From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V1 #81 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Monday, February 23 1998 Volume 01 : Number 081 In this issue: [scribes]: Fw: [EK] Fw: [Mid] a poem [humor] by Strongarm Re: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V1 #73 [scribes]: signatures Re: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V1 #73 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 11:29:38 -0500 From: "June Lathrop" Subject: [scribes]: Fw: [EK] Fw: [Mid] a poem [humor] by Strongarm This came off the EK list today...enjoy! :) JulianaStafford Rusted Woodlands, East >: Disclaimer: Strongarm doesn't do "iambic pentameter." >: >: "An Ode To Scribes" >: by Strongarm >: >: Spending days at the library >: Looking at the books >: Making practice scrolls >: Just to see how it looks. >: >: Chasing turkeys 'round the barnyard >: Wishing they'd stand still >: Make a desperate grab >: Got another quill!!! >: >: Filling up my ink >: Picking out my nib >: Dripping on my tunic >: Ought to wear a bib! >: >: Drip that ink >: Spill that paint >: Cuss real loud >: 'cause I'm no saint. >: >: Line my paper >: Fill my pen >: Spill my ink >: Do it over again. >: >: Twenty scrolls I'm making >: All due in just one week!! >: Royalty is expecting them >: God! I think I'll freak! >: >: Work,work,work and work some more >: I burn the midnight oil >: I drag my butt across the floor >: But how I love this toil. >: >: If I don't get some sleep soon >: I won't be worth #@*! >: Just fourteen more lines >: And I'll be done with it! >: >: A scribe's work is never done >: At least that's the way it seems >: I use ink by the gallon >: And paper by the reams. >: >: The lines are straight >: The letters crisp >: The colors all look good >: I hope they all appreciate this >: I've done the best I could. >: >: The name is wrong!!! >: The award is wrong!!! >: I'm even at the wrong event! >: How could this be happening to me? >: After all the time I spent. >: >: I'll take on the extra work >: There's no need to bribe >: It's the least I can do >: For I'm a Kingdom scribe. >: >: >: ^ ^ >: ///l\\ ///l\\ >: llllll llllll >: ll ll ll ll >: llllll ll ll ll ll ll ll llllll >: llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll >: lllllllllllllll llllllllllllllll >: lllllllllllllll llllllllllllllll >: >: _____________________________________________________________________ >: You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. >: Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com >: Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] >: >: From: castle.strongarm@juno.com (Terry & Andrea L Pruitt) >: +--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ to unsubscribe, send a message to >: `~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~` sca-middle-request@dnaco.net with >: . | | | | | | | | 'unsubscribe' as its body. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > To leave this mailing list, send mail to majordomo@world.std.com > with the message UNSUBSCRIBE SCA-EAST > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 09:19:45 -0800 From: "Carolyn Richardson" Subject: Re: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V1 #73 >>On the other hand it may be possible that as a heraldic charge quills do have barbs - does anyone know if "quills" as opposed to feathers were used in (period) heraldry & if so whether they were illustrated as barrels or as still barbed? That might explain where the general misconception about 'writing with feathers' came from...<< All the heraldic representations I've seen contain barbs - sometimes along the length, sometimes just at the very end. Without them it would pretty much just look like a slash across the field. But that's kind of beside the point. The embattled quill is simply a charge used by the Caidan scribes at their choice to signify their membership to the Caid college of scribes - I don't think the idea was to have a realistic representation here, but something recognizable as a "quill" to anyone who looked at it. Most folks think of quills with barbs - - you pretty much have to be a scribe to think of them without them. Seems to me that the entire charge was actually the embattled quill being held by a seal ("seal" as in one of those sea creatures with flippers, not a wax one) but that may simply have been one of Eowyn's humorous drawings that I'm thinking of. Tetchubah of Greenlake Kingdom of Caid ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 12:32:12 PST From: "Jim Hart" Subject: [scribes]: signatures Just wondering if anyone knows anything about period signatures on legal documents. Not makers marks, but someone's "John Hancock" on a legal document or personal letter. What did a period signatuer look like? Most of our scribal research is looking at manuscript pages I know that legal documents were rather dull in compraison but I am curious about the signatures on them. They weren't all sealed, with a wax seal, were they? Conal ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 16:29:04 EST From: FITCHYBEAR@aol.com Subject: Re: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V1 #73 In a message dated 98-02-23 06:48:55 EST, bhw@psychology.nottingham.ac.uk writes: << Except that a quill cut for writing with would no longer have any barbs. Look at any illustration of someone writing in a period source and you will see the quill consists of just the barrel. It is also fairly obvious when you use them that you can't easily hold a quill with feathers on for writing. Despite the ubiquity of the "feather" pen in historical movies and as a "medieval gift" item, I've yet to see any evidence that they were used that way in period (if anyone has counter-evidence, please pass it on). On the other hand it may be possible that as a heraldic charge quills do have barbs - does anyone know if "quills" as opposed to feathers were used in (period) heraldry & if so whether they were illustrated as barrels or as still barbed? That might explain where the general misconception about 'writing with feathers' came from... Caitlin de Courcy >> the question was asked how does one draw the badge of the Caidian scribes guild which is as Mistress Eowyn states. I personally leave some of the barbs on my quills (especially handy at demos so the kids can really see that it was once a feather) certainly it is a matter of preference and ease of storage- JimBear ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V1 #81 ****************************