A rectangular decorative headpiece featuring a dense arrangement of flowers, leaves, and fruits (including sunflowers and grapes) in a classical style. In the lower left corner of the frame, the initials "V.L.S." are visible.

PREFACE.

Ornamental drop cap 'D' featuring foliage and floral patterns within a square frame.THE work upon which we now embark, regarding ancient Greek writing and the various changes which were introduced into Greek letters down to the most recent centuries, has been the subject of long-standing observation; for we have devoted ourselves to the near-daily task of examining Greek exemplars for more than twenty years. And at the beginning, noting how necessary a knowledge of the age of manuscripts is for those who dedicate themselves to the emendation of Greek books, we lamented that the matter had not been undertaken by learned men who had spent their lives in Greek letters. For although that task seemed arduous and difficult in itself, yet, after some experimentation, we did not consider it to be such that it could not be brought to the desired end through assiduous labor. In a similar endeavor, there were domestic examples at hand that greatly encouraged us to undertake this burden; for the work on Latin Diplomatics by our own Mabillon τοῦ μακαρίτου [the blessed], lauded by men of repute, suggested that comparable results could be achieved in Greek letters.

Then, in the year 1693, we began to make a trial; namely, if there were any codices in the Royal and Colbertine Libraries bearing a note of the year and the calligrapher, we extracted specimens from them; from there, we moved on to others lacking such notes; and having frequently made comparisons with the former which possessed them, we at last seemed to have attained some expertise in the matter. Following this, having set out for Italy, we never ceased our customary work of exploration; but while examining Greek exemplars in various libraries, we found everywhere that the age we assigned to them at first sight agreed precisely with the notes of the calligraphers indicating the year, placed at the end where they existed; and this occurred very often in the presence of learned men. There are many witnesses to this fact, especially in Venice, where we remained for nearly two months. In Italy, just as in France, we extracted as accurately as possible specimens from codices of the best quality from every age.

Finally, in the year 1706, having compared the examples I had gathered from various libraries, I hoped it would not be useless if I published them arranged in chronological order, with annotations added to each, which I had gathered gradually and in my spare time. But since the very oldest books, which were copied from the beginnings of Greek letters down to the fourth century after the birth of Christ, have utterly perished, we have expressed those forms of a more remote age from bronze and marble tablets, and also from ancient coins, so that we might not appear to have omitted anything that pertained to Palaeography, or ancient writing.

As to what benefit may be expected from such a knowledge of ancient Greek scripts, perhaps there is no need for us to demonstrate it with many words, lest in a matter so evident...