3 ms·

On page 3 the mix of double 'V's for 'W', 'u' for 'v', and 'V' for 'U' ('IESVS' at the top) is quite intriguing.

yencabulator 4y ago
The printer likely had a limited set of types[1] from which to construct the page. If a page was unusually W-heavy, they probably ran out of W blocks, and substituted VV. Also, V was considered "just another shape for U" for a long time. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting)
kwk1 4y ago
Interesting to note also the use of ã as shorthand for an, i.e. "the reſidue is in hãd" -> "the residue is in hand"
- euroderf 4y ago
  Any relation to Spanish ñ ?
dhosek 4y ago
W, v and j were still pretty novel letters at that point. j was typically used as a final form for i/j so you will see things like the roman numeral for 3 represented as iij. V tended to be used for U/V in capitals and u for u/v in lowercase. W was often not a letter that was part of a typefont and writing VV or vv was the only way to represent it in print. The sixteenth century was the point where u and i became the vowel forms and V and j became the consonant forms. Later Latin is inconsistent in its use of u/v and i/j, right down to dictionaries. I remember having difficulty with my pocket Latin dictionary in college because I would often forget that iam was listed as jam in it (and similar instances of an initial consonantal i).
- b3morales 4y ago
  Yes, but there are 'w's in the text. Mixed in the same sentence in one case with a 'vv'. > ...we ſend you here...you receiued the New...therof shal not now... > ...impediments, which hitherto haue long hindered this vvorke...
  - veltas 4y ago
    I would guess it's to justify the text. People would also add/remove unnecessary vowels to fit a line better.
    - dhosek 4y ago
      That seems likely. Some early typefaces included wider and narrower versions of some letters to enable justification. Arabic typography does this by allowing, e.g., ﻧـﺪ in place of ﻧﺪ (not a real word, in case you’re puzzling over it, I know more about the letters than the language), where there is an extension to the connecting line between letters. I think, that Gutenberg’s type had multiple versions of letters for this purpose, but I’m going by vague decades-old memories now.

The printer likely had a limited set of types[1] from which to construct the page. If a page was unusually W-heavy, they probably ran out of W blocks, and substituted VV. Also, V was considered "just another shape for U" for a long time. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sort_(typesetting)

kwk1 4y ago

Interesting to note also the use of ã as shorthand for an, i.e. "the reſidue is in hãd" -> "the residue is in hand"

euroderf 4y ago
Any relation to Spanish ñ ?

dhosek 4y ago

W, v and j were still pretty novel letters at that point. j was typically used as a final form for i/j so you will see things like the roman numeral for 3 represented as iij. V tended to be used for U/V in capitals and u for u/v in lowercase. W was often not a letter that was part of a typefont and writing VV or vv was the only way to represent it in print. The sixteenth century was the point where u and i became the vowel forms and V and j became the consonant forms. Later Latin is inconsistent in its use of u/v and i/j, right down to dictionaries. I remember having difficulty with my pocket Latin dictionary in college because I would often forget that iam was listed as jam in it (and similar instances of an initial consonantal i).

b3morales 4y ago
Yes, but there are 'w's in the text. Mixed in the same sentence in one case with a 'vv'. > ...we ſend you here...you receiued the New...therof shal not now... > ...impediments, which hitherto haue long hindered this vvorke...
- veltas 4y ago
  I would guess it's to justify the text. People would also add/remove unnecessary vowels to fit a line better.
  - dhosek 4y ago
    That seems likely. Some early typefaces included wider and narrower versions of some letters to enable justification. Arabic typography does this by allowing, e.g., ﻧـﺪ in place of ﻧﺪ (not a real word, in case you’re puzzling over it, I know more about the letters than the language), where there is an extension to the connecting line between letters. I think, that Gutenberg’s type had multiple versions of letters for this purpose, but I’m going by vague decades-old memories now.