NOTÆ, signs used in writing, which have the force of many letters. This contrivance for expedition is of great antiquity. It was known to the Greeks, and from them derived to the Romans. By whom the invention was brought into Rome is not precisely ascertained; but the most general opinion is, that in mat-
ters of importance Tully first made use of notes or short-hand writing, when Cato made an oration in order to oppose Julius Cæsar relative to the conspiracy of Catiline. Cicero, who was at that time consul, placed notarii, or expert short-hand writers, in different parts of the senate house, to take down the speech; and this was the first public occasion which we find recorded of employing short-hand writers among the Romans. It is unnecessary to observe, that hence proceeded the name of notary still in use.
There were three kinds of notes for short-hand writing used by the ancients, either for dispatch or secrecy. The first and most ancient was that of hieroglyphics, which are rather images or representations of things than of words. (See HIEROGLYPHICS). The Chinese characters are of this kind, and may with greater propriety be called note than literæ, as appears from what hath been already advanced.
The second species of notes were called singulariæ, from their expressing words by single letters. Sertorius Ursatus has compiled a very copious collection of such abbreviations, of which work there are several editions.
The third kind of notes were called notæ Tironiæ, from Tiro the freed man of Cicero, who was excellently skilled in this art; and it is to him that we are indebted for the preservation of Cicero's letters, of which a great part still remain, and one entire book of them written to Tiro himself.
From books it appears, that notes were very frequent among the Romans, and continued in use to the 10th and 11th centuries. We have indeed but few books remaining that are written in short-hand; but this is not surprising, when such was the unhappy situation of early ages, that either superstition condemned them to the flames as the works of impious magicians or necromancers, or they were left to be devoured by vermine, through ignorance and stupidity, which was so very great, that some people, as Trithemius affirms, looked upon notes in those days as the elements of the Armenian language. It is probable, however, that there are writings of this sort still extant, which might contribute to enrich the republic of letters.
There are several MSS. and instruments written in these kind of notæ, in the royal library at Paris. In the year 1747, the learned and ingenious Monf. Charpentier, engraved and published at Paris a capitulary, and 54 charters of Louis the Pious, emperor and king of France, written in these notæ Tironiæ. To this work the learned editor hath prefixed an Alphabetum Tironianum, together with a great number and variety of notes or marks for the different parts of speech, and rules for acquiring the art of writing in these kind of notes. Valerius Probus, in his book De Literis Antiquis, explains many of the characters used by the short-hand writers; and there is a dictionary of them set forth by Janus Gruterus. See STENOGRAPHY.