The new invention, intituled, calligraphia: or, the arte of faire writing vvherein is comprehended the whole necessarie rules thereof; by which anie who is capable and carefull to learne, may without the helpe of any other teacher, under God, both bee informed concerning the right writing of the most usuall characters in the world; and perfectly instructed how to write one of the most frequent in Europe, called the secretarie. ... By His Majesties scribe, Master David Browne.

VII.

It is farther excepted against this Booke, that not onlie there bee diverse Rules and Sentences therein, and chiefelie concerning the seldome uptaking of the Penne, somewhat more prolixt and large than neede requireth, and therefore the more tedious to reade; but likewise some Sentences repeated, some parts verie barren and haske, too manie similitudes applyed, and that the Preambles and Postscripts are litle lesse, than all the rest of the Booke: and so foorth. I answere to the first parte, that I doe so of purpose, because it behooveth t••

bee, for these two reasons: First, although the aged may peruse it, and profite thereby, yet it is chiefelie directed unto the Youth, as of weaker judgement, at the least ney∣ther so carefull in using of the meanes to conceiue, nor yet in practising of anie good conception: yea, to manie, who perhaps haue never beene in a Schoo••e to learne. And secondlie, because it is the first Impression, and therefore requireth to bee the more ample: for if it please GOD to spare mee till this Essay bee censured abroad, corrected, and reformed, I intende to haue the Rules thereof made shorter, and published in Verse, (both for the better getting, and keeping thereof in memorie, and likewise the remnant in better Prose, Language, and Method: for the which respect I haue now made choyse rather to adventure it foorth somewhat blockish, (that is, with the Paringes thereon) than to presume at mine owne hand to pare it too neare at the first: for that which appeareth to bee good to one, will perhaps seeme bad to another: and none will denie, but it is as easie to substract and diminish, as to multiplie and augment. Alwayes, though the bodie of the Worke bee somewhat great, yet the Abridgement, and chiefelie the tenne Precepts there∣of, are as short as possiblie they might. And as concer∣ning the amplenesse of those places, concerning the up∣taking of the Penne from the Paper, they could not bee so well nor plaine otherwayes; because, first I bring the most parte of Letters once under a Rule, and so manie as be excepted, do come in by way of exception, by so ma∣nie rankes as the Penne requireth to bee lifted: for even ••s Latine wordes (to wit, Similes Casus, & Modos,)

standing in Sentences, are coupled with Conjunctions, &, atque, &c. so must Letters bee conjoyned with others of their owne sorte in written wordes, and that by a small joyning strike of the Penne going betwixt them.

To the second parte I answere, that there is no re∣petition at all, but where it must needes bee: and when anie is, it is rather by appearance, than in effect: for if one parte confirme another, it but linketh the whole Booke together, as it ought: and what one parte wan∣teth, another hath, without anie frivolous repetition. Doeth not the verie Sacred Scripture it selfe agree in passages and phrases, each parte exponing another? and the Heavenlie matter thereof dispersed and sprinkled thorow out all: for one parte hath the occasions, or time of the occurrence, or doing of a thing; another the place; the third, the causes; the fourth, the effect: and so foorth. Thus each one beeing first conferred with another, and then joyned together, doe make up a whole and complete sense: for though there bee manie Inhabi∣tantes in a flourishing Citie, yet no man is anie more or∣dayned for himselfe onelie, than hee can liue by himselfe alone, without the helpe of others: and so each one ought to doe good to another, by borrowing and lending, (gi∣ving and forgiving) •••• Citizens all of one Citie.

To the third parte I answere: That there is no Arte nor Historie, but in some partes thereof the contents and matter is more baske and barren, than in another, if thou wilt enter into particular cōsideration therof: yea, the very Booke of GOD it selfe would seeme at the first so to be, & chiefelie some partes of the Holie Historie of our Blessed

Saviours Humiliation, and his Sufferings; (but beeing generallie considered, and everie remarkable, worthie, and fertile part, set forenent the base or barren part, as his Resurrection forenent his Suffering; or his Exaltation forenent his Humiliation, then thou wilt both esteeme the better, & reape the more profite of all. And yet if it had pleased the Spirit of GOD, out of all doubt, hee could haue indited the same both in Methode and Elo∣quence as farre beyond all other Bookes, as it surpasseth them in Matter, Wisdome, and Valour: and it is indeede so farre beyond them, that it hath surmounted the capa∣citie of all the Philosophers that ever was, notwithstan∣ding of all their Wisedome, Learning, and Rhetoricke) Againe, if thou wilt looke to the formes observed in wri∣ting of Artes, beholde but the Latine or Greeke Gram∣mar, and thou wilt oftentimes finde one place more haske, and unpleasant than another; yea, it will seeme altogether foolish, ydle, and without sense, to anie man that never learned such things: and that because, both the Matter and Language of Grammars, serue but for themselues, and not for other purposes which occurre in common effaires, wherein hee is best versed.

And as for the Similitudes, they are verie needfull, not onelie for present understanding of the sense in time of reading; but in like manner thereafter, the memorie of the Similitude, will oftentimes demonstrate a newe consideration of the whole matter represented thereby, to mens rememberance againe, who perhaps without the same would eyther not haue conceived it at all, or suffe∣red it to slippe as soone out of their mindes, as it entered

in: and that which is worse, never remembered thereon againe afterwardes. And likewise the matter of this Treatise seemeth so base, that if there were not some better thinges mixed therewith than it selfe is, the most parte would loathe it as much as they doe Water without Mault.

And to the fourth parte I aunswere, That there is no strong Citie, but hath Walles to defende it selfe a∣gainst the Assaultes of all invading Enemies, and some∣times Suburbes without, partlie for more Strength, and partlie for want of rowme within: yea, & they sometimes little lesse than the Citie it selfe: I liken this Worke to a Citie having all these Saueguardes, yet I will counsell no man to hinder his Iourney thorow the same, in behol∣ding of the utter partes too much: but rather goe for∣wardes with such speede as his meanes may affoorde: and while as hee passeth, if hee bee anie wise atten∣tiue, and inquisitiue, hee will bee informed concerning the esta••e of all thinges within, before hee see them, finde all thinges according thereunto, when hee seeth them, and confirmed thereof, af••er hee hath come foorth, and seene them.