ARTS MASTERPIECE OR THE PENs GLORY  
A COPY BOOK Set forth in the most legible Hands Extant With excellent Directions for the exact and speedy writing of every Hand  
Invented Written & Engraven By a lover of that Noble and Ingenious Science.  
james SEAMER  
Sold by Samuel Keble at the Turks head in Fleet Street.   


● c a ● l b ●●● c ● d o d ● e f f f ● g l h i ij l l ● l m n ● o ● v p ● q r r s s t s●● v u ● w w ● x x ● y y z z z  
A B C D E F G H I K L L M N O P Q R S T V W X Y Z  

SEAMER 
What's great Goliah's Spear, the sevenfold Shield.  
Scanderbeg's Sword, to one who cannot wield  
Such weapons? Or, what means a well-cut Quill  
In th'untaught hand of him that's voided of Skill?     

Admire nothing for or in itself,  
but admire all things in God,  
and God in all things, who is the  
fountain of all admirable things  

Seamer. 
ADue Proposion is the Life of Aid;  
Which show to keep, in all, and every paid:     

A a b c d d e e f g h i k l m n o p q r s s s t v u w x y z  

But, what less then ffoole is Man, to progge, & plot,  
And lavish out the cream of all his ca●●,  
To gain poor seeming goods, which, being got,  
Make firm possession, but a Thurrowsare.   

Behold if they stay, they furrow thoughts the deeper,  
And being kept with sense, they loose their sarefull keeper.    

A b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t v w x y z  
Earth walketh on the earth, glistering like gold,  
Earth goeth to the earth, sooner then it would:  
Earth buildeth on the earth, Castles & Towers,  
Earth saith to the earth, all shall bee ours:  

Seamer.  
Except Repentance quickly doth ensue &  
sins lazy offspring will their birth-time rue.    

fear is the primer of a gamesters skill;  
Who fears not Bad, stands most vnarm'd to Ill:  
The Ill that's wisely feared, is half withstood;  
And fear of Bad is the best foil to Good  

fear not the Rocks or woulds imperious waves:  
Thou climbst a Rock( my soul) a Rock that saves.    

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T V W X Y Z  
Here ' the would's a Labrinth, whoso ' an fractions ways  
Are all composed of Rubs, and crook'd Meanders  
Noreshing here; Hoo's hurried back that stays  
A thought, And he that goose unguided wanders.  

Her way is dark; her path untrod, unev'n; p●z  
So hand's the ' way from earth; so hand's the way bodlea●'●    

james SEAMER  
Learning is the only ornament and precious jewel of mans life, without which no man can ever attained unto any honour, or preferment in a good common wealth, learn therfore ' now in thy tender yeares profitable things.  

Let thy inquisitive mind great Excellency find  
To prise it be inclined of whatsoever kind  
A a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r r s s t v w x y z  
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T V W W X Y Z Z    

A a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s s t v u w x y z &  
O you sons of Adam, you covetous Generation, what have you to do with earthly Riches, which are neither true, nor yours, Gold and Silver are real earth read, and white, In short, if they be yours, Carry them with you.  

J S  
O who would trust this world, or prise what's in it,  
That gives and takes, and chaps, and changes every minit?    

Two several Loves built two several cities; The love of God builds a jerusalem; The love of the world builds a Babylon: Let every one inquire of himself what he loves, and he shall resolve himself, of whence he is a citizen.  

The World's a Babylon, he that would endeavour,  
To find the way to Rest, must seek the way to leave her.  
SEAMER    

Permit the passion of my holy Rage,  
Releas my sense from this terrestrial Cage.  
A a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s s t st v u w x y z &c  
Paules Midnight voice prevailed; his musics thunder  
Vnhing'd the prison doors; split bolts in sunder  
And sitst thou here? and hang'st the feeble wing?  
And whin'st to bee enlarged; soul, learn to sing:  
Seamer.   

Abundance of Honour is gained by industry.  
Seamer.  
A a b c d e f f g h i k l m n o p q r s t v w x y z.   

