The Hartlib Papers

Concerning printing I can but write[altered] what I have allready spoken, Only[H capitalises] I have sent you such letters glued togeather, as were cast by a Printer & brought me that morning I lefft the Towne, by which (If I mistake not) you may see how all the Auxilliaries[H capitalises] of language (vizt the 4 last partes of speech, the cases, moodes, tences & persons) may bee reduced into words, which (with the blankes annexed to them) will one with another prove to bee as much as 4 Letters, & by consequence (as I suppose) the positor may (for soe much as those Auxilliaries[H capitalises] amount unto, which (if marked), will prove <H: to be> allmost or all-togeather one halfe of the wholl worke <H: words>, sett 4 to 1 the ordinarie way, and soe three eight partes of the time and Cost is saved, or 7^s-6^d in the pound; and this without the trouble or cost of any new kind of materialls, if this of <H: glue or any> other hold good, the[H alters from The] 4 partes of Speech[H capitalises] would bee placed in a Dictionary[H alters from dic^.ionary] or subalphabetary[H alters from subalphabeti^...?] way, of the moodes, tenses, and persons. I am not yet resolved but it is visible, that by that joyning of them, which other woordes will not admitte the positor shall seldome set lesse then[H alters from them] 6: & many times better then 10: 11: or 12: Letters <left margin, H: Letters> at once. To what I have written I may had <H: adde> that if <H: by> a dictionary or other meanes, the beginings and terminations of woordes were put into a subalphabetary[H alters from subaluphatary] way, I cannot but thincke that in <H: lieu> [word deleted] of three eight partes) there might be a full halfe or rather more saved in time and coste; I gave[H alters from give] you a hint how with a hundred Characters[H capitalises] (& those small & easy) all thinges in the world might be written or (I will now say) printed, which or some suche (like <H: if like> Mr Comenius his Vniversall[H alters from universall] language) made Universally currante, might (as those Characters, which serve 6 severall Nations in the bottome [5 words deleted] <left margin, H: of the Levant) serve> as a meanes of Conversation but in every <H: betweene> all the Nations of the world, and would not bee more Vniversall[H alters from universall] then easy to the Positors hande <H: hand>, when every small character should signify never lesse then a Word[H capitalises] sometimes two or three. But this is [2 words deleted]

Lines to be printed crosse       [2 DIAGRAMS in the form
as these are                      of grids with marks on
Thus every severall character     them]

may according to the severall

places in which it may be placed

betweene every two crosse lines)

signify soe many severall thinges

for here things only and not

letters are intended to bee written.

All the auxilliaries of language as the 4 last partes of speech, the cases of nouns the moodes, tenses, and Persons of Verbes which if put togeather and considered makes the greater part of what is spoken or written should bee expressed each of them by certain characters in certain places, thus in the Nounes one, in the actives; 2. in the passives 3 {it hath beene.} wordes would bee expressed.

To lesser the necessary number of places and characters all analogies would bee put togeather as Lyght and knowledg by the same character and place and the choice to bee left to the understanding; soe allsoe all Synomin to be put togeather or lament, bewayle, bemoane, weep, groane, and to bee lefft to the criticisme of the reader; Thus all so all contradictions & inconsistencies may bee both written with the same character and place as to Cursse and to blesse - light & darknes And these last Propositions would, not only facillitate[altered] the way of writting with few carracters but would (as I conceive) raise in the understanding a right order knowledge of things according to their Relations.

This way of writting will (if compared be) found to take up noe more roome then the ordinarie way.

[catchwords: It may bee]     

It may bee observed that in the squares above I have made noe use of the Corners of the Squares which being made uss of will give 29 places more to every character I have read that 6 severall Easterne Kingdoms doe converse with one another by the meanes of one common way of writting which each nation reades into its owne language and it is not unlike to the figures and prick song in which most of the nations wee know, convey to each other their numbring or musicall thoughts; In that way of writting there are more or alltogeather 10000 characters which number must render the buisnes difficult either to write or much more to print but in this their bee but a 100 & their severall significations according to their severall placces being ordered by certain rules and rationall groundes, the applying of each character to it proper place and signification will bee made easy to the memory or (I may as properly say to the judgment; In this also for writtings of inconcistencies by the same character and place will make that little above halfe the number of characters or places will bee necessarily and the writting all Synominaces and unologies alsoe by one character and place will againe very much lessen the worke and will affter a little custome bee read with ease and proffit to the

                  Understanding

Lines to bee printed corsse      [DIAGRAM - grid with
as these are                      marks on it]

Thus

[Hand Y:]         Proposals about printing