TheFrenchJewswereusing“tusche“typicalofthe“Indian“ink,whiletheGermanswereemploying“pomegranate“and“gall“inks。RepresentativesfrominterestedreligiousJewishcenterscametogetherandresolvedtosubmittheirdifferencesforfinaladjustmenttoMaimonides,borninSpain,A。D。
1130,anddiedA。D。1204——thethengreatestlivingHebrewtheologianandauthorityonbiblicalandrabbinicallaws。Discardingallsideissues,theirdifferenceswereseeminglyincorporatedintothreequestionsandthuspropoundedtohim:
1。IstheTalmudicdeyoidenticalwithalchiber?
2。OfwhatingredientshouldtheTalmudicdeyoconsist,ifitisnotthesameasalchiber?
3。Isalchibertobeunderstoodasrelatingtothegall-appleandchalkanthumbluevitriol?
TothefirstandthirdquestionsMaimonidesdeclaredthatdeyoandalchiberwerenotidentical;
andforthereasonsthattheTalmuddeclaresdeyotobeawritingmaterialwhichdoesnotremainonthesurfaceonwhichitisplacedandtobeeasilyeffaced。
Ontheotherhandalchibercontainsgumandotherthingswhichcausesittoadheretothewritingsurface。
TothesecondquestionheaffirmedthattheTalmuddistinguishesadoublekindofdeyo,onecontaininglittleornogumandbeingafluid,andtheotherreferringto“pulverizedcoalofthevine,sootfromburningoliveoil,tar,rosinandhoney,pressedintoplatestobedissolvedinwaterwhenwantedforuse。”
Furthermore,whiletheTalmudexcludestheuseofcertaininksofwhichironvitriolwasone,itdoesnotexcludeatramentum,chalkanthum,coppervitriol,becausetheTalmudneverspeaksofit。HeinsistedthattheTalmudrequiresadryinkdeyo。
AsoneofthelastentriesmadeintheTalmudagreatcollectionoflegaldecisionsbytheancientRabbis,Hebrewtraditions,etc。,andbelievedtohavebeencommencedinthesecondcenturyoftheChristianeraisclaimedtobelongtothesixthcentury,mentionsgall-applesandironcoppervitriol,itmusthavereferredto“gall“ink。FurtherinvestigationdisclosesthefactthatsuchgallswereofChineseoriginandasweknowtheydonotcontainthenecessaryfermentwhichthealeppoandothergallspossessforinducingatransformationofthetanninintogallicacid,nocompleteunioncouldthereforeobtain。
Hencethevalueofthiscompositionwaslimiteduntilthetimewhenyeastandothermaterialswereintroducedtoovercomeitsdeficiencies。
Hotz-OsterwaldofZurich,antiquarianandscholar,hasassertedthatwiththeexceptionofthecarboninksemployedonpapyrus,thewritingpigmentsofantiquityandtheMiddleAgeshavescarcelybeeninvestigated。Thedarktolight-brownpigment,hithertoaproblem,universallyusedonparchment,hecontendsuponhistorical,chemicalandmicroscopicevidenceisidenticalwithoeno-cyaninandwaspreparedforthemostpartfromyeast,andwasfirstemployedasapigment。Contrarytothegeneralopinionitcontainsnoiron,exceptfrequentlyaccidentaltraces,andafteritsappearanceinGreeceinthethirdcentury,itformedalmostexclusivelytheinkoftheancientmanuscripts,untildisplacedbythegallateinks,saidtohavebeenintroducedbytheArabians。Theseaccidentaltracesofironwereduetotheemploymentofironvesselsinthemakingoftheink。
MyownobservationsinthisdirectionconfirmandestablishthefactthatitwasthecustomintheearlycenturiesoftheChristianeratoutilizeyeastorananalogouscompoundaspartofthecompositionofink,towhichwasaddedsepia,ortherindofthepomegranateapplepreviouslydissolvedbyheatinalkalinesolutions。
Thisanalogouscompoundwasprobablythematerialprocuredfromwineleesdregs,depositedafterfermentationhascommenced,andwhichafterconsiderableapplicationofheatyieldsnotonlymostofthetannincontainedinthestonesandfruitstalks,butaviscidcompoundcharacteristicofgelatineandofared-purplecolorwhichincourseoftimechangestobrown。
Bloxamsaysthatthecoloringmatterofgrapesandofredwineappearstobe“cyanin。”
Oneofthemethodsoftreatingwinelees,astranslatedintheeighteenthcenturyfromanoldItaliansecreta,issufficientlycurioustopartlyquote:
“DrytheLeesdregsofwinewithagentlefireandfillwiththemtwothirdofalargeearthenRetort,placethisretortinareverberatoryfurnace,andfittingittoalargereceiver,giveasmallfiretoittoheattheRetortbydegrees,anddriveforthaninsipidphlegm;whenvapoursbegintorise,youmusttakeoutthephlegmandlutingcarefullythejuncturesofyourvessels,quickenthefirelittlebylittleuntilyoufindthereceiverfilledwithwhiteclouds;
continueitinthiscondition,andyouperceivethereceivertocool,raisethefiretotheutmostextremity,andcontinueitso,untiltherearisenomorevapours。Whenthevesselsarecoldunlutethereceiver,andshakingittomaketheVolatilesalt,whichstickstoit,falltothebottom,pouritallintoabolt-head;fitittoaHeadwithasmallreceiver;
lutewellthejuncturesandplacingitinsand,givealittlefireunderit,andthevolatilesaltwillriseandsticktothehead,andthetopoftheBolt-head;takeoffyourheadandsetonanotherinitsplace;gatheryoursaltandstopittipquickly,foriteasilydissolvesintoaliquor;continuethefire,andtakecaretogathertheSaltaccordingasyouseeitappear;butwhenthererisesnomoresalt,aliquorwilldistill,ofwhichyoumustdrawaboutthreeounces,andputoutthefire。”&c。
The“leesofwine。”inconnectionwiththeancientmethodsofink-makingisalsoreferredtobytheyoungerPlinyinhistwenty-fifthbook,whichtheEdinburghReviewhascarefullytranslatedandprinted:
“INKorliterallyBLACKING——Inkalsomaybesetdownamongtheartificialorcompound
drugs,althoughitisamineralderivedfromtwosources。For,itissometimesdevelopedintheformofasalineefflorescence,——orisarealmineralofsulphureouscolor——chosenforthispurpose。
TherehavebeenpainterswhodugupfromgravescoloredcoalsCARBON。Butalltheseareuselessandnew-fanglednotions。Foritismadefromsootinvariousforms,asforinstanceofburntrosinorpitch。Forthispurpose,theyhavebuiltmanufactoriesnotemittingthatsmoke。Theinkoftheverybestqualityismadefromthesmokeoftorches。Aninferiorarticleismadefromthesootoffurnacesandbath-housechimneys。Therearesomemanufacturersalso,whoemploythedriedleesofwine;andtheydosaythatiftheleessoemployedwerefromgoodwine,thequalityoftheinkistherebymuchimproved。PolygnotusandMicon,celebratedpaintersatAthens,madetheirblackpaintfromburntgrape-vines;theygaveitthenameofTRYGYNON。APELLES,wearetold,madeHISfromburntivory,andcalleditelephantina’ivory-black。’Indigohasbeenrecentlyimported,——
asubstancewhosecompositionIhavenotyetinvestigated。Thedyersmaketheirsfromthedarkcrustthatgraduallyaccumulatesonbrass-kettles。
Inkismadealsofromtorchespine-knots,andfromcharcoalpoundedfineinmortars。’Thecuttlefish’hasaremarkablequalifyinthisrespect;
butthecoloring-matterwhichitproducesisnotusedinthemanufactureofink。Allinkisimprovedbyexposuretothesun’srays。Book-writers’
inkhasgummixedwithit,——weavers’inkismadeupwithglue。Inkwhosematerialshavebeenliquifiedbytheagencyofanacidiserasedwithgreatdifficulty。”
Therearebutfewexceptionsrespectingthegeneralsamenessofinkreceiptsofthesucceedingcenturies,oneofwhichisthe“Pomegranate。”creditedtotheseventhcenturybutreallybelongingtoanearlierperiod:
“OfthedriedPommegraniteapplerindtakeanounce,boilitinapintofwateruntil3/4begone;add1/2pintofsmallbeerwortandoncemoreboilitawaysothatonlya1/4pintremain。
Afteryoushallhavestrainedit,boilinghotthroughalinnenclothanditcomescold,beingthenofaglutinousconsistence,dropina’bit’ofSalAlkaliandaddasmuchwarmwateraswillbringittoaduefluidityandagoldbrowncolorforwritingwithapen。”
