Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 18.djvu/172

 156 PALAEOGRAPHY Graphics, fasc. 1), the earlier examples, down to the middle of the 9th century, being in the large straggling character of their prototypes (see also Cod. Dipl. Cavensis, vol. i.; and Silvestre, i., pi. 137). The illegible scrawl into which this hand finally degenerated in notarial instruments of southern Italy was at length suppressed by order of Frederick II. (1210-50 A.D.). But at La Cava and Monte Cassino was especially cultivated the Lombardic hand, properly so called. There is much resemblance between this hand in its earlier stages and that which appears in certain MSS. written in France at the same period. Both starting from the same basis, it is not surprising that a likeness should be maintained for some time. Hence there is often no small difficulty in deciding whether a particular MS. is to be classed as Lombardic or Merovingian. If all MSS. written in the Merovingian kingdom are to be styled Merovingian, there are different styles which must be included under that title. A form of Frankish writing which is marked by a certain solidity and evenness, and thus more nearly resembles the Lombardic writing of Italy, is often classed with the latter. The Lombardic book-hand as written in Italy is seen in facsimile in Exempla, Codd. Lot. (tabb. 29, 30), Silvestre (pi. 136), Pal. Soc. (pi. 92). As developed in the southern monasteries referred to above, it took, in the 9th century, a very exact and uniform shape, as seen in the Bible of La Cava (Silv., pi. 141). From this date the attention which it received as a calligraphic form of writing, accompanied with accessory ornamentation of initial letters, brought it to a high state of perfection in the llth century, when by the peculiar treatment of the letters, they assume that strong contrast of light and heavy strokes which when exaggerated, as it finally became, received the name of broken Lombardic. Broken Lombardic Writing, 12th century. ([H]ec nox est de qua scriptum est Et nox ut dies illuminabitur) This style of hand lasted to the 13th century. The fullest collection of examples is to be found in facsimile in the Biblioiheca Casinensis (1873, &c.). For other specimens see Silvestre, pis. 142-146, 150; Arndt, Schrifttaf., 7, 32; Pal. Soc., pi. 146. Papal Documents. A form of writing practised in Italy, but standing apart, is that found in papal documents. It has been erroneously named littera Benevenlana. Speci mens exist dating from the latter part of the 8th century. In the earliest examples it appears on a large scale, and has rounded forms and sweeping strokes of a very bold character. Derived from the official Roman hand, it has certain letters peculiar to itself, such as the letter a made almost like a Greek w, t in the form of a loop, and e as a circle with a knot at the top. This hand may be followed in examples from 788 A.D. through the 9th century (Facs. de Charles et Diplomes, 1866; Gloria, Palsebg., tab. 22; Ch. Figeac, Charles et doc. sur Papyrus, i. xii. ; Letronne, Diplom. Merov. jElal., pi. 48 ; Silvestre, pis. 138, 139). In a bull of Silvester II., dated in 999 (Bill, de VEc. des Charles, vol. xxxvii.), we find the hand becoming less round ; and at the end of the next century, under Urban II., in 1097 (Mabillon, De Re Dipl., suppl., p. 115) and 1098 (Sickel, Mon. Graph., v. 4), it is in a curious angular style, which, however, then disappears. During the llth and 12th centuries the imperial chancery hand was also used for papal documents, and was in turn displaced by the exact and calligraphic papal Italian hand of the later Middle Ages. The later invention of the 16th century, the so-called liltera Sancti Pelri, which seems to have been written to baffle the uninitiated, need only be referred to. Bull of Pope John VIII. (much reduced), 876 A.D. (Dei genetricis mariae filib liaec igitur omnia quae huius praecepti) Visigothic. The Yisigothic writing of Spain ran a course of development not unlike that of the other national hands ; and a series of photographic facsimiles lately pub lished (Exempla Scriptvrse Visigoticse, 1883) enables us to mark the different periods of change. In the cursive hand attributed to the 7th century (Ex., 2, 3), the Eoman cursive has undergone little change in form ; but another century developed a most distinctive character (Ex., 4, 5). In the 8th century appears the set book-hand in an even and not difficult character, marked by breadth of style and a good firm stroke. This style is maintained through the 9th century with little change, except that there is a growing tendency to calligraphy. In the 10th century the writing deteriorates ; the letters are not so uniform, and, when calligraphically written, are generally thinner in stroke. The same changes which are discernible in all the hand writings of western Europe in the llth century are also to be traced in the Visigothic hand, particularly as regards the rather rigid character which it assumes. It continued in use down to the beginning of the 1 2th century. Perhaps the most characteristic letter of the book-hand is the ^-shaped g. The following specimens illustrate the Visigothic as written in a large heavy hand of the 9th century (Cat. Anc. MSS., ii., pi. 37), and in a calligraphic example of 1109 (Pal. Soc., pi. 48). pturfutn Visigothic Minuscules, 9th century. (tibi dulcedine proxi inorum et dignita te operum perfectonwn) -4 quftnio f^ccm ( Visigothic Minuscules, 1109 A.D. (patrum et profeterum et sanclonnn et apos&amp;lt;olon?i 4113 gemitilms et tormenta desiderii sui liabuit usquequo fructun ex plebe sun)