Shortcuts to Variant Letters and Ligatures.

Letter Forms

There are some new versions of old shapes:

	a has reverted to the one-compartment version.
	g has become curved again, and in this hand turned into an open pothook.

Variant Letters

		There are two forms of s: see spes in line 23.
		The two forms of r appear: the 2-shaped r follows curved and bowed letters, as in redemptor in line 16, and libro in line 13.
		v has appeared, but only as a variant form of u: v is used at the beginnng of words, and u everywhere else. See e.g. viuit in line 16.

This scribe at least has a certain freedom in the way he makes and finishes his letters. He has at least four different shapes of m:

and two of i and two of l:

These are not major differences, but variations in the way he finishes or begins letters, or angles a curve.

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Ligatures
St is a ligature; so is ss.
Bowed letters like d share a stroke with contiguous curved letters like o and e. Even v comes into this category.

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© MEG TWYCROSS 2000