Followingthisformulaandwithoutanymodifications,Iobtainedanexcellentinkofdurablequality,butofpoorcolor,fromastandpointofblackness。
Alessancient“Secreta。”signedbytheItalianmonk“Theophilus。”wholivedaboutthecommencementoftheeleventhcentury,ismostinteresting:
“Tomakeink,cutforyourselfwoodofthethorn-treesinAprilorMay,beforetheyproduceflowersorleaves,andcollectingtheminsmallbundles,allowthemtolieintheshadefortwo,three,orfourweeks,untiltheyaresomewhatdry。Thenhavewoodenmallets,withwhichyoubeatthesethornsuponanotherpieceofhardwood,untilyoupeeloffthebarkeverywhere,putwhichimmediatelyintoabarrelfulofwater。Whenyouhavefilledtwo,orthree,orfour,orfivebarrelswithbarkandwater,allowthemsotostandforeightdays,untilthewatersimbibeallthesapofthebark。
Afterwardsputthiswaterintoaverycleanpan,orintoacauldron,andfirebeingplacedunderit,boilit;fromtimetotime,also,throwintothepansomeofthisbark,sothatwhateversapmayremaininitmaybeboiledout。Whenyouhavecookeditalittle,throwitout,andagainputinmore;whichdone,boildowntheremainingwateruntoathirdpart,andthenpouringitoutofthispan,putitintoonesmaller,andcookituntilitgrowsblackandbeginstothicken;addonethirdpartofpurewine,andputtingitintotwoorthreenewpots,cookituntilyouseeasortofskinshowitselfonthesurface;thentakingthesepotsfromthefire,placetheminthesununtiltheblackinkpurifiesitselffromthereddregs。Afterwardstakesmallbagsofparchmentcarefullysewn,andbladders,andpouringinthepureink,suspendtheminthesununtilallisquitedry;Andwhendry,takefromitasmuchasyouwish,andtemperitwithwineoverthefire,and,addingalittlevitriol,write。
But,ifitshouldhappenthroughnegligencethatyourinkbenotblackenough,takeafragmentofthethicknessofafingerandputtingitintothefire,allowittoglow,andthrowitdirectlyintotheink。”
Afterrecitingmanyreceiptswhichpertaintootherarts,thisgoodoldmonkconcludes:
“Whenyoushallhavere-readthisoften,andhavecommittedittoyourtenaciousmemory,youshallthusrecompensemeforthiscareofinstruction,that,asoftenasyoushallsuccessfullyhavemadeuseofmywork,youprayformeforthepityofomnipotentGod,whoknowsthatIhavewrittenthesethingswhichareherearranged,neitherthroughloveofhumanapprobation,northroughdesireoftemporalreward,norhaveIstolenanythingpreciousorrarethroughenviousjealousy,norhaveIkeptbackanythingreservedformyselfalone;but,inaugmentationofthehonourandgloryofHisname,Ihaveconsultedtheprogressandhastenedtoaidthenecessitiesofmanymen。”
The“thorn“treeswhichTheophilusmentionsareassertedbysomewriterswithwhomIdonotagreetobethosecommonlyknownasthe“Norwayspruce。”aspeciesofpineofloftyproportionssometimesrisingtotheheightof150feetwithatrunkfromfourtofivefeetindiameter。Itlivestoagreatagebelievedtoexceedinmanyinstances450years。
Theleavesneedles,thornsareshortbutstandthicklyuponthebranchesandareofaduskygreencolorshiningontheuppersurface;thefruitisnearlycylindricalinformandofapurplecolorcoveredwithscalesraggedattheedges。ItisanativeofEuropeandNorthernAsia。ItfurnishesthematerialknownasBurgundypitchwhichisobtainedbyremovingthejuicewhichissecretedinthebarkofthetree;itispurifiedbyameltingprocessandstrainingeitherthroughaclothoralayerofstraw。Itgivesforthapeculiarodornotunpleasant,resemblingturpentine。
TheBurgundypitchorrosinissolubleinhotalcoholspiritsofwine。
Aninkpreparedafterthemethodlaiddownbythismonk,assumingthathereferredtothespruce-pine,whiletroublesometowritewith,wouldbealmostaslastingas“Indian“inkandwouldbemostdifficulttoerasefromparchmentintowhichitwouldbeabsorbedduetoitsalcoholicqualities。
“Theink。”remarksMontfaucon,“whichweseeinthemostancientGreekmanuscripts,hasevidentlylostmuchofitspristineblackness;yetneitherhasitbecomealtogetheryelloworfaint,butisrathertawnyordeepred,andoftennotfarfromavermillion。”
Whiletherearesomemonumentsofthiskindofinkinfairconditionofthefourthandsucceedingcenturies,theyaggregatebutaverysmallproportionofthevastnumberofprincipallyIndianinkspecimenswhichremaintousofthoseepochs。Asexemplars,however,ofaforgottenclassofinksbelongingtoastillmoreremoteantiquity,carefulresearchadducescertainproofoftheirexistencemorethanninehundredyearsbeforetheChristianeracommenced。
ReferencehasearlierbeenmadetotheancientMyrobolamink,whichwascharacteristicallythesameincolorphenomenaasthosewhichMontfauconmentions。
These“tawny“coloredinksIestimatewereproductsobtainedfromthe“thorn“treesspokenofbythemonkTheophilus。Thethorntreeswereoftwospecies。Thepomegranate,ancientlycalledthe“Punicapple。”becauseitwaslargelyemployedbytheCarthageniansforthepurposesofdyeingandtanning;andtheacacia,knowninEgyptiantimesasthelotus。TheformerwasheldinsuchhighesteemthattheArabiansandEgyptiansmadeitanemblemtodesignateoneoftheirdietiesandtermeditraman。
Theproductsofthesethorn,treeswerecollectivelyusedtogetherasink,mostofthetanninbeingobtainedfromthepomegranate,andthegumfromtheacacia。
CHAPTERVIII。
MEDIAEVALINK。
INKSECRETASOFTHETWELFTHCENTURYCOMPAREDWITH
EARLIERONES——APPEARANCEOFTANNO-GALLATEOF
IRONINKINTHETWELFTHCENTURY——ITSINTRODUCTION
LOCATESTHEEPOCHWHENTHEMODERNINKOF
TO-DAYFIRSTCAMEINTOVOGUE——ITSAPPROVALAND
ADOPTIONBYTHEFATHERSOFTHECHURCH——THE
INVENTIONNOTITALIANBUTASIATIC——ITSARRIVAL
FROMASIAFROMTHEWESTANDNOTTHEEAST——APPEARANCE
ABOUTTHESAMETIMEOFLINENORMODERN
PAPER——SETTLEMENTOFOLDCONTROVERSIESABOUT
ANCIENTSO-CALLEDCOTTONPAPER-DEVINNE’SCOMMENT
ABOUTPAPERANDPAPER-MAKING——CURIOUS
CONTRACTOFTHEFOURTEENTHCENTURY。
THE“Secretas“ofthetwelfthcentury,insofarastheyrelatetomethodsofmakingink,indicatemanydeparturesfromthosecontainedinthemoreancientones。Frequentmentionismadeofsourgalls,aleppogalls,greenandbluevitriol,theleesofwine,blackamber,sugar,fish-glueandahostofunimportantmaterialsasbeingemployedintheadmixtureofblackinks。Combinationsofsomeofthesematerialsareexpressedinformulas,themostimportantoneofwhichdetailswithgreatparticularitythecomminglingtogetherofaninfusionofnut-galls,greenvitriolsulphateofironandfish-glueisinglass;thetwofirsttanno-gallateofironwhenusedalone,formsthesolebaseofallunadulterated“gall“inks。
Datesareappendedtosomeoftheseinkandotherformulas。The“tanno-gallateofiron“onehas,however,nodate。ButasitappearscloselyfollowingadateofA。D。1126,itmusthavebeenwrittenaboutthattime。
Documents,publicandprivate,bearingdatesnearlycontemporarywiththatera,writtenininkofliketype,arestillextant,confirminginaremarkabledegreethe“Secreta“formula,andestablishingthefactthatthefirsthalfofthetwelfthcenturymarkstheepochinwhichthe“gall“ormoderninkoftodaycameintovogue。
ItsadoptionbythepriestsstampeditwiththesealoftheChurchandthearrivalfromtheWestaboutthesameperiodofflaxorlinenpaperwiththeaddedfactthattheseassimilatedsowelltogether,laterplacedthembothonthepopularbasiswhichhascontinuedtothepresenttime。
WhiletheSecretawhichcontainsthe“gall“inkformulaisofItalianorigin,theinventionofthisinkbelongssolelytoanAsiaticcountry,fromwhenceingradualstagesbywayofArabia,SpainandFrance,itfinallyreachedRome。Thence,throughtheChurch,informationaboutitwasconveyedtowherevercivilizationexisted。
