET AT RANDOM.
When compositors cannot make up their matter into pages as they
compose it, either by reason of their working in companionship, or
from other causes, they put it in galleys till they can make up; this
is termed _Setting at Random_. When a compositor is obliged to set a
great quantity at random, so that it becomes inconvenient, on account
of the number of galleys it occupies, and the room it takes up on
the cases, he ties it up in moderate-sized pieces and puts it on
page papers under his frame, with a bit of paper stuck in each with
a number, to mark the order; if it be a work in quarto or folio, too
large for page papers, he ties a cord round the matter in each galley
and keeps it on the slices of his slice galley under his frame, till
he makes up.
SET MATTER.
Matter that is composed, but not worked off, whether
it be made up into pages or at random, is called set matter, to
distinguish it from matter for distribution.
SET-OFF SHEETS.
Sheets of waste paper that are used upon the
tympan sheet, to prevent the ink setting-off on the sheets that
are successively printed when the reiteration is working; they are
changed as soon as any setting-off is perceptible. They are slipped
under the points at their edges, and are quickly changed, or turned,
which is always done to economize the use of paper.
Set-off Sheets are also used upon the cylinders of machines that
perfect, for the same purpose.
A sheet of thin paper is interleaved between every impression of
fine work, particularly if it be large heavy paper and large type,
to prevent setting-off in the heap; the work is hung up to dry with
these sheets in, which are taken out by the warehouseman before the
work is piled away, who then knocks them up, folds them in quires,
and takes care of them till they are wanted again by the Pressmen.
Paper for these purposes is supplied by the warehouseman, who gives
for the first waste or spoiled impressions; for the other tissue
paper is generally used, and with care it will last a long time.
SET OUT PAPER.
Counting out the proper quantity by the warehouseman,
to wet--_M._ We now term it _Giving out Paper_, which _see_.
SETS CLEAN. _See_ CLEAN PROOF.
SETS CLOSE. _See_ GET IN.--_M._ The phrase is now used for close
spacing.
SETS FOUL. _See_ FOUL PROOF.--_M._
SETS OFF.
Work that is newly wrought off at the press often sets off,
especially if it be fat beaten with soft ink: for when it comes to
be beaten, or sometimes only hard pressed, by the Bookbinder, the
moist ink spreads and delates itself round about the face of every
letter, and sullies and stains the whole white paper.--_M._ We do not
now include this spreading and delating of the ink in the meaning of
setting off, but use the term only when one printed sheet parts with
some of its ink to the sheet on which it is laid, or in the press,
or in the process of binding, which it will do with large letter,
which requires much ink, or when a book is pressed, or bound, before
the ink is sufficiently dry: the Bookbinder’s hammer is a severe
test; and where a book is required to be bound as soon as printed,
the best plan, perhaps, is to have it cold pressed, which flattens
the impression of the types, and renders it unnecessary to beat so
much as when this mode of proceeding is not adopted. In printing fine
work at press set-off sheets are used to prevent one sheet defacing
another.--_See_ SET-OFF SHEETS.
SET THE ROUNCE.
Fixing the girts so that the Rounce stand in the most advantageous
position to run the carriage in easily.--_M._
SETS UP TO HIMSELF.
When a compositor has received the making-up from a companion, and
has composed the intermediate matter, he has set up to himself; that
is, he has composed the matter that followed his companion’s last
page and preceded the part he commenced with, and has joined the two
parts, so as to enable him to make up. _See_ JOIN, and MAKING-UP, TO
GIVE THE.
SETS WIDE. _See_ DRIVE OUT.--_M._ We now use the term for wide
spacing.
SET UP CLOSE.
When two or more companions are on the same piece of work, and
when any one of them composes all his copy, so that there is none
intermediate between the close of his and the beginning of the
companion’s that follows him, it is said, he has set up close, or, he
has set close up.
SEVENTY-TWOMO.
A sheet of paper folded into seventy-two leaves or one
hundred and forty-four pages is termed seventy-twos or seventy-twomo.
SHANK.
The square metal the face of a letter stands on, is called the
_Shank of a Letter_.--_M._
SHARP IMPRESSION.