Court  
A a a B b C c c D d d d E e ee ff f G ḡ gg H I i ●j k k l l m m m N n n O o o p p p p Q q R r r r S s s t T t v v n w x y z &c Ct & ● Nonmt vmvsi ●pntos nos ffrandisen Soamor do Holtonet Bokemn   

Chancery  
A a B b C c D d d E e e ff f G g g h I i ij K k l ll M m N n O o oo P p p̄ Q q q R r r s s s st T t it v v w W u W u W x x y y z z x &c.  
Actor homo, Boelum Spectator grande Theatrum Mundus, Vita frequens Fabula, Scena dies.  
Iacobns Soamor   

The curious Penman, having trimmed his page.  
With the dead Language of his dabbled Quill.  
Lets fall a heedless drop, then, in a Rage,  
Cashieres the fruits of his unlucky skill.  
even so my pregnant soul in th'infant bud  
Of her best thoughts, showers down a coal-black flood  
Of unadvised Ills, and cancels all her Good.  
SEAMER    


To make a PEN.  
HAving a Pen-knife with a smooth, thin, sharp edge, take the first or second Quill of a Goose wing, and scrape it; then hold it in your left hand with the Feather end from you, and beginning even in the Back, cut a small piece off sloping: then, to make a slit, enter the Knife in the middle of the first cut, put in a Quill, and force it up so far as you desire the slit should be in length; which done, cut a piece sloping away from the other side above the slit, and fashion the Nib, by cutting both the sides equally down; then place the Nib on the nail of your left-hand Thumb, and to end it, draw the edge into it slanting; and being half through, turn the edge almost down-right, and cut it off.   

To hold the Pen.  
HOld the Pen in the right hand, with the hollow side downward; on the left side place your Thumb, rising in the joint; on the right side your middle finger, near half an inch from the end of the Nib, and your fore-finger on the top, a small distance from your Thumb.   

To sit to writ.  
choose a fore-right-light, or one that comes on the left hand: Let the Board on which you writ be sloping; lay your Book straight before you; sit upright, bearing your Body from the Board: Hold your head up the distance of a span from the Paper; when you are Writing, turn not your head one way or other, but look right forward: draw in your right Elbow; turn your hand outward, and bear it lightly; gripe not the Pen too hard: with your left hand stay the Paper.   

Necessaries for Writing.  
LEt your Ink be thin, such as may freely run from the Pen. Let the Paper which you writ on be white, fine, and well gumm'd. For dispatch, procure a round Ruler; for certainty, a flat Ruler. At your first Writing rule double Lines with a Quill cut forked the depth of your intended Letters, or a Black-lead Pen: Rub your Paper lightly with Gum Sandrick, beaten fine, and tied up in a linen Cloth; which makes the Paper bear Ink, and the Pen run smooth.   

Directions for the second and third leaf, marked 2 and 3.  
THis first leaf contains the Breaks of all the small set Secretary Letters, and an Alphabet of Capital Letters, proper to the small Letters on this leaf, and the third marked with a figure of 3. This set Hand, though it be not much used, except for Indentures, Records, Deeds, &c. Yet because it is a good ground for other Hands, we present you with it first.  
In the imitation of this and the following Copy, with a Quill cut forked Rule double lines, to keep the Letters even at head and foot: Then, if you think fit, pounce you Paper; and having a well-cut Quill, whose Nib may agree with the breadth of down-right strokes, begin and imitate the ( a) and diligently observe, as in this, so in all Letters, what parts require a small hair stroke, and those make lightly with the edge of the Pen; and where full strokes are required, apply the flat Nib of the Pen.  
When you can make each Letter well by their parts or breaks, Rule twenty four lines, and fill the first line with ( a,) the second with ( b,) &c. and be sure to make one Letter perfectly, before you proceed to another. Thus if you make but two Letters well in a day, you will writ the whole Alphabet in two Weeks complete.   

Directions for the fourth Leaf. 4.  
THe Directions for the third Leaf being well observed, may serve for this. Both for this and other hands are, that the distance from one Letter to another in words, must be so much as the breadth of the small ( n,) and the distance from one word to another must be so much as the breadth of the small ( o,) the Minims; as namely, the strokes of the ( m,)( n,) &c. And the Body strokes of the long Letters must stand, or lie, all one way in a piece of Writing, carefully observing the depths, distances, full and small of every Letter.  
Note, that this hand agreeth so near with that on the 8 leaf, that these Directions may serve for both.   