WearenotconfinedinourinvestigationsofancientMSS。toanyparticularlocalityordate,asthetwelfth,thirteenth,fourteenthandfifteenthcenturiesareprolificof“gall“inkmonumentscoveringanimmenseterritory。Suchinkswhenusedunadulterated,remaininanalmostpristinecolorcondition;whiletheotherinkstowhichsomepigmentorcolorhadbeenadded,probablytomakethemmoreagreeableinappearanceandmorefree-flowing,withamistakenideaofimprovingthem,aremuchdiscoloredandineveryinstancepresentbutslightindicationsoftheiroriginalcondition。
Thequestionofthecharacterofthepaperemployedduringtheseeras,composedofdifferentkindsoffibrousvegetablesubstances,possessessomeimportancewhendiscussingitsrelationshiptoinks。Manyauthorscertifytothemanufactureanduseof“cotton“
intheeleventh,twelfthandlatercenturies。
Madan,however,intreatingthissubject,makesthefollowingcommentswhichareinlinewithmyownobservations:
“Paperhasforlongbeenthecommonsubstanceformiscellaneouspurposesofordinarywriting,andhasatalltimesbeenformedexclusivelyfromragschieflyoflinenreducedtopull,pouredoutonaframeinathinwaterysheet,andgraduallydriedandgivenconsistencebytheactionofheat。Ithasbeenapopularbelief,foundineverybooktill1886nowentirelydisproved,butprobablydestinedtodiehard,thatthecommonyellowishthickpaper,withroughfibrousedge,foundespeciallyinGreekMSS。tillthefifteenthcentury,waspaperofquiteanothersort,andmadeofcottonchartabombycna,bombyxbeingusuallysilk,butalsousedofanyfinefibresuchascotton。Themicroscopehasatlastconclusivelyshownthatthesetwopapersaresimplytwodifferentkindsofordinarylinen-ragpaper。”
DeVinnespeaking,ofpaperandpaper-makingsays:
“Thegradualdevelopmentofpaper-makinginEuropeisbutimperfectlypresentedthroughthesefragmentaryfacts。Papermayhavebeenmadeformanyyearsbeforeitfoundchroniclerswhothoughtthemanufactureworthyofnotice。TheSpanishpaper-millsofToledowhichwereatworkintheyear1085,andanancientfamilyofpaper-makerswhichwashonoredwithmarkedfavorbythekingofSicilyintheyear1102,arecarelesslymentionedbycontemporarywritersasifpaper-makingwasanoldandestablishedbusiness。Itdoesnotappearthatpaperwasanoveltyatamuchearlierperiod。
Thebullsofthepopesoftheeighthandninthcenturieswerewrittenoncottoncardorcottonpaper,butnowritercalledattentiontothiscard,ordescribeditasanewmaterial。IthasbeensupposedthatthispaperwasmadeinAsia,butitcouldhavebeenmadeinEurope。Apaper-likefabric,madefromthebarksoftrees,wasusedforwritingbytheLongobardsintheseventhcentury,andacoarseimitationoftheEgyptianpapyrus,intheformofastrongbrownpaper,hadbeenmadebytheRomansasearlyasthethirdcentury。TheartofcompactinginawebthemaceratedfibresofplantsseemstohavebeenknownandpractisedtosomeextentinSouthernEuropelongbeforetheestablishmentofMoorishpaper-mills。
“TheMoorsbroughttoSpainandSicilynotanentirelynewinvention,butanimprovedmethodofmakingpaper,andwhatwasmoreimportant,acultureandcivilizationthatkeptthismethodinconstantexercise。ItwaschieflyforthelackofabilityandlackofdispositiontoputpapertoproperusethattheearlierEuropeanknowledgeofpaper-
makingwassobarrenofresults。Theartofbook-
makingasitwasthenpractisedwasmadesubservienttothespiritofluxurymorethantothedesireforknowledge。Vellumwasregardedbythecopyistastheonlysubstancefitforwritingon,evenwhenitwassoscarcethatitcouldbeusedonlyforthemostexpensivebooks。Thecard-likecottonpaperoncemadebytheSaracenswascertainlyknowninEuropeformanyyearsbeforeitsutilitywasrecognized。Hallamsaysthattheuseofthiscottonpaperwasbynomeansgeneralorfrequent,exceptinSpainorItaly,andperhapsinthesouthofFrance,untiltheendofthefourteenthcentury。
NorwasitmuchusedinItalyforbooks。
“Papercamebeforeitstimeandhadtowaitforrecognition。Itwassorelyneeded。TheEgyptianmanufactureofpapyrus,whichwasinastateofdecayintheseventhcentury,ceasedentirelyintheninthortenth。Notmanybookswerewrittenduringthisperiod,buttherewasthen,andforatleastthreecenturiesafterwards,anunsatisfieddemandforsomethingtowriteupon。Parchmentwassoscarcethatrecklesscopyistsfrequentlyresortedtothedesperateexpedientofeffacingthewritingonoldandlightlyesteemedmanuscripts。Itwasnotadifficulttask。Thewritinginkthenusedwasusuallymadeoflamp-black,gumandvinegar;itithadbutafeebleencausticproperty,anditdidnotbiteinorpenetratetheparchment。Theworkofeffacingthisinkwasaccomplishedbymoisteningtheparchmentwithaweakalkalinesolutionandbyrubbingitwithpumicestone。Thistreatmentdidnotentirelyobliteratethewriting,butmadeitsoindistinctthattheparchmentcouldbewrittenoverthesecondtime。Manuscriptssotreatedarenowknownaspalimpsests。AllthelargeEuropeanpubliclibrarieshavecopiesofpalimpsests,whicharemelancholyillustrationsoftheliterarytastesofmanywritersorbookmakersduringtheMiddleAges。Moreconvincinglythanbyargumenttheyshowtheutilityofpaper。ManuscriptsoftheGospels,oftheIliad,andofworksofthehighestmerit,oftenofgreatbeautyandaccuracy,aredimlyseenunderneathstupidsermons,andtheologicalwritingsofanaturesopaltrythatnomanlivingcarestoreadthem。InSomeinstancesthefirstwritinghasbeensothoroughlyscrubbedoutthatitsmeaningisirretrievablylost。
“Muchaspaperwasneeded,itwasnotatallpopularwithcopyists;theirprejudicewasnotaltogetherunreasonable,foritwasthick,coarse,knotty,andineverywayunfittedforthedisplayorornamentalpenmanshiporillumination。Thecheaperquality,thenknownascottonpaper,wasespeciallyobjectionable。
Itseemstohavebeensobadlymadeastoneedgovernmentalinterference。FrederickII,ofGermany,intheyear1221,foreseeingevilsthatmightarisefrombadpaper,madeadecreebywhichhemadeinvalidallpublicdocumentsthatshouldbeputoncottonpaper,andorderedthemwithintwoyearstobetranscribeduponparchment。
PeterII,ofSpain,intheyear1338,publiclycommandedthepaper-makersofValenciaandXativatomaketheirpaperofabetterqualityandequaltothatofanearlierperiod。
“Thebetterqualityofpaper,nowknownaslinenpaper,hadthemeritsofstrength,flexibility,anddurabilityinahighdegree,butitwassetasidebythecopyistsbecausethefabricwastoothickandthesurfacewastoorough。Theartofcalenderingorpolishingpapersuntiltheywereofasmooth,glossysurface,whichwasthenpractisedbythePersians,wasunknownto,oratleastunpractisedby,theearlyEuropeanmakers。Thechangesorfashionintheselectionofwritingpapersareworthyofpassingnotice。Theroughhand-madepaperssoheartilydespisedbythecopyistsofthethirteenthcenturyarenowpreferredbyneatpenmenandskilleddraughtsmen。
Theimitationsofmediaevalpaper,thick,harsh,anddingy,andshowingthemarksofthewiresuponwhichthefabricwascouched,arepreferredbymenoflettersforbooksandforcorrespondence,whilehighlypolishedmodernplatepapers,withsurfacesmuchmoreglossythananypreparationofvellum,arenowrejectedbythemasfinicalandeffeminate。
