With these we have here no concern.
Our alphabet, _i.e._ the Roman and its variations, is quite sufficient
for our story. In order to show as clearly as may be the varieties of
lettering and the progress of penmanship from classical times to the
revival of the old Roman, letters in the fifteenth century, we offer the
following synopsis, which classifies and indicates the development of
the different hands used by writers and illuminators of MSS. It is
constructed on the information given in Wailly's large work on
Pal?ography, and in Dr. de Grey Birch's book on the Utrecht Psalter. The
former work affords excellent facsimiles, which, together with those
given in the plates published by the Pal?ographical Society, will give
the student the clearest possible ideas respecting these ancient
handwritings.
Omitting the cursive or correspondence hand, the letters used by the
Romans were of four kinds--capitals (usually made angular to be cut in
stone), rustic, uncials, and minuscules.
The rounded capitals were intended to be used in penwork. Uncials differ
from capitals only in the letters A, D, E, G, M, Q, T, V, for the sake
of ease in writing. It is said that this class of letters was first
called uncials from being made an inch (_uncia_) high, but this is mere
tradition; the word is first used on Jerome's preface to the Book of
Job.
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