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Alphabet

Below are sample alphabets of the four major scripts used in early modern English-language documents.

Examples of the 4 Main Scripts

To learn more about these scripts, visit the Hands section under Techniques and Tools.

English Round Hand

From "Round hand script" at brittanica.com

Italic Hand

From "Learning to write the alphabet" by Heather Wolfe at
The Collation: a gathering of scholarship from the Folger Shakespeare Library

Secretary Hand

From "Learning to write the alphabet" by Heather Wolfe at
The Collation: a gathering of scholarship from the Folger Shakespeare Library

The Secretary Hand: Full Alphabet

For further practice with Secretary hand, visit rycote.bodleia​n.ox.ac.uk.​

Pay particular attention to the lowercase c, e, h, r, s, u/v, w, and x.​

Court Hand