Step one: the translation of antique writings, Paleography

Figure 1

Paleography is the study of old writings, with the goal of understanding and translating documents. The way we write evolves throughout time as does the language, but also every individual has his stile of writing, making it important to accustom to one's calligraphy. Here we see different options for the writing of the same letter.

Luckily 18th-century writing is already quite similar to the language we use today, still translating the 160 pages of the manuscript can be a long and time-consuming endeavour.

Figure 2

A letter from the manuscript

Grammatical structures
Words usage
No punctuation
Errors
Calligraphy

These are some of the difficulties that we encountered during the translation. Even if the compiler was a proficient writer, it often remained challenging to translate and understand the contents.

With this specific letter, the writer is asking for updates about some legal matters and advice coming from a lawyer.

Naer myne compliment van een salig
nieuwjaer gewenst te hebben met vele navolgende
soo wilt niet qualyk nemen dat ich volgende
Loesten brief van 12 eber gepasseert mij informeren
ofte al in dien tyd niets vernomen hebt wegens
de successie ofte pretentie tot het sterfhuis van
joffrouw Darets

----

Having wished you a happy
new year, with many more to follow,
I hope you will forgive me for asking informations
about the last letter sent the 12th of (eber).
If in the meanwhile you recieved any news
about the claim on the dyeing house of
madame Darets

Figure 3

Dit stael is niet anders als suijveren
Fernabouk met wat aluyn en in de sode
eerdat u goet daer in gedaen wort doet men
wat kalk daer in en dan u goet laten koken
en ras omgedrayt

----

This sample is nothing else than pure
Fernanbouk with some alum, in the solution
before i added my ware i dissolved some
chalk, than i let my wares cook in it
and stirred regularly

Dit coleur is hier nevens niet als
in wauw laten trecken en dan de wauw uijtgenomen
en in de selve sop wat proventie audt laten
koken en daer mede laten sieden tot dat het
hoogh genoegh is dat kunt gij soo hoogh en
lighit crijgen gelijk hier te sien is twelk men
olijve noemt wilt gij nu in deselve sop
bruijn maken doet daer maer wat meerder blauw
proventie audt en coperoot in gelijk hen dese
stalen te sien is

----

The color next to this i let soak in weld,
which than i took out of the solution
than, in the same bath i added some provence wood
and let it cook, than i let it cook until it was
high enough, you can go as high or as
light as you see here on the side, it is called olive.
if you want to make brown from
the same solution, add some more blue
provence wood en iron sulfate, than you
will have the same as in these examples aside

References:
Figure 1: Examples of letter variations within a manuscript (Julie de Grote)
Figure 2-3: Letter and recipe from the Antwerp manuscript

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