“Thereisapopularnotionthattheso-calledinventionsofpaperandxylographicprintingweregladlywelcomedbymenofletters,andthatthenewfabricandthenewartwereimmediatelypressedintoservice。Thefactsabouttobepresentedinsucceedingchapterswillleadtoadifferentconclusion。Weshallseethatthemakersofplayingcardsandofimageprintswerethemenwhofirstmadeextendeduseofprinting,andthatself-taughtandunprofessionalcopyistswerethemenwhogaveencouragementtothemanufactureofpaper。Themoreliberaluseofpaperatthebeginningofthefifteenthcenturybythisnewly-
createdclassofreadersandbook-buyersmarkstheperiodoftransitionandofmentalandmechanicaldevelopmentforwhichthecrudeartsofpaper-
makingandofblackprintinghadbeenwaitingforcenturies。WeshallalsoseethatifpaperhadbeeneversocheapandcommonduringtheMiddleAges,itwouldhaveworkednochangesineducationorliterature;itcouldnothavebeenusedbythepeople,fortheyweretooilliterate;itwouldnothavebeenusedbytheprofessionalcopyists,fortheypreferredvellumanddespisedthesubstitute。
“Thescarcityofvelluminonecentury,anditsabundanceinanother,areindicatedbythesizeofwrittenpapersduringthesameperiods。Beforethesixthcentury,legaldocumentsweregenerallywrittenupononesideonly;inthetenthcenturythepracticeofwritinguponbothsidesofthevellumbecamecommon。Duringthethirteenthcenturyvaluabledocumentswereoftenwrittenuponstripstwoincheswideandbutthreeandahalfincheslong。Attheendofthefourteenthcenturythesestripswentoutoffashion。Themoregeneraluseofpaperhaddiminishedthedemandforvellumandincreasedthesupply。Inthefifteenthcentury,legaldocumentsonrollsofsewedvellumtwentyfeetinlengthwerenotuncommon。Allthevaluablebooksofthefourteenthcenturywerewrittenonvellum。InthelibraryoftheLouvrethemanuscriptsonpaper,comparedtothoseonvellum,wereasonetotwenty-eight;inthelibraryoftheDukesofBurgundy,one-fifthofthebookswereofpaper。
Theincreaseintheproportionofpaperbooksisafairindicationoftheincreasingpopularityofpaper;
butitisobviousthatvellumwaseventhenconsideredasthemoresuitablesubstanceforabookofvalue。”
Thecuriouscontractbelongingtothefourteenthcenturywhichfollows,isaliteralcopyoftheoriginal。
Itdoesnotseemtospecifywhetherthebookistobemadeofvellumorpaper。Inotherrespectstheminutedetailsnodoubtpreventedanymisunderstandingbetweenthecontractingparties。
“August26th,1346——ThereappearedRobertBrekeling,scribe,andsworethathewouldobservethecontractmadebetweenhimandSirJohnForber,viz。,thatthesaidRobertwouldwriteonePsalterwiththeKalenderfortheworkofthesaidSirJohnfor5s。and6d。;andinthesamePsalter,inthesamecharacter,aPlaceboandaDirige,withaHymnalandCollectary,for4s。and3d。AndthesaidRobertwillilluminate’luminabet’allthePsalmswithgreatgildedletterslaidinwithcolours;andallthelargelettersoftheHymnalandCollectarywillheilluminatewithgoldandvermillion,exceptthegreatlettersofdoublefeasts,whichshallbeasthelargegiltlettersareinthePsalter。
Andallthelettersatthecommencementoftheversesshallbeilluminatedwithgoodazureandvermillion;
andallthelettersatthebeginningoftheNocturnsshallbegreatuncialuncialesletters,containingV。lines,buttheBeatusVirandDixitDominusshallcontainVI。orVII。lines;andfortheaforesaidilluminationandforcolourshe[John]
willgive5s。6d。,andforgoldhewillgive18d。,and2s。foracloakandfurtrimming。Itemonerobe——onecoverlet,onesheet,andonepillow。”
CHAPTERIX。
ENDOFMEDIAEVALINK。
THESECRETASPRECEDEALCHEMYANDCHEMISTRY——EFFORT
TOIMPROVEGALLINKS——VARIATIONSININK
COLORS——THEUSEOFREDINKINTHENINTHAND
TENTHCENTURIES——COLORCOMPARISONSBETWEENINK
WRITINGSOFITALY,GERMANY,FRANCE,ENGLANDAND
SPAIN——HOWTODETERMINETHEANTIQUITYOF
MSS——PRACTICESWHICHOBTAINEDINMONASTICLIBRARIES
OFVARIOUSCOUNTRIES——KINDSOFINKEMPLOYED
INLITURGICALWRITINGS——THEPUBLICSCRIBES
ANDTHEIREMPLOYMENTS——EFFORTSTOCOUNTERFEIT
OLDSCRIPTINEARLYPRINTEDBOOKS——WHENTHEY
WEREABANDONED。
ITiswellknownthatalchemyprecededchemistryandhencetheSecretacamefirst。Whentheformulaformakingareal“gall“inkhadceasedtobeasecret,chemistrywasthenbutlittleunderstood。Itisnotamatterforwonder,therefore,tolearnthat“gall“inkofthefirsthalfofthetwelfthcenturywaslowingradeandpoorinquality。Itwasamuddyfluideasilyprecipitatedanditdeterioratedquickly。A
centuryormoreofexperimentingwasneededtomodifyorovercomedefects,aswellastogaininformationaboutthechemicalvalueofthedifferenttannins,therelativeproportionsofeachconstituentandthecorrectmethodsinitsadmixture。
Thereisnowrittenaccountofthisinkbeingmanufacturedasanindustryuntiloverthreehundredyearslater。Hence,asitappearssofrequentlyofvaryingdegreesofcolorondocumentsoftheinterveningcenturies,wearecompelledtoassumethatitwascompoundedbyindividualswhohadneitherchemicalknowledge,norwhohadmadeastudyorabusinessofink-making。Notwithstandingwhich,itsprogressseemstohavebeencomparativelyrapidandlikethesameinkofthepresentdaywastobeobtainedofanyqualityorkind,whetherunadulteratedorcontainingsomeaddedcolor。
Intenseblackorablacktingedwithred-browncharacterizesthecoloroftheinksfoundontheveryearliestMSS。Theirlastingcolorphenomena,duetotheemploymentoflampblackandkindredsubstancesevenafteralapseofsomanyages,isatthislatedayofnoparticularmomentastheybutprovethevirtuesofthedifferenttypesof“Indian“inks。
Adifferentsetoffactsareevidentintheinksofmediaevaltimeswhicharefoundtogreatlyvaryaccordingtotheiragesandlocality。Butfewblackinksoftheninthandtenthcenturiesremaintous。
IntheMSS。ofthosecenturiesaredinkwastheprevailingoneeventotheextentofentirevolumesbeingwrittenwithit。InItalyandmanyotherportionsofSouthernEuropespecimensnowextant,whencomparedwiththosebelongingtoGermanyandothermorenortherncountries,areseentobeblackerandthisisalsotruewhenthoseofFranceandEnglandarecompared,theblackerinksbelongingtoFrance。
Withthegradualdisappearanceoftheso-called“DarkAges。”theinkfoundonSpanishwrittenMSS。
ofthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies,arenotedlyofintenseblacknesswhilethoseofsomeoftheothercountriesappearofaratherfadedgraycolor,andinthesixteenthcentury,thisgraycoloreffectprevailedallovertheChristianworld。
TorevertagaintotheinkphenomenaofthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturieswhichareofItalianorigin。InnosectionofthatcountryorofEuropeduringthosecenturiesdoinkcreationspossess,insomarkedadegree,thevarietyofcolorqualitiesthatareseenonthoseofthecityofFlorence。IndeeditmaybetrulysaidthatduringthoseperiodsmoreinkwrittenMSS。wereproducedinthatplacethanalltherestofEurope。TheseproductionsofMSS。werenotconfinedtosimpleinkwritings。Theheadsofreligiousordersandrulersofthecountrylikedtohaveartistsnearthemtoilluminatetheirmissalsandsacredbooks,besidesthedecoratingofwallsintheirchurchesandpalaces。
ThroughthisartofilluminatingandthepaintingofminiaturesinMSS。books,“oil“paintingtookrootandthedayformeresymbolsandhieroglyphicswasover。
InthatcityofscholarsandwealthitwasafashionandlaterthecustomtoacquireGreek,LatinandOrientalMSS。andcopythemforcirculationandsale。
Thepricesofferedweresufficienttostimulatethesearchandzealforthem。Welearnthatintheyear1400“onthesquareoftheDuomaaspacciatorewasestablishedwhosebusinesswastosellmanuscriptsoftenfullofmistakesandblunders。”NicholasV,beforehebecamePope,wasnicknamed“TommasotheCopyist。”HeissaidtohavepresentedtotheVaticanlibraryasagiftfivethousandvolumesofhisowncreation。
