Penman's Art Journal (Volume 2) - Iampeth

G. II. »«HATTUCK,
, BLAKEMAN & TAYLOR. >
ft« ^i^> 4^f
Fublislied TMontHly, at SOS Broad-way, fox- SI .OO per Year,
,iid ProprleioFi NEW YORK, MAY, 1878. VOL. II. NO. 2.
[.iKORGE STOIFSON. Jr.,
EXPERT AND PENMAN,
205 Broadway, New Yorl
dusine88 college,
buookl'yn, e. d.
ARTIST-PENMAN and PUBLISHER,
POTTER, AINWWORTH &: CO
. APPI-ETON A: (
Eminent Penmen of Olden Times.
lu the Miiich number of the Journal, I
gftve some account of one of the works of
Edward Cocker (inadvertently printed
Peter Cocker), his quaint instructions, and
other matters mostly compiled from that
bonk. Further investigations developed, I
thought, sufficient material for another art-
icle in regard to this remarkable man. I
trust I shall have the indulgence of your
readers in giving some further details of
5 COOKER.
This ingenious and very industrious gentleman
was not only celebrated for his
skill aa a penman and engraver, but also
for his mathematical knowledge; besides,
he was something of a poet. Whether his
ability as a penman and engraver, or his
knowledge of figures gave him the greater
celebrity I am not able to determine.
His book called " England's Penman ;
or, Cocker's New Copy Book," containing
b11 the curious hands practised in England
and surrounding nations, never the like
published, as the impartial and judicious
may determine," issaidtohave given riae
to the old saying current in England,
"According to Cocker."
Lownde'a Bibliographer's Manual says
Cocker is desei-vedly reckoned among the
improvers of writing and arithmetic. Upwards
of sixty editions of hi.s arithmetic
were published ; the fourth in 1682 ; the
(ifty-second in 1748, showing it mast have
been a work of great merit, otherwise it
it could not for so long a period have held
its place in pubUc esteem. A copy of the
first edition sold in 1854, for eight pound3,
five shillings (about $10).
He does not seem to have derived his
inspiration from the zeal or enthusiasm of
any special instructor, judging from the
following from Ins book, entitled
FAm wRrriNo's stork house.
"/*ir wTltlug to the life eiprcrt.
lundry c,
By^
Massey says of him, " Ho waa certainly
a great encoorager of various kinda of
earning ; an indefatigable performer both
with the pen and bruin, an ingenious artist
in figures, and no contemptible proficient
in the poetry he attempted to write."
His writing, I allow, is far inferior to
what we have from the hands of some of
our late masters ; and there is not that
freedom and liveliness in his pencilled
knots and flourishes that there is in pieces
done by a bold command of hand. But
let us consider the time in which he lived,
and what little imi)rovement then had
been made in the modern way of penman-
ship, and we may justly make allowance for
the many defects that now appear in his
books, and say with the poet,"
' Lottbo Impar aljudf
Weigh well
Knight says, in hia life of 'Williom
Caxton, the first EugUsh printer, " The
wealthier classes desired a species of embellishment
more costly than wood-cuts,
though in many cases not superior; copper-
plate prints began to be introduced into
printed works. Impressions of these prints
were obtoined by a process totally difler-
ent from the typographical art, so that
they constituted illi every respect an addi-
tional expense in the produtition of a book.'
Sir John Harrington's translation of ' Orlando
Furioso," waa the first work in
which copper plates were used. This waa
printed in 1690."
This statement may be true so far as
relates to the ordinary printed book with
illustrations scattered through it, but
Cocker more than thirty years prior to
1 thj 1
I liluh, thj
that date had published ^ his works on
writing, in which the first and last pagea
were letter-press, with the copper platei
they described inserted in the middle of
the booL This being true, it is not impro-
bable that to Coetter belongs the farther
credit of combining the work of the print-
ing with that of the rolling press.
Under various titles he published about
twenty different works, mostly on the subject
of penmanship; Boine he engraved on
copper, others on brass, and one, "Tiie
Pen's Perfection," was^ngraved on silver
plates.
Whether on account of any real or fancied
sui)eriority in the metal for engrav-
ing, or to raise pubUc curiosity, and thus
increase its sale, does not appear.