Directions for the mixed Hands on the 5th, 6th, and 7th. Leaves.  
SInce these Hands wholly depends one upon another, I would advice you to a Pen with an even Nib, a long slit, and not too hard: Rule double lines, as is directed at the beginning, at a fit distance. Keep a waste Paper under your hand, whereon to try every Letter, before you writ it fair: at the first writ slowly and carefully; diligently observe the proportion and agreements of Letters.  
In their compassing; as the a, b, d, g, o, p, q, &c. which must be made with equal whites.  
In their depths and lengths, keep them even at head and foot.  
Keep the Stems of all Letters to an equal height.  
Let all incline one way, to the right or left.  
In making the heads of long Letters, begin them on the left side; then turn your Pen to a flat, and draw it down smoothly on the right side. These Rules well observed, will be sufficient for all these three leaves; therefore I shall proceed to give you.   

Directions for the Roman Hand on the 9th and 10th Leaves.  
WHen double lines are ruled, and every thing ready with a Pen of an indifferent size well cut, first imitate the small ( l,)( n,) and ( o,) so long, till you can make them well; then proceed to make the small Letters that bear resemblance one to another, as the c, e, a, o, g, q, d; then the b, d, f, h, k, l, and t: which Stems, or Body-stroaks, keep of an equal height.   

Directions for Italian Hand on the 11th Leaf.  
SInce these hands depends wholly on the form of an Oval, I would advice you to use your hand to the making of larger and lesser Ovals; and must be written with a Pen that hath a clear long slit, and a long small Nib, and the hand in writing hereof must be born lightly and freely. In your imitation, observe the Rule for the likeness of Letters delivered for the Roman. In joining, you must unite all such Letters as will naturally join, by small hair-stroaks drawn with the left corner of the Pen, and imitate the Copy.   

Directions for the Text Hand.  
FIt the Mib of your Pen to the breadth of their strokes, the Breaks of the set-hand Letters on the second leaf will inform you how each Letter in the making is begun, continued, and finished; then on thick Paper rule double lines, according to the size of the hand, and make so many stroke thereon, one by another, about the distance of those in the ( m) till you can make them exactly down, or perpendicular, and draw the Pen evenly down upon a flat Nib; when you can produce such stroke cleaverly, you have half got the Mastery of the small Letters. Observe to bring the Minims, and the stroke of the ( b)( b) (a)( l) &c. almost down to the line you writ on; and taking up the Pen, turn the Nib thereof towards your left hand, and laying it flat, make the square ground stroke of the Letters, and draw their bodies even down, not permitting them to incline to the right hand, or to the left.   

Directions for the Court and Chancery Hands on the 13th. Leaf.  
A Pen for these Hands must have the left corner of its Nib shorter than the right; it is more tolerable for these Hands to incline toward the left, than the right hand, the breadth of the Minims, and stroke of the m, n, and u, are the best Rules for their distances one from another. Such Letters in Court-hand, whose Bodies may be conjoined in the writing of words, must not stand at a distance when r follows o in a word, a round r must be made; and when two together follows o, the first must be round, and the last long. More might be delivered for these Hands; but since these are most material, and that the best Rules are good Examples, I commend this Leaf to your observation and practise, and wish you good success.   

A Receipt for Ink.  
POur two Gallons of Rain-water into an Earthen Vessel that is well Leaded, or glazed within; and infuse in it two pounds of Gum arabic, two pounds of them Galls bruised, a pound of copperess, and two ounces of Roch-Allum: stir it every Morning with a stick, for ten days, and then you may use it. You may vary the quantity, observing the same proportions.   

How to writ with Gold.  
POur a small quantity of Gum water into a Gold shell, and make the Gold liquid, by tempering the water and that together with a small new pencil: Then with a Pen never used writ therewith; and when your writing is dry, polish it with a Wolves or Mastiff dogs tooth.   
FINIS.