Styles of handwriting

From Jean de Beauchesne and John Baildon's New Booke Containing All Sorts of Hands (1611).
By permission of the Folger Shakespeare Library.

This sample shows various styles for each letter. They are somewhat difficult for the modern eye to read since they are written in the difficult "secretary" style, which Shakespeare probably used (his handwriting was certainly less legible than this example).

The writer's tools...