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.

OCCASIONS.

LAst, the OCCASIONS of Wri∣ting are two-folde, The particular Ef∣fayres of the Writer, and employments of others; The motiues which mooue the Writer, bee likewise two-folde, Externall, and Internall: The one is, when hee writeth concerning his owne businesse immediatelie, for some publicke respectes, as when a Credi∣tor persueth a Debter before an ordinary Iudge; The other is, when hee is mooved by some motiue as yet privie unto himselfe, as when it pleaseth GOD to stirre up anie to bee Au∣thor of some needefull preceptes, woorthie to bee put in practise, and the same not as yet ma∣nifested: And the Employmentes of others, whether they bee the Writers Superiours, In∣ferioures, or equals, all of them, (as his Clientes in a manner) doe employ him to write concer∣ning their negotiations, mediatelie, and condi∣tionallie, eyther for favour, thankes, or recom∣pence.

Thus much concerning the ELEMENTS

and CONTEMPLATIONS of FAIRE WRI∣TING; and although some of them may seeme coincident, and ambiguous, yet (if so be) I may bee the better excused, since a Sojournour hath no great shame to goe a little astray in an un∣knowne and unpathed way, wherein fewe be∣fore him haue walked: alwayes, for methode and orders cause, I could not well omit them; notwithstanding mine intention bee rather to insist in the externall forme, and beautie of Letters for the eye, as moste pertinent to the practise of the Arte, than to enter over deepelie into anie acurate description of their internall properties for the minde, because that is more proper unto a Science.

Now for as much as I haue not onelie decla∣red what kinde of Worke this is, the use there∣of, the causes mooving mee to builde it, mesu∣red and layde the foundation thereof, and gi∣ven a name thereunto; but haue shewed like∣wise the causes whereof it proceedeth, the oc∣casions of the proceeding, considered of the height, deepnesse, length, and bredth of the same before it was founded; and not onelie pre∣pared all necessarie materials for uppe-going thereof, but provided all necessarie Furniture

to be so affixed therein, as both building & ple∣nishing to remaine one, and the same, It follo∣weth then in the next rowme, that it bee com∣pleted: which (GOD bee praysed) doeth arise to a great height, in the Generall parte of this Booke, and (almoste in substance, though not in stile) is covered with the Crowne of Per∣fection in the Speciall: & albeit some of the Rules of eyther parte be affir∣matiue, some negatiue, & some partlie both, (for explica∣tions cause) yet they must not be rā∣ked ac∣cor∣ding to the me∣thode of the Rule it selfe, but ra∣ther keepe such place, and comelie ordour, even as is requisite for the nature of the Sub∣ject.

And so immediately they begin.