This expression is used two ways by printers: some
say it is a sharp impression when much blanket is used, and the
impression of the types on the paper is deep: others hold, and I am
of the opinion, that it is a sharp impression when no more than the
face of the types appears on the paper, with the lines clear and
smooth, and of a full colour, with as little indention as possible on
the paper. Pressmen and their employers should know in which sense
they each use the term, otherwise it may cause a serious mistake in
work, as the two meanings embrace the best as well as the commonest
work.
SHEARS.
Something similar to those used by tailors; they are employed
to cut brass rule, scaleboard, thin reglet, &c. to proper lengths.
The shears best adapted to this purpose have blades short in
proportion to their handles.
SHEEP’S FOOT.
Is all made of iron, with an hammer head at one end,
to drive the ball nails into the ball stocks, and a claw at the
other end, to draw the ball nails out of the ball stocks.--_M._ It
is customary to have one for each press, which in a wooden press is
suspended by the head from two nails driven into the near cheek of
the press, just below the cap. It is a very useful article to the
pressman; but is often applied instead of the mallet and shooting
stick, to tighten or to loosen quoins, though it occasionally makes
a batter by slipping; I do not like to see it used for this purpose.
SHEKESTEH. _See_ PERSIAN.
SHELF. _See_ TILL.
SHERWIN AND COPE’S PRESS.
[Illustration: Line drawing of the Imperial Press]
The _Imperial Press_. Dr. Lardner thus describes this press:--In
this beautiful and compact machine, the works upon which the power
depends are almost wholly concealed within the head of the press, and
are in themselves extremely few and simple. The leverage connected
with the bar is similar in principle to that of the Stanhope press;
and the distinguishing peculiarity of this press consists in the
manner in which the lever, called the chill, is made to act upon the
piston, as represented in the engraving of the working parts. The
stout cast-iron lever or chill terminates in a sort of polished toe
or point. This last-mentioned projection of the lever is made to act
on a cup or knuckle acting upon the head of a stout iron bolt, which
simply drops down a perforation of the piston, so as to rest upon the
uppermost of two steel wedges, one of which, by its connexion with
a screw in the front, admits of being pushed forward or drawn back,
so as to elevate or lower the bolt, and thus regulate, by altering
the length of the piston, the bearing of the platen upon the types.
The head-bolt passes through a hole perforated somewhat obliquely;
by which ingenious contrivance, a side twist, which would otherwise
be occasioned by the motion of the head gear is avoided. It will now
easily be perceived how, by the operation of the bar, the toe is
made to act upon the inside bolt, and thus force down the piston,
which, after the impression has been taken, is carried back again,
by means of two stout steel springs attached to the insides of the
cheeks of the press, and thus on the return of the bar lift the
platen from the face of the types and allow the carriage with the
form to be run out. These springs, operating uniformly, cause the
action of the piston to be very smooth. The Imperial press, is, I
believe, in high estimation for easiness in the pull, which gives it
speed in working, and for evenness of impression.
On the first introduction of this press the toe of the lever or chill
worked on a flat surface on the top of the bolt; the introduction of
the cup or knuckle is a subsequent improvement.
They are made of different sizes, from foolscap folio to double royal.
[Illustration: Figure showing the Works which produce the Power.]
SHOE.
An old shoe with the hind quarter cut away, hung upon a nail through
the heel at the end of the imposing stone, into which to put bad
letters when correcting. When full, the person who has the care of
the materials empties it into the old metal box.
SHOOTING STICK.
Is a perfect wedge about six inches long, and its thicker end two
inches broad, and an inch and an half thick; and its thin end about
an inch and an half broad, and half an inch thick; made of box
wood.--_M._ They are not now made so thick.
The use of a shooting stick is to drive the quoins with a mallet,
both in locking-up and unlocking a form; they are 8½ inches long.
[Illustration: A wooden Shooting Stick]
As the thin end of a wooden shooting stick always wears down rapidly,
or splits, some houses have adopted metal ones, made of brass, well
secured in a strong wooden handle, with a square piece cut out of
the end, leaving one side a little longer than the other, with a
more acute angle; these are very useful where the quoining room is
small, and the quoins are of course thin.