TheinformationoftheseincreasingdemandsforancientdocumentsofanykindspreadoverEuropeandportionsofAsia,bringingintoFlorenceagreatquantityofthem,aswellasmanyscholarsandcopyists。
ShiploadsoftheworksoftheByzantinehistoriansarrivedfromtheGoldenHorn,andthecitybecameavastmanufactoryforduplicatingorforgingancientMSS。Parchmentandvellumweretoocostlytoemployverymuch,somostofthemwereofpaper。
Vespaciano,oneofthemanyengagedinthisbusinessandwholivedin1464,founditnecessaryinordertoreducethecostofproduction,tobecomeapapermerchant。
Inwritingtoafriendhesays:
“Iengagedforty-fivecopyistsandintwenty-
twomonthshadcompletedtwohundredvolumes,whichincludedsomeGreekandLatinaswellasmanyOrientalwritings。”
Thereadingandjudgingofmanuscriptsarenowknownasthescienceofdiplomatics。Todeterminetheirantiquityorgenuinenessrequiresthenicestdistinctionsandcare,irrespectiveofallegeddateswhetherexhibitedbyRomannumbersortheArabiconewhichwecontinuetoemploy,andwhichfirstmadetheirappearancenearthecommencementofthetwelfthcentury。Theinksasalreadymentionedandusedonthem,asweshallsee,servefullyasmuchinestimatingauthenticityorgenuinenessasdoescombinedtogether,——thestyleofthewriting,theminiatures,vignettesandarabesquesifany,thecolors,covers,materials,ornamentationandthecharacteroftheircontents。
Withthere-establishmentoflearninginthefifteenthcenturyandthecreationofallegedstablegovernments,whomayperhapshaverealizedthenecessityforaninkofenduringgoodcommercialandrecordqualities,so-called“gall“inkswerechosenasbestpossessingthem,andweremadeandemployedwithvaryingresultsevenmorethantheancient“Indian“
inks。
MediaevalpracticesinrelationtoinkandotherwritingmaterialsaswellasthemonasticlibrariesofwhichEngland,France,GermanyandItalypossessedmanyduringthethirteenth,fourteenth,andmoreparticularlythefifteenthcenturies,weregovernedbyestablishedrules。
Thelibrariesofsuchinstitutionswereplacedbytheabbotunderthesolechargeofthe“armarian。”anofficerwhowasmaderesponsibleforthepreservationofthevolumesunderhiscare;bewasexpectedfrequentlytoexaminethem,lestdamporinsectsshouldinjurethem;hewastocoverthemwithwoodencoverstopreservethemandcarefullytomendandrestoreanydamagewhichtimeoraccidentmightcause;hewastomakeanoteofanybookborrowedfromthelibrary,withthenameoftheborrower;
butthislastruleappliedonlytothelessvaluableportionofit,asthe“greatandpreciousbooks“
couldonlybelentbythepermissionoftheabbothimself。Itwasalsothedutyofthearmariantohaveallthebooksinhischargemarkedwiththeircorrecttitles,andtokeepaperfectlistofthewhole。
SomeofthesecataloguesarestillinexistenceandarecuriousandinterestingintheirexemplificationofthekindsofinkemployedandasindicativeofthestateofliteratureintheMiddleAges,besidespresentingthenamesofmanyauthorswhoseworkshaveneverreachedus。Itwasalsothedutyofthearmarian,undertheordersofhissuperior,toprovidethetranscribersofmanuscriptswiththewritingswhichtheyweretocopy,aswellasallthematerialsnecessaryfortheirlabors,tomakebargainsastopayment,andtosuperintendtheworkduringtheirprogress。
Thesetranscribers,Mr。Maitlandinhis“DarkAges“tellsus,weremonksandtheirclerks,someofwhomweresoskilledthattheycouldperformallthedifferentbranches。Theywereexhortedbytherulesoftheirordertolearnwriting,andtopersevereintheworkofcopyingmanuscriptsasbeingonemostacceptabletoGod;thosewhocouldnotwritewererecommendedtobindbooks。ThiswasinlinewiththebehestofthefamousmonkAlciunwholivedintheeighthcenturyandwhoentreatedalltoemploythemselvesincopyingbooks,saying:
“Itisamostmeritoriouswork,moreusefultothehealththanworkinginthefields,whichprofitsonlyaman’sbody,whilethelabourofacopyistprofitshissoul。”
Whenblackinkwasusedinliturgicalwritings,thetitlepageandheadsofchapterswerewritteninredink;whencecomesthetermrubric。Green,purple,blueandyellowinksweresometimesusedforwords,butchieflyforornamentingcapitalletters。
Alargeroomwasinmostmonasteriessetapartforsuchlaborsandherethegeneraltranscriberspursuedtheiravocations;inaddition,smallroomsorcells,knownalsoasscriptoria,occupiedbysuchmonksaswereconsidered,fromtheirpietyandlearning,tobeentitledtotheindulgence,andusedbythemfortheirprivatedevotions,aswellasforthepurposeoftranscribingworksfortheuseofthechurchorlibrary。
Thescriptoriawerefrequentlyenrichedbydonationsandbequestsfromthosewhoknewthevalueoftheworkscarriedoninthem,andlargeestateswereoftendevotedtotheirsupport。
“Meanwhilealongthecloister’spaintedside,Themonks——eachbendinglowuponhisbookWithheadonhandreclined——theirstudiesplied;
Forbidtoparley,orinfronttolook,Lengthwaystheirregulatedseatstheytook:
Thestruttingpriorgazedwithpompousmien,Andwakefultongue,preparedwithpromptrebuke,Ifmonkasleepinshelteringhoodwasseen;
Hewaryoftenpeepedbeneaththatrussetscreen。
“Hardby,againstthewindow’sadverselight,Wheredeskswerewontinlengthofrowtostand,Thegownedartificersinclinedtowrite;
ThepenofsilverglistenedinthehandSomeoftheirfingersrhymingLatinscanned;
Sometextilegoldfromhallsunwindingdrew,Andonstrainedvelvetstatelyportraitsplanned;
Herearms,therefacesshowninembryoview,Atlasttoglitteringlifethetotalfiguresgrew。”——
FOSBROOKE。
Thepublicscribesofthosedayswereemployedmostlybysecularindividuals,althoughsubjecttobecalleduponatanymomentbythefathersofthechurch。Theyworkedintheirhomesexceptwhenanyvaluableworkwastobecopied,theninthatoftheiremployer,whoboardedandlodgedthemduringthetimeoftheirengagement。
Todifferentiatethecharacteroftheclassofpigmentsormaterialsthenemployedinmakingcoloredinks,fromthoseofthemoreancienttimesisdifficult;
becausewenotonlyfindmanyoflikecharacterbutoflargervariety。Thesewereusedmoreforpurposesofilluminatingandembellishingthanforregularwriting。
Evenwhenprintinghadbeeninventedspaceswerefrequentlyleft,bothintheblockbooksandintheearliestmovabletype,fortheilluminationbyhand,ofinitialletterssoastodeceivepurchasersintothebeliefthattheprintedtypewhichwaspatternedcloselyaftertheformsoflettersemployedinMSS。
writingswastherealthing。Thelearnedsoondiscoveredsuchfraudsandthereafterthesepracticeswereabandoned。
CHAPTERX。
RENAISSANCEINK。
INKOFGRAYCOLORBELONGINGTOTHESIXTEENTHCENTURY
ANDITSCAUSES——INFLUENCEOFTHEFATHERSOF
THECHURCHRESPECTINGINKDURINGTHEDARK
AGES——THEREFORMATIONANDHOWITAFFECTEDMEDIAEVAL
MSS——REMARKSOFBALEABOUTTHEIRDESTRUCTION——
QUAINTINKRECEIPTOF1602——SELECTION
FROMTHETWELFTHNIGHTRELATINGTOPENAND
INK——GENERALCONDITIONSWHICHOBTAINEDUNTIL
1626——THEFRENCHGOVERNMENTAWARDSANINK
CONTRACTINTHATYEAR——OTHERGOVERNMENTSADOPT
THEFRENCHFORMULA——INKSOFTHESEVENTEENTH
CENTURYALMOSTPERFECTINTHEIRCOLORPHENOMENA——
NOADDEDCOLOREMPLOYEDINTHEIRMANUFACTURE。
THEgraycolorofmostoftheinksfoundondocumentswritteninthesixteenthcenturyisanoteworthyfact。Whenceitscauseisamatterforconsiderablespeculation。Themajorityoftheseinksunquestionablybelongtothe“gall“classandifpreparedaftertheformulasutilizedinprecedingcenturiesshouldindicatelikecolorphenomena。Asthesesamepeculiaritiesexistonbothpaper,vellumandparchment,itcannotbeattributedtotheiruse。
