The pen's excellencie, or, The secretaries delighte : wherein as well the abuses wh. are offered unto [the] worthines of ye pen by unworthie pen men, are trulie discovered: as ye dignity of ye art itselfe by ye antiquitie, excellencie & diversitie thereof is breifly demonstrated together with an insertion of sondrie peeces, or examples, of all ye vsuall hands of England: as also an addition of certaine methodicall observations for writing, making of the pen, holding the pen, &c. Written by Martin Billingsley mr in ye art of writing [sic] The Greeke & Hebrewe with other peeces never yet extant are hereunto by the authour exactlie added.
The pen's excellencie, or, The secretaries delighte : wherein as well the abuses wh. are offered unto [the] worthines of ye pen by unworthie pen men, are trulie discovered: as ye dignity of ye art itselfe by ye antiquitie, excellencie & diversitie thereof is breifly demonstrated together with an insertion of sondrie peeces, or examples, of all ye vsuall hands of England: as also an addition of certaine methodicall observations for writing, making of the pen, holding the pen, &c. Written by Martin Billingsley mr in ye art of writing [sic] The Greeke & Hebrewe with other peeces never yet extant are hereunto by the authour exactlie added.
Created/published
[London] : Are to be solde by Io: Sudbury & George Humble in Popeshead alley, [1618?]
The titlepage is engraved and is the the first numbered plate. Signatures: B-D⁴; D4 blank. 'The preface to the reader' signed and dated: M.B. Decemb. 22. 1618. 'The pens excellencie' begins on sig. B3r, preceded by a preface signed and dated "M.B. Decemb. 22. 1618". Sig. B2r line 3 ends with "past" and the "3" of sig. "D3" is under and to the right of "t" of "the" (STC). Marginal notes. Unnumbered plate = port.. Last leaf is blank.
Pollard, A.W. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.) (STC), 3062.3 English short title catalogue (ESTC), S123486
Imperfect: Lacking portrait and plates 3, 4, 6, 7, 16, and last blank; gathering D bound following plates. Bound in contemporary vellum (rebacked), with the arms of Augustine Vincent on both covers. Bound with: leaves from a variant edition of Jean de Beauchesne, La clef de l'escriture, London, [n.d.] - A nevv booke. London, 1611 - [44 Maps of England, Wales, and Ireland]. Autographs of James Burdon, John Burdon, John Barklay, and Alex Cameron; inscription: Bought this June 1839 for $ ..."
