Fors clavigera Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great Britain . wer in it, which you cannot at oncehope to imitate in a complete letter ; and must be preparedfor by copying a mere incipient fragment or flourish of orna-mental line. This line bai been drawn for yOU, verv leisurely indby of the gentlest of tic animals living on our EnglishI south downs,—;md yet, quietly done as it is, being the re- suit of wholly i n1 energy, it is ? line which ? Byzan- tine Greek would never hav»- produced in writing, nor STenin architecture, • •\<,<-pt when he was imitating an Ionian a
Fors clavigera Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great Britain . wer in it, which you cannot at oncehope to imitate in a complete letter ; and must be preparedfor by copying a mere incipient fragment or flourish of orna-mental line. This line bai been drawn for yOU, verv leisurely indby of the gentlest of tic animals living on our EnglishI south downs,—;md yet, quietly done as it is, being the re- suit of wholly i n1 energy, it is ? line which ? Byzan- tine Greek would never hav»- produced in writing, nor STenin architecture, • •\<,<-pt when he was imitating an Ionian are tu draw a horizontal line through the point in 132 FORS CLAVIGERA. the centre of this figure. Then measure the breadth of thesix coils on each side, counting from the centre backward*and forwards. Then draw a vertical line through centre, and measurethe breadths above and below. Then draw the completecurve lightly through these fixed points—alter it to yourmind—and then paint over it the determined line, with anydark colour and a camels hair The difficulty is to draw it so that there shall not be thesmallest portion of it which is not approaching the innercurve, and narrowing the intermediate space. And you willfind DO trick of compasses will draw it. Choose any numberof centres you like, and still I defy you to draw the curvemechanically ; it can be done only as I have done it myself,with the free hand, correcting it and correcting till I got itright.* * The law of ita course will be given in the Laws of Fesole, Plate V. &S OLA V7GBRA. 133 When you have succeeded, to any moderate extent, in do-ing this, your hand will have begun to receive the power ofexecuting: a serene and dignified flourish instead of a vulvar1 dash. And you may also begin to understand that theword flourish itself, as applied to writing, means thespringing of its lines into floral exuberance,—therefore,strong procession and growth, which must be in a spiraline, for the stems of plan
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