Scribes at work. Woodcut illustration depicting a group of scribes and their clients. Scribes were educated people who could read and write. They were employed to write out formal documents such as legal notices and contracts or wills in a clear script. The majority of people, even the relatively well educated, would barely have been able to write legibly in the 16th century. This illustration was published in Theatrum mundi by Pierre de Boaisteau, printed at Dresden in 1588.