Investigationsinmanyinstancesofthewritingsindicatetheexerciseofamorerapidpenmovementandaconsequentemploymentofinksofgreaterfluiditythanthoseofanearlierhistory。Suchfluiditycouldonlybeobtainedbyareductionofthequantityofgummyvehiclestogetherwithanincreaseofinkacidity。Theacidswhichhadtheretoforebeenmoreorlessintroducedintoinks,exceptoxalicacid,couldnoteffectsuchresults。Consequently,asthemonumentsofthisgrayinkphenomenaaretobefoundbelongingtoalltheportionsoftheChristianworld,withauniformitythatiscertainlyremarkable,itbecomesafairdeductiontoassumethatthemakingofinksbadpassedintothehandsofregularmanufacturerswhoadulteratedthemwith“added“color。
WecanwellbelievethattheinfluenceswhichthefathersoftheChurchexertedduringthethousandyearsknownasthe“DarkAges。”inrespecttoinkandkindredsubjects,musthavebeenverygreat。
Thattheyendeavoredtoperpetuateforthebenefitofsucceedinggenerationsinbookandotherforms,thiskindofinformation,whichtheydistributedthroughouttheworldweknowtobetrue。Mostofthesesourcesofinkinformation,however,graduallydisappearedasconstitutingaseriesofsadeventsintheunhappywarwhichfollowedtheirpreparation。
TheReformationbeganinGermanyinthefirstquarterofthesixteenthcentury,andwithittheeightyyearsofcontinualreligiouswarfarewhichfollowed。DuringthisperiodthepricelessMSS。booksofinformation,historical,literaryandotherwise,containedinthemonasticlibrariesoutsideofItalywereburnt。
Wearetold:
“InEnglandcupidityandintolerancedestroyedrecklessly。Thus,afterthedissolutionofmonasticestablishments,personswereappointedtosearchoutallmissals,booksoflegends,andsuch’superstitiousbooks’andtodestroyorsellthemforwastepaper;reservingonlytheirbindings,when,aswasfrequentlythecase,theywereornamentedwithmassivegoldandsilver,curiouslychased,andoftenfurtherenrichedwithpreciousstones;andsoindustriouslyhadthesemendonetheirwork,destroyingallbooksinwhichtheyconsideredpopishtendenciestobeshownbyillumination,theuseofredletters,oroftheCross,orevenbythe——tothem——mysteriousdiagramsofmathematicalproblems——
thatwhen,someyearslater,Lelandwasappointedtoexaminethemonasticlibraries,withaviewtothepreservationofwhatwasvaluableinthem,hefoundthatthosewhohadprecededhimhadleftlittletorewardhissearch。”
Bale,himselfanadvocateforthedissolutionofmonasteries,says:
“Neverhadwebeneoffendedforthelosseofourlybraryesbeyngsomanyinnombreandinsodesoluteplacesforthemosteparte,yfthechiefmonumentsandmostenotableworkesofourexcellentwrytershadbenereserved,yftherehadbeneineveryshyreofEnglandebutonesolemynelybraryforthepreservacyonofthosenobleworkes,andpreferrmentsofgoodlearnyugesinourposteryteithadbeneyetsomewhat。ButtodestroyeallwithoutconsyderacyonisandwyllbeuntoEnglandeforeveramosthorrybleinfamyamongethegravesenyoursofothernatyons。Agretenombreofthemwychpurchasedofthosesuperstycyosemansyonsreservedofthoselybraryebokes,sometoservetheyrjaks,sometoscouretheyrcandelstyckes,andsometorubbtheyrbootes。sometheysoldetothegrossersandsopesellers,andsometheysentoverseetothebokebynders,notinsmallnombre,butattymeswholeshippesful。Iknowamerchantman,whycheshallatthystymebenamelesse,thatboughtethecontent-,oftwonoblelybraryesforxlshyllyngspryce,ashameitistobespoken。Thysstuffehatheheoccupyedinthestideofgrevepaperforthespaceofmorethanthesetenyears,andyethathestoreynoughforasmanyyearstocome。A
prodyguousexampleisthys,andtobeabhorredofallmenwholovetheyrnatyonastheyshouldedo。”
Passingtolaterepochs,A。D。1602,thefollowingquaintreceiptprovesinterestingasshowingthatthe“gall“inkswerewellknownatthattime:
“TomakecommonInk,ofWinetakeaquart,TwoouncesofGumme,letthatbeapart;
FiveouncesofGalls,ofCop’restakethree,Longstandingdothmakeitthebettertobe;
IfWineyedowant,rainewaterisbest,Andthenasmuchstuffeasaboveattheleast,IftheInkbetoothick,putVinegarin,Forwaterdothmakethecolourmoredimme。”
ShakespeareinhisTwelfthNightIII,2,hasalsoreferredtotheminthefollowingamusingstrain:
“Gowriteitinamartialhand;becurstandbrief;
itisnomatterhowwitty,soitbeeloquent,andfullofinvention;taunthimwiththelicenseofink;ifthouthou’sthimthrice,itshallnorbeamiss;andasmanyliesaswilllieonasheetofpaper,althoughthesheetwerebigenoughforthebedofWareinEngland,set’emdown;go,aboutit。Lettherebegallenoughinthyink,thoughthouwritewithagoosepen,nomatter:
aboutit。”
Thegeneralblackinkconditionsforaperiodofatleastthreehundredyears,ifweexcludethesixteenthcentury,hadbeenbutrepetitionsofeachother。
Theysoremaineduntiltheyear1626,whentheFrenchgovernmentconcludedanarrangementwithachemistbythenameofGuyot,forthemanufactureofa“gall“inkWITHOUTaddedcolorandwhichtherebyguaranteedandinsuredmoresamenessinrespecttodesirableinkqualities。Thatgovernmentwithafewmodificationsrelativetotheproportionsofingredientscontinueditsemployment,whichwasfollowedbythecontemporaneouswriters。OthergovernmentslaterpartiallyadoptedtheFrenchformulaswhilesomeofthemgavethematternoattention,althoughtheirrecordsandthoseofthecitiesortownsnotonlyofEuropebutearlyAmerica,theUnitedStatesandCanadaarefoundinmostinstancestohavebeenwrittenwithaninkofthischaracter。
Wherepriorto1850,inkscontainingadifferentbasewiththesingleexceptionofindigowereused,theyhaveeitherdisappearedornearlysoanditisnotaninfrequentoccurrenceamongthosewhoareaccustomedtoexamineoldrecordstofindthatsignaturesordatestovaluableinstruments,pagesofwritingsandindeedsometimesthewritingsinanentirebookaremoreorlessobliterated。
Theblackinksofalargeportionoftheseventeenthcentury,ondocumentsofeverykind,arefoundtobenearlyperfectastocolorconditions,whichisevidenceoftheextremecareusedintheirpreparationandtheexclusionof“added“colorininkmanufacture。
CHAPTERXI。
ANCIENTINKTREATISES。
INKTREATISESOFTHEFIFTEENTH,SIXTEENTHAND
SEVENTEENTHCENTURIES——JOHNBAPTISTAPORTA
AUTHOROFTHEFIRST——SECRETINKS——NERI,CANEPARIUS,BOREL,MERRET,KUNCKELANDOTHERAUTHORS
WHOREFERTOINKMANUFACTURE——PROGRESSOFTHE
ARTOFHANDWRITINGILLUSTRATEDINTHENAMESOF
OVERAHUNDREDCALLIGRAPHERSCHRONOLOGICALLY
ARRANGED。
THEliteratureofthefifteenth,sixteenthandseventeenthcenturiesonthesubjectofblackandcoloredinkformulas,secretinks,etc。,isbothdiversifiedandofconsiderableimportance。Thefollowingauthorsandcitationsaredeemedthemostnoteworthy:
JohnBaptistaPorta,ofNaples,bornA。D。1445
anddiedA。D。1515,isbestknownastheinventorofthe“cameraobscuro;“wasalsotheauthorofmanyMSS。bookscompiled;hesays,“AstheresultsofdiscussionsoflongyearsheldatmyownhousewhichisknownasdeSecreti,andintowhichnonecanenterunlessheclaimtobeaninventorofnewdiscoveries。”
Twoofthesetreatiseswhichwereextantinthefirsthalfoftheseventeenthcentury,datedrespectively1481and1483,dwellatgreatlengthonSECRET
inksandspecificallymentionastranslatedintotheEnglishofthetime“sowregallsinwhitewine。”and“vitriol;“repeatingItalianformulaspertainingtothe“Secreta“ofthetwelfthcentury。
Aboutsecretinkhetellsus:
“Therearemanyandalmostinfinitewaystowritethingsofnecessity,thattheCharactersshallnotbeseen,unlessyoudipthemintowaters,orputthemnearthefire,orrubthemwithdust,orsmeerthemover。