SHORT CROSS.
_See_ CHASE.--_M._ The shortest and also the broadest bar that
divides a chase into quarters; there is a groove in the upper side
of it to admit the spurs of the points to be pressed into it without
injuring their points. This cross is dovetailed in the middle of the
sides of the chase, for folios, quartos, and octavos, without the
long cross for folios; there is another dovetail in the rim of the
chase, leaving about two thirds of the chase on one side of the short
cross and one third on the other; the cross is fitted into these
dovetails for twelves, and separates the offcut from the other part
of the sheet. I would always place the short cross in the middle
of the chase for eighteens, where the margin will admit it, as it
divides the pages more equally, and makes the form safer when locked
up; in this case the cross occupies the place of a gutter instead of
a back.
SHORT PAGE.
A page that is not full of matter; as the end of a chapter, a book,
or a volume. Though it is termed a short page, yet the term only
applies to what appears when printed, for in reality the page is, or
ought to be, made up to the exact length of the other pages in the
sheet, the blank part being filled up with furniture. I would always
put a lead at the least after the last line of the matter, and next
to that a piece of thick reglet cut to the measure, to prevent any
letters dropping down, and a line of quotations, or large quadrats,
at the bottom, which will keep the other pages in register; the
vacancy between these may then be filled up with furniture to make
the page of a proper length, and if they be not so long as the
exact width of the page it will not be material; but if it be made
up entirely with furniture, the adjoining pages will be twisted and
out of register, when the form is locked up, for it is not possible
to cut the pieces so accurate to the width as a line of quadrats, for
the gutter to rest against. If the page be very short, it will be
better to have an additional line of quadrats or quotations in the
middle.
SHORT PULL.
When the pull is so justified, that a sufficient pressure is produced
when the bar is brought about half way over, or a little more; this
pull is adopted in small light forms, where despatch is required.
SHORT RIBS. _See_ CRAMP IRONS.
SHUFFLING.
This is a term used in the Warehouse; and is part of the process
of Knocking-up, when the paper is laid in heaps, after having been
taken down from the poles, to make it lie even at the edges. It is
performed by taking hold of a few quires of the paper loosely at the
sides, and holding the far side a little lower than that next the
body, upon the table, when, shaking both hands, it gradually projects
the lower sheets; then lifting it up and bending it a little, it is
let drop on its edge upon the table; by repeating this process two or
three times, the parcel becomes even at the edges, and is in a fit
state to be piled away. It is a process in which expertness can only
be acquired by practice, and observation.
SIDE NOTES. _See_ MARGINAL NOTES.
SIDE STICK.
The same as foot stick, except that they are placed against the side
of the page, as their name signifies. _See_ FOOT STICK.
SIGLA.
By this term are meant, notes, breviatures, letters set for words,
characters, short hand.
We find sigla in the most ancient MSS.: some specimens of such as
were used in the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries, are here
given. Some of these sigla were made by the Antiquarians who wrote
the book, and others afterwards for the illustration of the text The
annexed sigla may be explained thus:--
[Illustration: The twelve sigla]
1. H. S. _i. e._ Hic suppleas, or hæc supplenda.
2. H. D. _i. e._ Hic deficit, or hæc deficiunt.
3. Paragraphus, a note of division.
4. Diple, to mark out a quotation from the Old Testament.
5. Crisimon, being composed of X and P, which stands for Christ.
6. Hederacei folii Figura, an ivy leaf, the ancient mark of division.
7. Ancora superior. To denote a very remarkable passage.
8. Denotes, the beginning of a lesson.
9. Signifies good.
10. Stands for something very kind, or benevolent.
11. Points out a fine or admirable passage.
12. L. D. _lepide dictum_. Finely said.
Many writers have employed their pens in elucidating the sigla
on coins and medals; among others, Octavius de Strada _in Aurea
Numismata_, &c. where we read C. CÆSAR. DIVI. F. IMP. COS. III. VIR
R. P. C. that is, _Caii Cæsaris Divi filius imperator consul Triumvir
reipublicæ constituendæ_. A number of similar examples may be found
in the same author, and in _Æneas Vicus Parmensis de Augustarum
imaginibus_.
