Writing & Illuminating & Lettering 158

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Fie. 178.—Part of Plate XXI, enlarged [approx.) four timc¡ linear [see p. 419).

SEMI-FORMAL WRITING

Figs. 179, 180, and 181 are taken from a six¬
teenth-century Italian MS.1 written in a semi-
formal cursive hand in dark brown and red-brown
inks (probably originally nearer black and red), on
150 leaves of fine paper.

The proportions of the Book,2 together with the
good writing, have a very agreeable effect, and are
interesting as being used by a writer over 300 years
ago. The extra width of the side margins may have
been allowed for annotations—some notes were
written in by the scribe himself.

Page = lit inches high, 8 inches wide.

(Inner (} inch + i inch allowed for Small Capitals)

= ij inch (approximate).

Top = it inch (constant).

Side = 2Î inch (approximate).

Foot = 3 inch (approximate).

Writing-Line Space nearly ps inch high: length (varies), average
4 inches.

Text Column nearly 6| inches high, consisting of 22 lines of MS.

Character of the Writing.—The good shapes of
the letters, their great uniformity, and their easy
yet formal arrangement, mark this MS. as the work
of a skilful penman. But, while pen character of
a sort is very evident, the writing approaches the
stylographic (apparently a rather narrow blunt nib
was used), and the absence of definite thicks and
thins distinguishes it from all the formal hands
hitherto discussed: it may conveniently be termed
Semi-formal.

1 The Book is a catalogue of early Roman inscriptions:
apparently a written copy of a printed book.

г With a sheet of paper ill inches by 16 inches the student
might reconstruct these.

281

The Roman
Alphabet
& its
Derivatives