Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/46

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A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TROANO.

ecuted, apparently, after the paper was folded, so that this does not interfere with the writing.

The fac-simile edition is divided into two parts, paged separately; the first part containing thirty-five pages or plates, numbered with simple Roman numerals from I to XXXV; the second with Roman numerals accompanied by a star, thus: XII*; but this part has only thirty-four pages, numbered I* to XXXIV*; the first plate, which appears to be—as Brasseur has designated it—the "title page," is not numbered.

The two parts I presume are made to correspond with the two sides of the original; the title page being at the end of one side and forming the page on the first fold.

The lines and columns of written characters are uniformly black, some of the numeral characters red, others black; the pictorial portions are usually red, brown, or blue, but occasionally varied with black, and often simply outline figures. The background of the compartments or spaces on which the figures are painted is usually white, but in some cases it is blue, in others, brown or red. Several of the plates are more or less damaged, all of the imperfections, as it is claimed, being reproduced in the fac-simile edition.

Our colored plates, which are reproduced from the fac-simile work, will give the reader an idea of the characters and figures.

It is admitted by all who have made the comparison, that the written characters belong to the same class as those given by Landa.

Although there are numerous variations, and also some characters in the manuscript not given by him, yet most of his letter and day characters, especially the latter, can be found identical in form and details. As proof of this I give here the following examples of exact copies after Landa and the Manuscript:

Fig. 1.—Comparison of Landa's characters with those of the Troano manuscript.