As to epitaphs or sepulchral inscriptions, it was common to begin
them with these literary signs, D. M. S. signifying _Diis Manibus
Sacrum_, and, as still is customary with us, on such occasions, the
glorious actions, praises, origin, age, and rank of the deceased,
with the time of his death, were set forth.
It is a fact too well known to require any particular elucidation,
that it was customary with the ancients to burn the bodies of the
dead, and to deposit the remains in urns or vessels, as appears from
the funeral obsequies of Patroclus and Achilles in Homer.
Altars erected to the Supreme Being are of the highest antiquity, but
by the ambition and corruption of mankind were afterwards prostituted
to flatter both the living and the dead. Inscriptions, or literary
signs, frequently appeared on those altars; as Ar. Don. D. that is,
_Aram dono dedit_, and such like.
Public Statues were erected to Kings, Emperors, and others, both
before and after their death, on which the names of the dedicators
were frequently inscribed in literary signs. As in this inscription,
Civ. Interamnanæ Civ. Utriusque Sex. Aer. Coll. Post Ob. H. P. D.
that is, _Cives Interamnanæ civitatis utriusque sexus ære collato
post obitum hujus patronæ dedicarunt_.
The Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans used forms of saluting or
complimentary expressions at the beginning of their letters, and then
proceeded to the subject of the letters themselves.
The Latin method was to place the name of the writer first,
afterwards that of the person to whom the letter was addressed. The
names were either put simply without any epithet in literary signs,
as C. ATT. S. that is _Cicero Attico Salutem_; or the dignity or
rank of the person was added, as, C. S. D. Planc. Imp. Cos. Des. that
is, _Cicero Salutem dicit Planco Imperatori Consuli designato_. The
epistolary writings of the Romans abound with examples of this kind.
The Military Sigla amongst the Romans are treated of by Vegetius and
Frontinus.
See John Nicholaus, who hath written professedly upon the Sigla of
the Ancients;--J. Nicolai Tractatus de Siglis Veterum. Lugd. Bat.
1703, 4to.
A competent knowledge of these literary signs, or verbal contractions
used by the ancients, is of the utmost importance to those who wish
to be familiarly acquainted with ancient history. These Sigla or
Signs frequently appear on marbles, coins, and medals, and occur in
those inestimable volumes of antiquity, which have transmitted to us
the most important truths relative to the religion, manners, customs,
arts and sciences, of ancient nations. These are keys, as it were,
to unlock the most precious volumes of antiquity; they introduce us
to a more speedy acquaintance with all the various works of ancient
artists and writers. The instruction to be derived from this branch
of polite learning is of itself a sufficient spur to stimulate
attention and industry; but its utility, which is no less obvious, is
an additional incentive to augment our application and desires, when
we consider, that there are no ancient documents, either on metals,
marbles, precious stones, bark, parchment, paper, or other materials,
which do not abound with these literary contractions, and that it
will be very difficult to understand them without this necessary
knowledge.--_Astle._ _See_ RECORDS.
SIGNATURE.
A letter of the alphabet placed at the bottom of the first page of
each sheet of a work, to denote, alphabetically, the order of the
sheets.
It is customary to commence with B on the first sheet of the body
of the work, and to go regularly through the alphabet, with the
exception of the letters J, V, and W, which are never used as
signatures; and which had, in fact, no existence in the alphabet at
the time of the invention of printing; [J] expressing both I and J;
[U], both U and V; and [UU] the double letter W. If the work extend
to more sheets in number than there are letters in the alphabet,
the succeeding sheets go on with a second alphabet, which commences
with A, and both the letters are usually given, in this manner, A
A, or Aa, and sometimes, to avoid the repetition, thus, 2 A; if a
third alphabet be necessary it is always, at the present day, placed
with the number before it, as 3 A. The printer’s first alphabet
consists of twenty-two letters, and the second and succeeding ones of
twenty-three.