Cocker was blamed by his cotempora-
ries for writing, engraving, and printing
too much, thereby debasing the art, and
bringing it into contempt ; but it is more
than probable that for the hundred of cop-
ies he produced from the rolling press of
hia time, thousands, if not millions, are
printed on the hthographic presses of to-
'
His first work from the rolling press
was published in London, in 1657, Then
he was 26 years old, which gives the date
of his birth as 1G31, and, as all his books
were published in London, it is probable
he was a native of the city or near vicinity.
A list of his books, with their lengthy
quaint titles in full, would no doubt be
very interesting to many, butspace forbids
anything more than their names in the
most abbreviated form, which I have taken
from the very valuable Cat-alogne of Works
on Penmanship, Ancient and Modern,
compiled by Prof. A. S. Manson, of Bos-
ton.
1. Youths' Directione to Write Without
a Teacher. London, 1G52.
2. Plumae Triumphus, (on some edi-
tions, The Pen's Triumph), 1657.
(Said to be his first work from the roll-
ing press.)
3. Pen's Tranacendfcucie ; or, Fair Writ-
ing's Labyrinth, 1657.
(On the edition of 1660, ^air Writings
Store House.)
4. Art's Glory, or Penman's Treasury,
1659.
(A photo-engraving of the title-page of
,his book appeared in the March number
of the Journal.)
6. Penna Volens, or Young Men's Ac-
complishment, 1661.
6. England'^ Penman, or Cocker's New
Copy Book, 1668.
7. Magnum in Parvo, or the Pen's Per-
fection, 1672.
8. The Guide to Penmanship, 1674.
.elencel how glorl
9. The Young Clerk's Tutor, 1674.
10. The Complete Writing Master, 1676.
11. The London Writing Master, or
Scholar's Guide, 1678.
As near as can be ascertained Cocker
died in 1677, and it is probable that this
was a posthumous work in course of pre-
partion at the time of his death.
A large number of hia works were without
the date of publication, and as several
are given with dates subsequent to his
death, I presume they were reprints
or later editions of his books, and the
date gives the date of reprint and not the
date of the original publication.
12. Morals or the Muses' Spring Gar-
den, 1694.
13. England's Perfect School Master
for Spelhng,
1699.
Writing, and Arithmetic,
The following are without date
ter.
—
14. Multum in Parvo, or the Pen's Gal-
16. The Young Lawyer's Writing-Mas-
16. The Pen's Facility.
17. The Country Schoel Master.
18. Introduction to Writing.
Massey mentions having seen the title
of another work by Cocker, entitled
(19.) The Pen's Experience.
Certainly, with this array before them
modern authors need not lack names for
their productions. At this distant day it
is no easy task to discover whether these
works were wholly independent of each
other, or whether the change of names did
not in some respects correfcpond to the
modern terms " Kevised " " Newly Revised
" " Revised Edition Improved,"
&c.
As Cocker's death occurred iu 1677, in
the 46th year of his age, it will readily be
seen that with great talents he also exhi-
bited great industry, which perhaps is only
another name for genius.
A very curious quadruple acrostic is inserted
on the last page of one of his books,
signed H. P.. which for the singular rarity
of it, I transcribe on this page as a moat
fitting accompaniment of this aiticle.
Written Copies.
As every successful teacher of penman-
ship nap 'jopies from which his pupils
practice, would it not be a subject well
worth the discussion of some of our
teachers, as to whether engraved or well
written copies should be used?
There is an advantage which written
copies have over tliose engraved, for iu-
stuuce : when the student sits down to*
copy of real penicork, fresh from the pen,
remembering the old adage, "Whatman
had done man can do," he will have some
hopes of success. But, you place engraved
copies before the student, which
are so perfectly exact that he will doubt
whether man could ever produce such
correct forms with the pen, and in trying
to imitate them he commences a task which
he does not hope to accomplish, and soon
gives up.
I notice in the last issue of the Journal
a communication on "business writing,"
in which the writer says : " I think that
with many of us our 'exact' writing as
shown in our copj-Iines, &c., interferes
greatly with the students progress, so far
at least as rapidity goes,"
It is impossible for pupils to learn to use
the muscular movement when their copies
are engraved or written with the finger
movement.
A free movement is essential in engraving
a good handwriting, but is it not also
essential that the copies from which your
pupils practice be written in the same free
that they are expected to use?
A. W. R.
Specimen Copies.
We have printed a large number of ex-
tra copies of the present numl)er of the
Journal, to be used as specimen copies.
To persons who are endeavoring to secure
clubs, or have acquaintances who would
probably be interested, we wiD mail eitra
copies on application.