WhilethepapyrusplanthasalmostvanishedfromEgypt,itstillgrowsinNubiaandAbyssinia。ItisrelatedbytheArabtraveler,Ibn-Haukal,thatinthetenthcentury,intheneighborhoodofPalermoinSicily,thepapyrusplantgrewwithluxurianceinthePapirito,astreamtowhichitgaveitsname。
DuCange,1376,citesthefollowinglinesfromaFrenchmetricalromance,writtenaboutthattime,toshowthatwaxentabletscontinuedtobeoccasionallyusedtillalateperiod:
“SomewithantiquatedstyleInwaxentabletspromptlywrite;
Otherswithfinerpen,thewhileFormlettersloveliertothesight。”
ThelawsofGreecewerepromulgatedbymeansofMSS。onlinen,astheywerealsoinRome,andinadditiontolinen;clothandsilkwereoccasionallyused。
Skinsofvariouskindsoffish,andeventhe“intestinesofserpents“wereemployedaswritingmaterials。
ZonarasstatesthatthefirewhichtookplaceatConstantinopleinthereignofEmperorBasiliscusconsumed,amongothervaluableremainsofantiquity,acopyoftheIliadandOdyssey,andsomeotherancientpoems,writteninlettersofgolduponmaterialformedoftheintestinesofaserpent。WearealsoinformedbyPurcellithatmonumentsofmuchmoremoderndates,thecharterofHugoandLothaire,A。D。933
kingsofItaly,preservedinthearchivesofMilan,arewrittenuponfishskins。
Constantineauthorizedhissoldiersdyingonthefieldofbattletowritetheirlastwillandtestamentwiththepointoftheirswordonitssheathoronashield。
B。C。270。TheJewishelders,byorderofthehighpriest,carriedacopyofthelawtoPtolemyPhiladelphus,writteninlettersofgolduponskins,thepiecesofwhichweresoartfullyputtogetherthatthejoiningsdidnotappear。
NomonumentsofHebrewwritingexistwhicharenotposterioreventotheChristianera,withtheexceptionofthoseonthecoinsoftheMaccabees,whichareintheancientorwhatistermedtheSamaritanformsoftheHebrewletters。ThiscoinagetookplaceaboutB。C。144。
ThemostancientspecimenofHebrewinkwritingextantisallegedtohavebeenwrittenA。D。489。
ItisaparchmentrollwhichwasfoundinaKariatsynagogueintheCrimea。Another,broughtfromDanganstan,ifthesuperscriptionbegenuine,hasadatecorrespondingwithA。D。580。ThedateofstillanotherofthecelebratedHebrewscripturalcodices,aboutwhichthereisnodispute,istheHilelcodexwrittenattheendofthesixthcentury。ItsnameissaidtobederivedfromthefactthatitwaswrittenatHila,atownbuiltneartheruinsoftheancientBabel;
somemaintain,however,thatitwasnamedafterthemanwhowroteit。
OneoftheearliestspecimensofGreekwaxwritingisaninscriptiononasmallwoodentabletnowintheBritishmuseum。Itreferstoamoneytransactionofthethirty-firstyearofPtolemyPhiladelphus,B。C。
254。
InEnglandthecustomofusingwoodentallies,inscribedaswellasnotchedinthepublicaccounts,lasteddowntothenineteenthcentury。
Goldwritingwasapracticewhichdiedoutinthethirteenthcentury。
ThefirstdiscoveryofGreekpapyriinEgypttookplaceintheyear1778。ItisofthelateofA。D。
191andoutsideofEgyptandHerculaneumistheonlyplaceinwhichtheGreekpapyrihaseverbeenfound。
SquarecapitalinkwritinginLatinofancientdateisfoundonafewleavesofanMS。ofVirgil,whichisattributedtothecloseofthefourthcentury,andthefirstrusticMS。towhichanapproximatedatecanbegiven,belongstothecloseofthefifthcentury。
Themostancientuncialinkwritingextant,belongstothefourthcentury,whilsttheearliestmixeduncialandminisculewritingpertainstothesixthcentury。
TheoldestextantIrishMS。intheroundIrishhandisascribedtothelatterpartoftheseventhcentury,whiletheearliestspecimenofEnglishwritingofanykindextantdatesaboutthebeginningoftheeighthcentury。
