Cappelli's document with "gallows" letters

[Jorge Stolfi <stolfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    > However, I don't know the date of [Capelli's letter
    > with gallows].

The date is on the "letter" itself, 13 june 1172. It is actually a
notarial document recording the concession by the abbey of S. Savino in
Piacenza of a mill of theirs to miller Gerardo Albarola and his
heirs in perpetuity etc. etc. As I remember, it is signed by the abbot,
several monks as witnesses, the miller (not sure), and the public 
scribe / notary who prepared it.

Rene and I noticed similar lettering on the decree that established the
Strahov Monastery in Prague, very roughly from the same epoch.

So the date is way too old.  But of course the VMs author could have 
taken his inspiration from old handwriting when he designed the 
VMS alphabet (as modern font designers and calligraphers often do). 

All the best,

--stolfi