As a guide to the bookbinder there are other signatures used in a
sheet besides the first--in a sheet of octavo the first page has B,
the third has B 2, the fifth has B 3, and the seventh has B 4: in a
sheet of twelves they are carried to B 6; B 5 being the first page of
the offcut; and however numerous the pages may be in a sheet with one
signature, when they are all inserted, they are continued to the last
odd page before the middle of the sheet, but never carried beyond
the middle. In general they are all omitted except the two first, to
show the first fold of the paper, and the first on the offcut. Small
capitals are more frequently used for signatures than large capitals,
as disfiguring the foot of the page in a slighter manner.
Sometimes figures are used instead of letters, but not often; the
Gentleman’s Magazine is an instance.
TABLE OF SIGNATURES AND FIRST FOLIO OF EACH SHEET.
FOLIO.
Key to Column Headers--
No. = No. of Sheets
Sig. = Signature
Fol. = Folio
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
No. Sig. Fol.| No. Sig. Fol.| No. Sig. Fol.| No. Sig. Fol.
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
| 23 2 A 89 | 46 3 A 181 | 69 4 A 273
1 B 1 | 24 B 93 | 47 B 185 | 70 B 277
2 C 5 | 25 C 97 | 48 C 189 | 71 C 281
3 D 9 | 26 D 101 | 49 D 193 | 72 D 285
4 E 13 | 27 E 105 | 50 E 197 | 73 E 289
5 F 17 | 28 F 109 | 51 F 201 | 74 F 293
6 G 21 | 29 G 113 | 52 G 205 | 75 G 297
7 H 25 | 30 H 117 | 53 H 209 | 76 H 301
8 I 29 | 31 I 121 | 54 I 213 | 77 I 305
9 K 33 | 32 K 125 | 55 K 217 | 78 K 309
10 L 37 | 33 L 129 | 56 L 221 | 79 L 313
11 M 41 | 34 M 133 | 57 M 225 | 80 M 317
12 N 45 | 35 N 137 | 58 N 229 | 81 N 321
13 O 49 | 36 O 141 | 59 O 233 | 82 O 325
14 P 53 | 37 P 145 | 60 P 237 | 83 P 329
15 Q 57 | 38 Q 149 | 61 Q 241 | 84 Q 333
16 R 61 | 39 R 153 | 62 R 245 | 85 R 337
17 S 65 | 40 S 157 | 63 S 249 | 86 S 341
18 T 69 | 41 T 161 | 64 T 253 | 87 T 345
19 U 73 | 42 U 165 | 65 U 257 | 88 U 349
20 X 77 | 43 X 169 | 66 X 261 | 89 X 353
21 Y 81 | 44 Y 173 | 67 Y 265 | 90 Y 357
22 Z 85 | 45 Z 177 | 68 Z 269 | 91 Z 361
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
92 5 A 365 | 115 6 A 457 | 138 7 A 549 | 161 8 A 641
93 B 369 | 116 B 461 | 139 B 553 | 162 B 645
94 C 373 | 117 C 465 | 140 C 557 | 163 C 649
95 D 377 | 118 D 469 | 141 D 561 | 164 D 653
96 E 381 | 119 E 473 | 142 E 565 | 165 E 657
97 F 385 | 120 F 477 | 143 F 569 | 166 F 661
98 G 389 | 121 G 481 | 144 G 573 | 167 G 665
99 H 393 | 122 H 485 | 145 H 577 | 168 H 669
100 I 397 | 123 I 489 | 146 I 581 | 169 I 673
101 K 401 | 124 K 493 | 147 K 585 | 170 K 677
102 L 405 | 125 L 497 | 148 L 589 | 171 L 681
103 M 409 | 126 M 501 | 149 M 593 | 172 M 685
104 N 413 | 127 N 505 | 150 N 597 | 173 N 689
105 O 417 | 128 O 509 | 151 O 601 | 174 O 693
106 P 421 | 129 P 513 | 152 P 605 | 175 P 697