********
“LetVitriolsoakinBoylingwater:whenitisdissolved,strainitsolongtillthewatergrowclear:
withthatliquorwriteuponpaper:whentheyaredrytheyarenotseen。Moreover,grindeburntstrawandVinegar:andwhatyouwillwriteinthespacesbetweentheformerlines,describeatlarge。
ThenboylsowreGallsinwhiteWine,wetaspungeintheliquor:andwhenyouhaveneed,wipeituponthepapergently,andwettheletterssolonguntilthenativeblackcolourdisappear,buttheformercolour,thatwasnotseen,willbemadeapparent。NowIwillshowinwhatliquorspapermustbesoakedtomakeletterstobeseen。AsI
said,DissolveVitriolinwater:thenpowderGallsfinely,andsoaktheminwater:letthemstaytheretwenty-fourhours:filtrethemthroughalinencloth,orsomethingelse,thatmaymakethewaterclear,andmakelettersuponthepaperthatyoudesiretohaveconcealed:sendittoyourFriendabsent:whenyouwouldhavethemappear,diptheminthefirstliquor,andtheletterswillpresentlybeseen。
********
IfyouwritewiththejuiceofCitrons,Oranges,Onyons,oralmostanysharpthings,ifyoumakeithotatthefire,theiracrimonyispresentlydiscovered:
fortheyareundigestedjuices,whereastheyaredetectedbytheheatofthefire,andthentheyshowforththosecoloursthattheywouldshowiftheywereripe。IfyouwritewithasowreGrapethatwouldbeblack,orwithCervices;whenyouholdthemtothefiretheyareconcocted,andwillgivethesamecolourtheywouldinduetimegiveuponthetree,whentheywereripe。JuiceofCherries,addedtoCalamus,willmakeagreen:tosow-
breadared:sodiversjuicesofFruitswillshowdiverscoloursbythefire。BythesemeansMaidssendingandreceivinglove-letters,escapefromthosethathavechargeofthem。ThereisalsoakindofSaltcalledAmmoniac:thispowderedandmingledwithwater,willwritewhiteletters,andcanhardlybedistinguishedfromthepaper,butholdthemtothefire,andtheywillshewblack。”
Withrespecttothepreparationofblackandcoloredinksandalsocolors:AntonioNeri,anItalianauthorandchemistwholivedinthesixteenthcentury,inhistreatiseseemsnotonlytohavelaidthefoundationformostofthereceiptscalledattentiontobylaterwritersduringthetwohundredyearswhichfollowed,buttohavebeentheveryfirsttospecifyaproper“gall“inkanditsformula,asthemostworthyofnotice。
PietroCaneparius,aphysicianandwriterofVenice,A。D。1612,inhisworkDeAtrametis,givesamoreextensiveviewaboutthepreparationandcompositionofinksandadoptsallthatNerihadgiven,thoughheneverquoteshisname,andadds——“hithertopublishedbynoone。”HedoeshowevermentionmanyvaluableparticularswhichwereomittedbyNeri。Mostofhisreceiptsareaboutgold,silverandnondescriptinks,withdirectionsformakingagreatvarietyforsecretwritinganddefacing。ThisbookrevisedandenlargedwasrepublishedinLondon,1660。
In1653PeterBorel,whowasphysiciantoLouisXIV,King,ofFrancepublishedhis“BibliothecaChemica。”whichcontainsalargenumberofinkreceipts,twoofwhichmaybecharacterizedas“ironandgall“ones。Theypossessvalueonaccountoftherelativeproportionsindicatedbetweenthetwochemicals。Thecoloredones,includinggold,silverandsympatheticinksaremostlyrepetitionsofthoseofNeriandCaneparius。TheFrenchwriters,though,speakofhisresearchesinchemistryas“somewhatcredulous。”
ChristopherMerret,anEnglishphysicianandnaturalist,bornA。D。1614,translatedNeriintoourlanguagein1654,withmanynotesofhisownabouthim;hisobservationshaveaddednothingofvaluetothechemistryofinks。
JohannKunckel,anotedGermanchemistandwriterin1657,republishedintheGermanlanguageNeri’sworkwithMerret’snotes,andhisownobservationsonboth。Healsoinsertedmanyotherprocessesastheresultofconsiderableresearchandseemstohavebeenthoroughlyconversantwiththechemistryofinks,advocatingespeciallythevalueandemploymentofatanno-gallateofironinkforrecordpurposes。
Salmon,A。D。1665,inhisPolygraphics,proceedstogiveinstructionsrelativetoinkswhichnotwithstandingtheirmeritareconfoundedwithsomanyabsurditiesastolessentheirvalueforthosewhowereunabletoseparatetruthfromfalsehood;butheneverthelessdwellsonthevirtuesofthe“gall“inks。
JacquesLemort,aDutchchemistofsomenote,issuedatreatise,A。D。1669,on“InkFormulasandColors。”seeminglyselectedfromthebooksofthosewhohadprecededhim。Heexpressestheopinionthatthe“gall“inksifproperlycompoundedwouldgivebeneficialresults。
Formulasformakinginksarefoundtuckedawayinsomeoftheveryoldliteraturetreatingof“curious“
things。Oneofthemwhichappearedin1669directs:
“tostrainoutthebestqualityofironemployoldandrustynails;“anotheronesays,thattheinkwhenmadeistoremaininanopenvessel“forthirtydaysandthirtynights,beforeputtingitinaparchmentbag。”
AnEnglishcompendiumofinkformulas,publishedin1693,callsattentiontomanyformulasforblackinksaswellasgold,silver,andthecoloredones;nocomment,however,ismadeinrespecttoanyparticularonebeingbetterthananotherastopermanency,andtheseconditionswouldseemtohavecontinuedfornearlyacenturylater,thoughtheartofhandwritingwasmakinggiantstrides。
Itisaremarkablefactthatnotwithstandingthenumerousdevoteestothatartwhichincludedmanyofthegentlersex,reproductionsofwhoseskillin“Indian“
inkaretobefoundengravedinmagnificentpublications,bothinbookandotherforms,thereisnomentioninthemorinanyothersincludedwithinthisperiodaboutthenecessityofusinganyotherDURABLE
inkforrecordorcommercialpurposes。
Asindicativeinsomedegreeoftheprogressoftheartofhandwritingandhandwritingmaterials,commencingA。D。1525andendingA。D。1814,Ipresentherewithacompilationofthenamesofoveronehundredofthebestknowncalligraphersandauthorsoftheworld,andnottobefoundasawholeinanypublicorprivatelibrary。Itisarrangedinchronologicalorder。
1525。
ThefirstEnglishessayonthesubjectof“CuriousCalligraphy“wasbyawomanwhofromallaccountspossessedmostremarkablefacilityintheuseofthepenaswellasaknowledgeoflanguages。HernamewasElizabethLucar;asshewasborninLondonin1510anddied1537,herworkmusthavebeenaccomplishedwhenonlyfifteenyearsofage。
1540。
RogerAscham,bestknownasthetutorofQueenElizabeth。
1570。
PeterBales,authorofmanyworks,“TheWritingSchoolmaster。”whichhepublishedinthreeparts,beingthebestknown。Hewasalsoamicroscopicwriter。Hisroomswereatthesignof“TheHandandGoldenPen。”
London。
1571。
JohndeBeauchesne,teacherofthePrincessElizabeth,daughterofKingJamesI。Authorofmanycopybooks。
1588。
JohnMellis,“MerchantsAccounts。”etc。
1600。
ElizabethJaneWeston,ofLondonandPrague,wrotemanypoemsinoldLatin。
1600。
HesterInglis,“ThePsalmsofDavid。”
1601。
JohnDavies,“TheWritingSchoolmaster,orAnatomyofFairWriting。”
1616。
RichardGething,“TheHandandPen;
1645,“Chirographia“andmanyothers。
1618。
MartinBillingsley,“TheWritingSchoolmaster,ortheAnatomieofFairWriting。”ThisauthorwaswritingmastertoKingCharlesI。
1622。
DavidBrown,whowasscribetoKingJamesI。
“Calligraphia。”
1622。
WilliamComley,“Copy-BookofallthemostusualEnglishHands。”etc。
1646。
JosiahRicrafte,“ThePeculiarCharacteroftheOrientalLanguages。”
1650。
LouisHughes,“PlainandEasyDirectionstoFairWriting。”
1650。
JohnJohnson,“TheUsualPracticesofFairandSpeedyWriting。”
1651。
JohnClithers,“ThePensParadise。”dedicatedtoPrinceCharles。
1652。
JamesSeamer,“ACompendiumofAlltheUsualHandsWritteninEngland。”
1657。
