THE LINE-FINISHINGS, mostly in black pen-work, consist of little groups (sometimes of sprays) of flowers, &c. Sprays from the border separate the “Song” from the “Tale.”
THE MUSIC.—Staves black; Clefs, gold; Notes, red.
THE BORDERS (in the opening from which the plate is taken) frame the text on both pages—nearly filling the margins (see p. [213]): the side and foot edges of the (verso) page are shown in the plate. The main pattern is a wild rose, flowers and all, outlined with a rather broad blue line: the stalks and leaves (lined white) are apple-green, the flowers are painted white with raised gold hearts, the thorns are red. Through the wild rose is twined honeysuckle and woody nightshade: stalks—(h) red, (wn) black; and flowers—(h) red with yellow spots, (wn) purplish red with gold centres.
The whole effect is very brilliant and charming. The freedom and naturalness of the “design” remind one of a country hedgerow (p. [213]), and show that vital beauty which is the essence of true illumination.
[PLATE XXIV.]—Inscription cut in Stone by A. E. R. Gill, 1903 A.D. Reduced (316 scale). Note.—To view these incised letters have light on the left of plate (or cover with thin tissue-paper).
The STONE—a slab of “Hopton Wood” (p. [395]), 30 inches by 18 inches by 2 inches, is intended to go over a lintel. It has a simple moulding. Note how the INSCRIPTION occupies the space (pp. [352], [394]): the LETTERS have approximately the same apparent weight (p. [328])—the large stems are more than twice the height of the small; they are only 13 wider. [p487]
Note the strongly marked and elegantly curved serifs; the straight-tailed R; the I drawn out (marking the word IN); the beaked A, M, and N; the Capital form of U.
The letters DEO would be rather wide for ordinary use (p. [270]), but as special letters, occupying a wide space,[135] are permissible.
Even in the collotype, I think this inscription shows to what a high level modern inscription cutting might be raised by the use of good models and right and simple methods.
[135] Letters in early inscriptions separated as these are indicated each a word (contracted), as S. P. Q. R. (Senatus Populus Que Romanus).