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.

CAVSES.

THe causes of Writing (as of other things) be foure, the Efficient, Mate∣riall, Formall, and Finall; but more Metaphoricke than proper.

The Efficient causes are two-folde, Princi∣pall and instrumentall, or Immediate and Me∣diate; the Principall Efficient is the Writer, be∣cause he (under GOD) is the speciall agent or user of the meanes, as well in applying each one to its owne use, as by concurring and coo∣perating with them in doing of the action.

The Instrumentall Efficients are likewise two fold, living and deade, the living Instru∣mentes, bee Members of the Writer his Bodie, as the Hand, Thombe, and Fingers; and the dead, (or rather; not living, because it may be alleadged, that anie thing which never lived can be said to be dead) is the pen onlie. And whereas I omit and exeeme the Arme, which hath the Hand and Fingers depending thereon

&c, and Pen-Knife, which is the Instrumentall Efficient of the Pen &c; I doe neither of them wrong: seeing it is but the nearest causes which ••ertaine most unto this purpose; for it were ••oth needlesse and impertinent to extende the ••auses of Writing farther than neede requireth. And while as the Hand, Thombe, and Fingers, are not alwayes the Instrumentall Efficients, seeing some will Write with their Feete and Toes, yea with their Teeth also; It is not anie such accidentall and extraordinarie practises that I promised to speake of, because they are both tedious and needlesse, for if those persons were not maimed, o•• else too curious, they would not exerce them: and whatsoever other Members they employ thereanent, doe but supplie the place of the former, which bee the proper Instrumentall Efficients of the action.

The Materiall cause of Writing, or of Let∣ters written materiallie, (that is, without sig∣nification) is the Inke, for as the paper is the subject whereon, so the Inke is the matter whereof: and so whether it bee a common and cheape Liquor (of whatsoever colour) de∣monstrating the true lineaments and pathes of the pen, as it proceedeth foorth thereof in fra∣ming of Letters; or a rare and sumptuous Li∣quor, as liquid Golde or Silver, all doe consist

alike of matter or substance, though otherwayes they bee not equivalent, but discrepant in va∣lour; for all become drie alike soone, and none of them remaineth liquid more than another: but indeede if thou wilt looke to the inhesion or penetration of Letters in the subject, the same is rather accidentall than substantiall.

The formall cause of Writing, is the exter∣nall shape of the Letter, whether it be perfectly or imperfectly proportioned; for albeit by the decent proportion of everie Letter appeareth the beautie of all the writ, yet sometimes by the custome of right reading, the Sense of Words may be understood, though the Letters be im∣perfectlie written: but wee should no more pre∣sume heereby to doe anie thing in a wrong manner that it may be right, than to doe evill that good may proceede thereof.

And the finall cause of Writing, is the for∣mer signifying of articulate voyce, whereby the thoughts of the minde are interpreted, and the demonstrating of the minde without the voyce; for as Aristotle teacheth, Writs or Letters are the Symboles of Voyces or Wordes, (howso∣ever it may bee thought that the Voyce beeing invisible cannot bee represented by anie exter∣nall Signe) the Voyces Symboles of the Con∣ceptions

of the Minde, and the Conceptions of the Minde, Images of thinges which bee outwith the Minde: and that both of Divine Writs and Humane.

Of Divine VVrits, it pleased the AL∣MIGHTIE, by the meane and ambassage of VVriting, to manifest His blessed VVill to the VVorlde in all Ages, (but chiefelie, and in greatest measure, nowe in these last Ages) concerning His owne Glorie, and Mans Salva∣tion: which if thou wouldest knowe, (as thou oughtest indeede, because they are the two chiefe endes, wherefore it pleased Him to giue thee breath, and bring thee unto this VVorlde: for all other thine Errandes, are but as so manie parentizes, which will bee ve∣rie soone closed, after thou thy selfe art closed in the Graue, whereas these will accompanie, thee, and goe with thee to the Heavens,) thou must, with assistance of his Holie Spirite, search the Holie Scriptures, and there the VVrits, or Letters, will bee as Signes, leading thee to the gracious VVordes which did proceede foorth of His Sacred Mouth there anent, (to speake so) and the wordes will leade thee to the con∣ceptions, and notions, which were in His Bles∣sed Minde, and the conceptions, as Symboles, will viuelie represent unto thy minde, those

thinges which thou knewest not of before.

And of Humane VVrits, that is, betwixt man and man, when one is astricted to per∣forme anie point of duetie unto another, by VVrit, (because wordes are no sooner uttered, but they evanish in the Aire, except eyther VVitnesses bee present, or the partie all the more trustie) the VVrits will signifie the words which hee spake, the wordes will interprete the conceptions of his minde, (except dissimu∣lation, which nowe aboundeth, hath made dis∣crepance) and the conceptions of his minde, wordes of his mouth, and subscription of his hand, will tie, and oblish him to performe those thinges which hee promised, and under-tooke to accomplish; and that eyther in whole or in parte, according to his power: otherwise, if there were no Writing nowe, I suspect there woulde bee little good order in anie common wealth, or credite keeped, eyther amongst strangers, or neighbours, yea, scarcelie amongst friendes; in respect of the infidelitie, and incre∣dulitie, which daylie increaseth so much the greater, by howe much the consummation of this great and universall Fabricke approacheth ••earer.