EdwardCocker,penmanandengraver,famousinhistimeforthenumberandvarietyofhisproductions。Authorof“ThePen’sTriumph。”
“TheArtist’sGlory。”“England’sPenman。”
andmanymore。
1659。
JamesHodder,“ThePenman’sRecreation。”
etc。
1660。
JohnFisher,“ThePen’sTreasury。”
1663。
RichardDaniel,“ACompendiumofmanyhandsofVariousCountries。”
1669。
PeterStoryorStent,“FairWritingofSeveralHandsinUse。”
1678。
WilliamRaven,“AnExactCopyoftheCourtHand。”
1680。
PeterIvers,famousforhisengrossinganddrawings。
1680。
ThomasWatson,“Copy-BookofAlphabets。”
1681。
JohnPardie,“AnEssayontheGermanTextandOldPrintAlphabets。”
1681。
ThomasWeston,“AncillaCalligraphiae。”
1681。
PeterGery,“CopybookofalltheHandsinuse,PerformedaccordingtotheNaturalFreenessofthePen。”
1681。
WilliamElder,“Copy-bookofthemostusefulandnecessaryHandsnowusedinEngland。”
1683。
JohnAyers,“TutortoPenmanship。”andmanyothers。
1684。
CalebWilliams,“NunciusOris。”writtenandengravedbyhimself。
1693。
CharlesSnell,“ThePenman’sTreasuryOpened;“1712,“ArtofWritinginTheoryandPractice;“1714,“StandardRules。”etc。
1695。
RichardAlleine,writingmaster。
1695。
EleazerWigin,“TheHandandPen。”
1695。
JohnSedden,“ThePenman’sParadise。”
1696。
JohnEade,writingmaster。
1699。
JosephAlleine,publishedseveralbooksaboutwritingandaccounts。
1699。
RobertMore,“TheWritingMastersAssistant。”
1725。“TheGeneralPenman。”
1700。
JohnBeckham,fatherofthecelebratedGeorgeBeckham,wroteandengravedseveralpiecesfor“TheUniversalPenman。”
1700。
EdwardSmith,“TheMysteriesofthePeninfifteenHands,Unfolded。”etc。
1700。
HenryLegg,“WritingandArithmetic。”
1702。
WilliamBanson,“TheMerchantsPenman。”
1703。
JohnDundas,microscopicwriter。
1705。
GeorgeShelley,“ThePenmansMagazine。”
In1730hewroteseveralpagesfor“Bickman’sUniversalPenman。”
1708。
JohnClark,“ThePenmansDiversion。”
1709。
JamesHeacock,writingmaster。
1709。
GeorgeShelley,“Naturalwritinginallhands。”
1711。
GeorgeBickham,oneofthemostfamousofwritersofhistime,born1684,died1758,authorof“TheUniversalPenman。”Hepublishedmanyworks。1711,“TheBritishPenman;“
1731,“PenmanshipinitsutmostBeautyandExtent“and“TheUniversalPenman“
arethebestknown。
1709。
JohnRayner,“Paul’sScholarsCopy-Book。”
1711。
HumphreyJohnson,“Youth’sRecreation:aCopy-BookofWritingdonebyCommandofHand。”
1712。
WilliamWebster,writingandmathematics。
1730,wroteseveralpagesfor“TheUniversalPenman。”
1713。
ThomasOllyffe,“TheHandandPen。”1714,“ThePracticalPenman。”
1717。
WilliamBrooks,“DelightfulRecreationfortheIndustrious。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1717。
AbrahamNicholas,“VariousExamplesofPenmanship。”
1722,“TheCompleatWritingMaster。”Wrotealsofor“TheUniversalPenman。”
1719。
RalphSnow,“YouthsIntroductiontoHandwriting。”
1720。
WilliamRichards,“TheCompletePenman。”
1723。
JohnJarman,“ASystemofCourtHands。”
1724。
HenryLune,“RoundHandComplete。”
1725。
JohnShortland,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1725。
EdwardDawson,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1726。
MosesGratwick,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1727。
JohnLangton,“TheItalienHand。”
1728。
JohnDay,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1729。
GabrielBrooks,writingmasterandcontributorto,“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
WilliamKeppax,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
JohnBland,“EssayinWriting。”Alsocontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
SolomonCook,“TheModishRoundHand。”
1730。
WilliamLeckey,“ADiscourseontheUseofthePen。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
PeterNorman,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
WellingtonClark,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1730。
ZacharyChambers,“VivelaPlume。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1733。
BrightWhilton,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1734。
TimothyTreadway,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1738。
GeorgeJ。Bickham,writingmaster;alsowrotefor“Bickham’sUniversalPenman。”
1739。
EmanuelAustin,writingmaster;hewrote22
pagesin“TheUniversalPenman。”
1739。
SamuelVaux,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1740。
JeremiahAndrews,writingmasterandtutortoKingGeorgeIII。
1740。
NathanielDove,“TheProgressofTime。”andcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1741。
JohnBlande,“EssayinWriting;1730,contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1741。
RichardMorris,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”
1747。
MaryJohns,microscopicwriterandauthor。
1749。
CharlesWoodham,“ASpecimenofWriting,inthemostUsefulHandsnowPractisedinEngland。”
1750。
JohnOldfield,“Honesty。”Hewroteonepiecein“TheUniversalPenman。”
1750。
JosephChampion,“TheParallelorComparativePenmanship。”1762,“TheLivingHands。”
1751。
EdwardLloyd,“YoungMerchantsAssistant。”
1758。
RichardClark,“PracticalandOrnamentalPenmanship。”
1760。
BenjaminWebb,writerofcopybooks,etc。
1762。
WilliamChinnery,“TheCompendiousEmblematist。”
1763。
WilliamMassey,“TheOriginandProgressofLetters。”containingvaluableinformationabouttheart。
1769。
JohnGardner,“IntroductiontotheCountingHouse。”
1780。
EdwardPowell,writingmasteranddesigner。
1784。
E。Butterworth,“TheUniversalPenman“intwoparts,publishedinEdinburgh。
1795。
WilliamMilns,“ThePenman’sRepository。”
1799。
WilliamG。Wheatcroft,“TheModernPenman。”
1814。
JohnCarstairs,“Tachygraphy,ortheFlyingPen。”2。“Writingmadeeasy,etc。”
IllustratedworksonthesubjectofpenmanshipofcontemporaneoustimesandnotofEnglishoriginarebutfew。Thebestknownare:
1543。
LuduvicoVicentino,“ACopybook“publishedinRome,seemstohavebeenthefirst。
1570。
IlperfettoScrittoreThePerfectWriterbyFrancescoCresci,publishedinRome。
1605。
SpieghelderSchrijkfkonsteorMirrorofPenmanshipwrittenbyVandenVelde,publishedinAmsterdam。
1612。
“WritingandInkRecipes。”byPeterCaniparius,VeniceandLondon。
1700。
DerGetreueSchreibemeisterorTrueWritingMaster,byJohannFriedrVicum,publishedinDresden。
From1602to1709many“Indian“inkspecimenswereextantandarestillofthedifferentschoolsofpenmanship。TheproductionsofPhrysius,MaterotandBarbedorillustratingtheFrenchstyle,Vignon,Selleryandothers,fortheItalianhand,andOverbiqueandSmythersfortheGermantext,andAmbrosiusPerlenghandHugo,withafewmore,completethelist。
CHAPTERXII。
STUDYOFINK。
LACKOFINTERESTASTOTHECOMPOSITIONOFINKDURING
PARTOFTHEEIGHTEENTHCENTURY——THECONDITIONS
WHICHTHENPREVAILEDNEARLYTHESAMEAS
THEPRESENTTIME——CHEMISTRYOFINKNOTUNDERSTOOD——
THISLACKOFINFORMATIONNOTCONFINEDTO
ANYPARTICULARCOUNTRY——LEWIS,IN1765,BEGINS
ASCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONONTHESUBJECTOFINKS——
THERESULTSANDHISCONCLUSIONSPUBLISHEDIN
1797——THEROYALSOCIETYOFENGLANDIN1787RECEIVES
COMPLAINTSABOUTTHEINFERIORITYOFINKS——
ITSSECRETARYREADSAPAPERTHESAMEYEAR——THE
PAPERCITEDINFULL——DR。BOSTOCKIN1830COMMUNICATES
TOTHESOCIETYOFARTSWHATHEESTIMATES
TOBETHECAUSESOFIMPERFECTIONSININK——
ACTIONOFTHEFRENCHACADEMYOFSCIENCES——
COMPLICATIONSSURROUNDINGTHEMANUFACTUREOFINK
ONLYTHIRTY-FIVEYEARSAGO。