London Ph'dosophicat Society. i30§ 



Sj'jcakitig of Caligula, expresses his surprise that an em- 

 peror in niaiiy other respects so expert, should be ig- 

 norant of short-hand ; and Titus Vespasian is mentioned 

 as being remarkably attached to the art. The lecturer thea 

 ren)arked, that the various modes of short-writing formerly 

 used were composed for the most part of a set of arbitrary 

 marks and characters known only to the persons who in- 

 vented and used them. The art was consequently nmch 

 neglected. This neglect is apparent from the book of 

 short-hand mentioned by Trithemius. It was a steno- 

 graphical dictionary belonging to an abbot, who gladly 

 .^old it for a few pence, as the monks of his fraternity had 

 ordered the characters to be erased for the sake of the 

 parchment on which they were written. Some other books 

 of short-hand are mentioned as meeting with a similar 

 fate. There is, however, said the lecturer, a short-hand 

 psalter in the library of St. Germain's at Paris, carefully 

 preserved as a stenographical curiosity. Numerous other 

 specimens were mentioned ; and several commendatory 

 epigrams were alluded to from Ausonius, Martial, Mani 

 lius, and others. One of the most ancient methods of 

 short-writing still extant, is a Latin MS. entitled " Ars 

 Scribendi Characteris," which was printed about the year 

 14J2. 



Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland" contains a speci- 

 men of stenographic writing among the Irish, called Ba- 

 beloth. It has a curious resemblance to some methods 

 now practised. The state of stenography in France, both 

 before and since the revolution, the lecturer described prin- 

 cipally by a reference to the Researches upon Printmg, by 

 M. Lambinet. He then described the attempt of the late 

 Bishop Wilkins to establish an universal language, and 

 also alluded to the curious writing of the ancient Welch, 

 as given by the ingenious Mr. Owen. 



The history of the art in this country comntences with 

 the treatise of Dr. Timothy Bright, v'vho published his 

 " Characterie" in 15S8. From this pt riod the lecturer 

 proceeded to trace the art in a regular chronohitiical order 

 to the invention of the late Mr., or, as he~ is com- 

 monly called, Di, B^rou), who introduced a new ia.^te and 

 method in short writing, which, as the precent Dr. Mavor 

 observes, must form lh6 basis of every future rational 

 system. 



Having descanted on the various methods in w^t prior to 



Byrom's invention, as also on some later schenjes, Mr N. 



proceeded to describe, by appropriate diagrams, figures, and 



U 3 letters. 



