The Roman
Alphabet
& its
Derivatives

UNCIALS

Examples: Plates IV, V; figs. 5, 169 (enlarged);
(modified, fig. 56).

Uncials are typical pen-capitals.1 Though not
of such practical use as the simple-written Roman
Capitals, their great possibilities and their beauty
make them worth practising. (See Round, Upright,
Formal Hands, p. 268.)

Their use is limited by two considerations—

First: that while the round Ъ.в.Ь, 00, U
are essentially legible (p. 203), people generally are
not accustomed to them, and may find them hard to
read ; and

Secondly: that ^,p,Cj,h.),k,L,p.C[.y

have ascending and descending strokes which are
apt to become too pronounced and give an un¬
pleasant appearance of “tailiness” to a page of
Uncial Writing (in English, see footnote, p. 290).

The first difficulty may be met by keeping Uncials
for special MSS.—for private use—and introducing
them sparingly or not at all in Service Books,
Placards, &c., where ease and quickness of reading
are essential.

The appearance of “tailiness" (not so obvious in
Latin) may be avoided by making the tails shorter
and keeping the lines of writing well apart. Or
freely made Roman Capitals without tails (see D,
tail-less, fig. 57) may be substituted for one or more
of the chief offenders.

1 Palaeographers call them “majuscules” ( = “large letters”),
but distinguish them from “Capitals.” For the purposes of
the modem penman, however, they may be regarded as Round
Capitals. (For their treatment, see pp. 261-3, and 268.)

264

2 6

b

S

s

sr

8

6

8

СГ tr*

The Roman
Alphabet
& its
Derivatives