Seeing that for some time many persons have had to do with the art printing who have greatly lowered it ... the desire came upon me to try if I might imitate, after some fashion, some one among those who honourably busied themselves with the art, whose deaths I hear regretted every day mentions some eminent printers of the previous century ... and inasmuch as I could not accomplish this design for lack of types which I needed ... typefounders would not, and others could not furnish me with what I lacked I resolved, about six years ago, to turn my hand in good earnest to the making of punches, matrices and moulds for all sorts of characters, for the accommodation both of the public and of myself.