Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Handwriting of Geniuses

Many people have heard of the mirrored handwriting of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519),
Da Vinci's mirrored handwriting

Handwriting.org

but few know that another genius, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), wrote Latin with a littera inintelligibilis, an "unintelligible lettering:"
St. Thomas Aquinas's "littera inintelligibilis" or "unintelligible lettering" in a manuscript he wrote and autographed

Manuscript page showing “littera inintelligibilis,” written and autographed by St. Thomas Aquinas.

"St. Thomas Aquinas," New Catholic Encyclopedia

St. Thomas apparently dictated his writings to a handful secretaries simultaneously because he could not get his thoughts down fast enough. This might explain his littera inintelligibilis.

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