On Love (Commentary on Plato's Symposium)

have it: but to any foreigner whatsoever, declaring to him the true meaning of any word, which by means of common writing, might be doubtful, due to variety of sound, or accent, in whatever place it may be, whether accompanied or alone: And the mode is this:

That having we firstly two notable sounds upon the letter E, the one open and clear, similar to that which we hear in the Latin E: The other closed, and in respect to the first, much less clear, declining it somewhat, although very little, towards the I: And finding ourselves likewise with a Cancelleresca chancery script E with somewhat of a little hook attached to the closing of the middle, like this one: e, and another Corsiva cursive, or formed without a point of a hook, like this other: e: We have conveniently assigned to the Cancelleresca e, that first open and clear sound, and which in the first syllables of these words is universally recognized: Bene well, Bello beautiful, Ferro iron, Spero I hope, and Terra earth: And the other closed, and almost weakened, to the other Corsiva e and closed, as is heard in these others: Pena pain, Fermo firm, Scende descends, Fendo I split, Vero true, rintero entire/reintegrated, and infinite others similar catchword: do