The book first appeared in the late 17th century, and while it may well have been reprinted more than once, neither NUC nor RLIN shows any edition other than one of 1695. Moreover, apparently the 1695 copy that appears in both those bibliographical sources is the same incomplete one. This magnificent collection of engravings is clearly rare.

Full text examples include the Lord's Prayer, The Creed, and First, Second, Third, and 15th Psalms.

Lane argues for the “great Benefit that ye Knowledge of this Art might be to the Clergy & all others” on the basis of speed (“as much may be written in one hour as by the Common Long Hand in six or more”) and easy acquisition (“[the rules are] laid down in such a plain and easie manner that any Person may learn it without a Teacher”).

Scarce: A search of ESTC locates seven copies, of which only two are in U.S. libraries. Not traced via OCLC and NUC-1956.

A nice example of a book not printed from moveable type; entirely printed from engraved plates.

•  ESTC T82591.   Sewn in original marbled-paper wrappers. Paper of spine chipped away, taking some paper at inner edge; small chips and nicks at edges of wrappers. Small bite out of outer margin of final leaf of text and final blank leaf; shallow chipping at lower outer corners and bottom margin of one page. Faint waterstaining. A good copy of a fragile little production.  (23729)

Justice was in 1752 convicted and transported for having stolen numerous books from the Trinity College library, despite his defenders’ claim that as a Fellow Commoner of the college he had a legitimate right to borrow books; Virgil’s Opera were among the works listed as having been stolen by Justice, who went on to publish his own rendition and one other work (Bibliothèque universelle, choisie, ancienne et moderne) in his subsequent career on the Continent.

•  Brunet, V, 1293. Binding as above, board edges darkened, joints and edges rubbed, leather showing some small cracks on spine. Front pastedown with private collector’s bookplate, front free endpaper with institutional rubber stamp (no other markings). Sewing loosening. Some faint spotting, pages and plates mostly clean. Elegant.

Weston’s claim for his systems was that “By this new method any, who can but tolerably write their names in round-hand, may with ease (by this book alone without any teacher) take down from ye speaker’s mouth, any sermon, speech, trial, play, &c., word by word, though they know nothing of Latin, and may likewise read one another’s writing distinctly, be it ever so long after it is written; to perform these by any other short-hand method extant is utterly impossible, as is evident from ye books themselves.” He also addresses the question of speed, assuring the would-be stenographer that in his method “ . . . can be joined in every sentence, at least two, three, four, five, six, seven, or more words together in one without taking off ye pen, in ye twinkling of an eye, and that by the signs of the English moods, tenses, persons, particles, &c., never before invented . . . [,]” the whole of a conversation can be captured.

•  ESTC T202325. Recent marbled paper–covered boards, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label. Title-page and several others rubber-stamped by a now-defunct institution — being a “mercantile” library, interesting provenance for a book of this sort. First and last few leaves showing faint waterstaining; pages and plates otherwise generally clean.