107 Q 425 | 130 Q 517 | 153 Q 609 | 176 Q 701
108 R 429 | 131 R 521 | 154 R 613 | 177 R 705
109 S 433 | 132 S 525 | 155 S 617 | 178 S 709
110 T 437 | 133 T 529 | 156 T 621 | 179 T 713
111 U 441 | 134 U 533 | 157 U 625 | 180 U 717
112 X 445 | 135 X 537 | 158 X 629 | 181 X 721
113 Y 449 | 136 Y 541 | 159 Y 633 | 182 Y 725
114 Z 453 | 137 Z 545 | 160 Z 637 | 183 Z 729
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
184 9 A 733 | 207 10 A 825 | 230 11 A 917 | 253 12 A 1009
185 B 737 | 208 B 829 | 231 B 921 | 254 B 1013
186 C 741 | 209 C 833 | 232 C 925 | 255 C 1017
187 D 745 | 210 D 837 | 233 D 929 | 256 D 1021
188 E 749 | 211 E 841 | 234 E 933 | 257 E 1025
189 F 753 | 212 F 845 | 235 F 937 | 258 F 1029
190 G 757 | 213 G 849 | 236 G 941 | 259 G 1033
191 H 761 | 214 H 853 | 237 H 945 | 260 H 1037
192 I 765 | 215 I 857 | 238 I 949 | 261 I 1041
193 K 769 | 216 K 861 | 239 K 953 | 262 K 1045
194 L 773 | 217 L 865 | 240 L 957 | 263 L 1049
195 M 777 | 218 M 869 | 241 M 961 | 264 M 1053
196 N 781 | 219 N 873 | 242 N 965 | 265 N 1057
197 O 785 | 220 O 877 | 243 O 969 | 266 O 1061
198 P 789 | 221 P 881 | 244 P 973 | 267 P 1065
199 Q 793 | 222 Q 885 | 245 Q 977 | 268 Q 1069
200 R 797 | 223 R 889 | 246 R 981 | 269 R 1073
201 S 801 | 224 S 893 | 247 S 985 | 270 S 1077
202 T 805 | 225 T 897 | 248 T 989 | 271 T 1081
203 U 809 | 226 U 901 | 249 U 993 | 272 U 1085
204 X 813 | 227 X 905 | 250 X 997 | 273 X 1089
205 Y 817 | 228 Y 909 | 251 Y 1001 | 274 Y 1093
206 Z 821 | 229 Z 913 | 252 Z 1005 | 275 Z 1097
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------
276 13 A 1101 | 299 14 A 1193 | 322 15 A 1285 | 345 16 A 1377
277 B 1105 | 300 B 1197 | 323 B 1289 | 346 B 1381
278 C 1109 | 301 C 1201 | 324 C 1293 | 347 C 1385
279 D 1113 | 302 D 1205 | 325 D 1297 | 348 D 1389
280 E 1117 | 303 E 1209 | 326 E 1301 | 349 E 1393
281 F 1121 | 304 F 1213 | 327 F 1305 | 350 F 1397
282 G 1125 | 305 G 1217 | 328 G 1309 | 351 G 1401
283 H 1129 | 306 H 1221 | 329 H 1313 | 352 H 1405
284 I 1133 | 307 I 1225 | 330 I 1317 | 353 I 1409
285 K 1137 | 308 K 1229 | 331 K 1321 | 354 K 1413
286 L 1141 | 309 L 1233 | 332 L 1325 | 355 L 1417
287 M 1145 | 310 M 1237 | 333 M 1329 | 356 M 1421
288 N 1149 | 311 N 1241 | 334 N 1333 | 357 N 1425
289 O 1153 | 312 O 1245 | 335 O 1337 | 358 O 1429
290 P 1157 | 313 P 1249 | 336 P 1341 | 359 P 1433
291 Q 1161 | 314 Q 1253 | 337 Q 1345 | 360 Q 1437
292 R 1165 | 315 R 1257 | 338 R 1349 | 361 R 1441
293 S 1169 | 316 S 1261 | 339 S 1353 | 362 S 1445
294 T 1173 | 317 T 1265 | 340 T 1357 | 363 T 1449
295 U 1177 | 318 U 1269 | 341 U 1361 | 364 U 1453
296 X 1181 | 319 X 1273 | 342 X 1365 | 365 X 1457
297 Y 1185 | 320 Y 1277 | 343 Y 1369 | 366 Y 1461
298 Z 1189 | 321 Z 1281 | 344 Z 1373 | 367 Z 1465
------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-----------------