4 ms·
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...
by 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 agoI would guess it's to justify the text. People would also add/remove unnecessary vowels to fit a line better.
- dhosek 4y agoThat 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.