After the Restoration, printing at Oxford made still greater advances, chiefly through the instrumentality and munificence of Dr. John Fell.
This eminent scholar and theologian was born in the year 1625. He entered as a student of Christ Church at the age of eleven, and in 1643 bore arms in the civil wars for the king in the garrison of Oxford. At the Restoration he received ecclesiastical promotion, and in 1666 became Vice-Chancellor of the University.[260] In this capacity he exerted himself strenuously to continue the work begun by Laud for the advancement of learning and encouragement of printing at the University;[261] and about 1667 presented a complete typefoundry, consisting of the punches and matrices of twenty founts of Roman, Italic, Orientals, Saxons, Black and other letter, besides moulds and all the apparatus and utensils necessary for a complete printing office.
[Illustration: 34, 35, _Hebrew._; 36, _Coptic._; 37, _Arabic._; 38, _Syriac._
34 to 38. Oriental Founts presented to the Oxford Press by Dr. Fell in 1667. (From the original matrices.)]
The extent of this noble gift, the importance of which can only be estimated { 148} by recalling the low condition of letter-founding in England at the time, will best appear by the following Inventory, published by the University in 1695:
_An Account of the Matrices, Puncheons, etc., given by Bishop Fell to the University of Oxford_[262]:―
1. Great Primer Roman 121 2. Double Pica Roman 123 3. Pica Greek 513 4. Augustin Greek 353 5. Long Primer Greek 354 6. Great Primer Greek 456 7. Long Primer Italic 121 8. Small Pica Italic 142 9. Long Primer Roman 155 10. Pica Roman 156 11. Brevier Roman 156 12. Great Brass Roman Caps. 40 13. Augustin Roman 142 14. English Black 73 15. Small Pica Roman 142 16. Coptick 135 17. Augustin Italic 114 18. Pica Italic 130 19. Nonpareil Italic 121 20. Nonpareil Roman 134 21. Paragon Greek │ │ 22. Paragon Greek │445│ 23. Syriac 121 24. Double Pica Italic 87 25. Great Canon 204 26. Brevier Italic 134 27. Music 70 28. [Pica Roman and Italic, bought by │ │ the University, an. 1692.] Roman, │ │ 93; Italic, 78; Small Caps., not │ │ justified, 27; in all │198│ 28. Great Primer Italic 87 29. Astronomical Signs, Pica 25 29. Samaritan, English 30 29. Mathematical Marks 21 29. Cancelled Figures, Pica 10 29. Brasses, Long Primer 16 29. Mathematical Marks, Small Pica 10 30. Hebrew, Great and Small │292│ 31. Hebrew, Great and Small │254│ 31. Armenian 7 32. Arabic, Syriac, and Hebrew 228 32. Arabic Figures 10 33. Sclavonian, Great Primer 110 A paper of Flower Matrices. A paper of Great Primer Roman and Italic, cut by Mr. Nichols—not good. New Music Puncheons and Matrices, cut by Peter Walpergen.