Page:The Book of Common Prayer.djvu/10

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Preface.
vii

rately introduced into the original MS. by the writer or writers. Refinements of mere penmanship have been disregarded, but whatever could be considered an integral part of the Annexed Book has been exhibited in type.

During the execution of the work, every precaution that experience could suggest was taken to ensure perfect accuracy, and the completed work was then minutely compared, word by word, stop by stop, with the photographs of the Annexed Book from which the copy in facsimile was made in 1891, every case of ambiguity being determined by reference to the original in the House of Lords. Throughout this final examination the Queen's Printers have had the assistance of Mr. Reginald S. Faber, by whose special knowledge and experience of such manuscript work they have been guided in every detail. They may instance in particular the use of the capitals I, J, and S, which appear to have been adopted by the writers of the MS. in the most uncertain and varying manner, the S being almost always of such indefinite size that its reproduction in type could only be satisfactorily effected by a careful comparison of its numerous varieties.

In addition to the lines which enclose each page or form the skeleton of certain Tables and a few cross-lines within the pages, parts of the Kalendar, viz. the numerals in the first column of each month, the words Kalend, Nonœ, Idus together with the name of the month in the line