ThegoldpenwonbyPeterBalesinhistrialofskillwithJohnson,duringthereignofQueenElizabeth,ifreallymadeforuse,isprobablythefirstmodernexampleofsuchpens。BaleswasemployedbySirFrancisWalsingham,andafterwardskeptawritingschoolattheupperendoftheOldBailey。
In1595,whennearlyfiftyyearsold,hehadatrialofskillwithoneDanielJohnson,bywhichhewasthewinnerofagoldenpen,ofavalueofL20,which,intheprideofhisvictory,hesetupashissign。UponthisoccasionJohnDavismadethefollowingepigraminhis“ScourgeofFolly:“
“TheHandandGoldenPen,ClophonionSetsonhissign,toshew,Oproud,poorsoul,Bothwherehewonnes,andhowthesamehewon,Fromwritersfair,thoughhewriteverfoul;
ButbythatHand,thatPensobornehasbeen,FromplacetoPlace,thatforthelasthalfYeare,Itscarceasen’nightataplaceisseen。
ThatHandsopliesthePen,thoughne’ertheneare,ForwhenMenseekit,elsewhereitissent,OrthereshutupasforthePlagueorRent,Withoutwhichstay,itneverstillcouldstand,BecausethePenisforaRunningHand。”
Thesignofthe“HandandPen“wasalsousedbytheFleetstreetmarriage-mongers,todenote“marriagesperformedwithoutimposition。”
RobertMore,afamouswritingmaster,in1696
livedinCastlestreet,nearSt。Paul’schurchyard,London,atthesignofthe“GoldenPen。”
TheinkhorninQueenElizabeth’stimewasinpopularuseasareceptacleforholdingwritingink,andPetticoatlaneinLondonwasthegreatmanufacturingcenterforthem。BishopsGateinthesamevicinitywasknownasthe“homeofthescribblers。”
Beginningwith1560andformanyyearsthereafterthesignoftheFiveInkHornswasappropriatelydisplayedbyHaddononthehouseinwhichhedwelt。
AwaybackinthetimeofKingEdwardIII1313-
1377,royaltywasemployingthepen,bothquillandgold,asbadges。ThisisindicatedintheaccompanyinginterestinglisttobefoundintheHarleinlibrary:
“KingEdwardtheiii。gavealyoninhispropercoulor,armed,azure,langued’or。Theoustrichfethergold,thepengold,andafauconinhispropercoulorandtheSonneRising。
“ThePrinceofWalestheostrichfetherpenandallarg。
“Henry,sonneoftheErlofDerby,firstDukofLancaster,gavetheredroseuncrowned,andhisancestorsgavetheFoxtayleinhisprop。coulorandtheostrichfetherar。thepenermyn。
“TheOstrychfethersilver,thepengobonesylverandazur,istheDukofSomerset’sbage。
“Theostrychfethersilverandpengoldysthekinges。
“TheostrychfetherpenandallsylverysthePrynces。
“Theostrychfethersylver,penermynistheDukeofLancesters。
“TheostrychfethersylverandpengoboneistheDukeofSomersets。”
“What’sgreatGoliath’sspear,thesevenfoldshield,Scanderbeg’ssword,toonewhocannotwieldSuchweapons?Or,whatmeansawellcutquill,Inth’untaughthandofhimthat’svoidofskill?“——
COCKER,A。D。1650。
TheoldestinkRussiandocumentsthatexistinRussiaaretwotreatieswiththeGreekemperors,madebyOleg,A。D。912,andIgor,A。D。943。Christianity,introducedintoRussiaatthebeginningoftheeleventhcenturybyVladimirtheGreat,broughtwithitmanywordsofGreekorigin。Printingwasintroducedthereaboutthemiddleofthesixteenthcentury。TheoldestprintedbookwhichhasbeendiscoveredisaSclavonicpsalter,thedateKiev,1551,twoyearsafterapresswasestablishedinMoscow。
Itissaidthattheskinsof300sheepwereusedineverycopyofthefirstprintedBible。Hencetheoldsaying,“Ittakesaflockofsheeptowriteabook。”
Whatwouldhavebeenthecommentinoldentimes,tolearnthatittakesalmostaforestoftreestoprinttheSundayeditionofsomeofourgreatnewspapers?
