They are very useful as copy-book hands (see p. [70]), for though the smooth gradation of their curves, their thin strokes, and their general elegance unfit them for many practical purposes, yet their essential roundness, uprightness, and formality afford the finest training to the penman, and prevent him from falling into an angular, slanting, or lax hand. Their very great beauty, moreover, makes them well worth practising, and even justifies their use (in a modernised form) for special MSS., for the more romantic books—such as poetry and “fairy tales”—and generally where speed in writing or reading is not essential.
With an eye trained and a hand disciplined by the practice of an Irish or English Half-Uncial, or a modified type, such as is given in fig. [50], the penman may easily acquire some of the more practical later “slanted-pen” types.
“SLANTED-PEN” SMALL-LETTERS (Typical Examples:— Carlovingian ninth-century MS.—Fig. [8] (enlarged, fig. [171]): [p305] English tenth-century MS.—[Plate VIII.] (enlarged, fig. [172]): English eleventh-century MS.—[Plate IX.] (enlarged, fig. [173]): Italian twelfth-century MS.—[Plate X.] (enlarged, fig. [174]).)
The use of the “slanted pen” generally produced stronger, narrower, and stiffer letters. Its effects are detailed in pp. [43]–[47], and fig. [11], and may best be studied in the tenth-century example (fig. [172]—the letter forms are described on p. [416]).
In the Carlovingian MS.—which does not show these effects in any marked degree—we may note the wide letter forms, the wide spacing, the long stems (thickened above by additional strokes), the slight slope of the letters, and the general effect of gracefulness and freedom (see fig. [171]). Carlovingian MSS. may be said to represent a sort of mediæval copy-books, and their far-reaching influence on writing makes them of great interest to the modern penman, who would, moreover, find one of these hands an excellent model for a free “formal hand.”
Fig. [ 171.]—Part of fig. [8], enlarged three times linear (see p. [305]).
For practical purposes the “slanted-pen” letter is generally superior to the “straight-pen” letter. The “slanted-pen” letters have greater strength and legibility, due mainly to the presence of the thick horizontals—often equal in width to the verticals. Their use saves both space and time, as they are narrower, and more easily and freely written[78] than the straight-pen forms.
[Fig. 172.]—Fig. [12], enlarged twice linear (see p. [305] & [Plate VIII.]). Note: top line is cut down.