Looking at the pictures is not enough, Mark.
If you only look at the pictures, then you don't know if you are looking at a letter, a ligature, or an abbreviation. You have to understand the distinctions between these in order to know if a shape is similar to one in the VMS and that means reading the explanation that goes with the diagram.
Also, if you don't know how to read the text, then you don't know whether the shape you found in a manuscripts is a related shape or if the similarity is a coincidence.
If you only look at the pictures, then you don't know if you are looking at a letter, a ligature, or an abbreviation. You have to understand the distinctions between these in order to know if a shape is similar to one in the VMS and that means reading the explanation that goes with the diagram.
Also, if you don't know how to read the text, then you don't know whether the shape you found in a manuscripts is a related shape or if the similarity is a coincidence.