Timothe Bright, doctor of phisicke : a memoir of "the father of modern shorthand" / by William J. Carlton.

  • Carlton, William J. (William John), 1886-1973.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Timothe Bright, doctor of phisicke : a memoir of "the father of modern shorthand" / by William J. Carlton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    decessor. To Willis undoubtedly belongs the credit of producing the first rational and workable system of rapid writing with a strictly alphabetical basis, and all subsequent system-makers have followed his plan in its main principles. It is of interest, too, to note that he wrote phonetically, for he is careful to distinguish his work by styling it “ spelling characterie,” and empha- sizes the fact that “ in this Art, not the orthographie, but the sound of the word is respected.” In his Schoolmaster to Stenography (1622) Willis ob- serves that “ D[r.] Bright in his Art of Charactery, had 556. Charactericall words, whereunto all other words must be referred : some by affinity and neerenesse of their sound : some as conjugates by difference of ter- mination, number, comparison, and tense; some as deriuatiues, some as synonymaes, some as indiuiduall Species vnder the same Genus, and some as contraries, (which required both strength of iudgement and good abilitie of Schollership to performe :) yet had not the incumbrance beene more by these relations, & perfecting the sense with a supply out of the precedent and sub- sequent words, the number of the Characters would neuer haue beene thought troublesome, though they were not literall, but made ad placitum. And yet all these difficulties notwithstanding, diuers men attained great readinesse in the practice of that Art.” Against this must be placed the statement of Edmond Willis (Abreuiation of Writing by Character, 1618) that “ Great paine and studious care hath been taken by many men to attaine to the knowledge of Short writing; and worthily and learnedly haue some of them behaued