Greek inscriptions indicate that as early as the fourth century B.C. people have used abbreviated script in an attempt to keep pace with the speed of speech (140 words per minute, on average). The first known organized system of shorthand writing, or stenography, emerged around 50 B.C. and is attributed to the Roman freedman Marcus Tullius Tiro (born ca. first century B.C.), a secretary to the orator Cicero (106-43 B.C.). The Tironian method, which employed brief strokes to represent the characters of the alphabet, was taught in schools and used to record speeches throughout the Roman era and the early Christian period; another system was devised by Roman writer and philosopher Seneca (ca. 4 B.C.-ca. 65 A.D.). During the early Middle Ages, however, shorthand became associated with witchcraft and fell into disuse.

It was not until 1588 that shorthand was revived by English clergyman Timothy Bright...