Waxshoemakers’wasfirstemployedondocumentsA。D。1213,althoughitwaswhitewaxwhichwasusedtosealthemagnacharta,grantedtotheEnglishbaronsbyKingJohn,A。D。1215。In1445
redwaxwasmuchemployedinEngland,buttheearliestspecimenofredsealingwaxextantisfoundonaletterdatedAugust3,1554。
Plinyenumeratesanddescribeseightdifferentkindsofpapyruspaper:
1。Charterhieratica——sacredpaper,usedonlyforbooksonreligion。FromadulationofAugustusitwasalsocalledchartaaugustaandchartalivia。
2。Chartaamphitheatrica——fromtheplacewhereitwasfabricated。
3。Chartafannia——fromFannius,themanufacturer。
4。Chartasaitica——fromSaisinEgypt。Thisappearstohavebeenacoarserkind。
5。Chartatoeniotica——fromtheplacewheremade,nowDamietta。Thiswasalsoofalessfinequality。
6。Chartaclaudia。Thiswasanimprovementofthechartahieratica,whichwastoofine。
7。Chartaemporitica。Acoarsepaperforparcels。
Therewasalsoapapercalledmacrocollum,whichwasofaverylargesize。
Ofallthese,hesays,thechartaclaudiawasthebest。
Theink-writtenrollsofpapyruswereplacedverticallyinacylindricalboxcalledcapsula。Itisveryevidentthatagreatnumberofsuchvolumesmightbecomprisedinthiswaywithinasmallspace,andthismaytendtoexplainthesmallnessoftheroomswhichareconsideredtohavebeenusedforcontainingtheancientlibraries。
AtMentz,inUpperGermany,isaleafofparchmentonwhicharefairlywrittentwelvedifferentkindsofhandwritingsinsixdifferentinksalsoavarietyofminiaturesanddrawingscuriouslydonewithapenbyoneTheodoreSchubiker,whowasbornwithouthandsandperformedtheworkwithhisfeet。
InRometheveryplateofbrassonwhichthelawsofthetentablesarewrittenisstilltobeseen。
Stylographicinksshouldnotbeuseduponrecords,mostofthemareaniline。Theabsenceofsolidmatter,whichmakesthemdesirableforthestylographicpen,unfitsthemforrecords。
Neveraddwatertoink。Whileaninkwhichhaswaterasitsbasemight,undercertainconditionsbeartheadditionofanamountequaltothatlostbyevaporation,asaruletheinkparticleswhichhavebecomeinjuredwillnotassimilateagain。
Oneofthebestmethodstocleanseasteelpenafteruse,istostickitinarawwhitepotato。
Inkswhicharerecommendedaspermanent,becausewaterwillnotremovethem,whileitdoesimmediatelyobliterateothers,maynotbepermanentasagainsttime。Theseinksmaybethebestformonetarypurposes,but,owingtoanexcessofacidinthem,maybedangerousintimetothepaper。
Itisinteresting,sincecoaltarhasacquiredsoimportantapositioninthearts,totracehowitsvariousproductssuccessivelyroseinvalue。ThepricesinParis,asgivenbyM。Parisalin1861,areasfollows:
Coal,……1/4c。perlb。
Coaltar,……3/4““
Heavycoaloil,……21/2a33/4““
Lightcoaloil,……63/4a101/4““
Benzole,……101/2a13““
Crudenitro-benzole,……57a61““
Rectifiednitro-benzole,……82a96““
Ordinaryaniline,……$3。27a$4。90““
Liquidanilineviolet,……28a41““
Carmineanilineviolet,……32c。a$1。92“
Pureanilineviolet,inpowder,……$245a$326。88“
Thelastisequaltothepriceofgold。Andso,saysM。Parisal,fromcoal,carriedtoitstenthpower,wehavegold;thediamondistocome。
Modernchemistryoffersmanyformulasandmethodsofrenderingvisiblesecretorsympatheticinks。Writingmadewithanyofthefollowingsolutions,andpermittedtodry,isinvisible。Treatmentbythemeanscitedwillrenderthemvisible。
Solution。Aftertreatment。Colorproduced。
Acetateoflead。Sulphuretofpotassiurin。Brown。
GoldinnitrohydroChloricacid。Tininsameacid。Purple。
Nut-galls。Sulphateofiron。Black。
Dilutesulphuricacid。Heat。Black。
CobaltindiluteHeat。Green。
nitrohydrochloricacid。
Lemonjuice。Heat。Brown。
OxideofcopperinHeat。Blue。
aceticacidandsaltNitrateofbismuth。InfusionsofNutgalls。Brown。
Commonstarch。Iodineinalcohol。Purple。
Colorlessiodine。Chlorideoflime。Brown。
Phenolphtalin。Alkalinesolution。Red。
Vanadium。Pyrogallicacid。Purple。
ThePatentOfficeatWashington,D。C。,formorethanfortyyearsemployedavioletcopyinginkmadeoflogwood。From1853until1878itwasfurnishedbytheAntoinesofParis,ofthebrandtermed“Imperial;“inlateryearsitwassuppliedbytheFabers。
Since1896theyhavebeenusing“combined“writingfluids。
ThefollowingfactselicitedbytheunrollmentofamummyatBristol,England,in1853,werecommunicatedtothePhilosophicalMagazine,byDr。Herapath。
Hesays:
“Onthreeofthebandageswerehieroglyphicalcharactersofadarkcolor,aswelldefinedasifwrittenwithamodernpen;wherethemarkingfluidhadflowedmorecopiouslythanthecharactersrequired,thetextureoftheclothhadbecomedecomposedandsmallholeshadresulted。Ihavenodoubtthatthebandagesweregenuine,andhadnotbeendisturbedorunfolded;thecolorofthemarksweresosimilartothoseofthepresent’markingink,’thatIwasinducedtotryiftheywereproducedbysilver。WiththeblowpipeI
immediatelyobtainedabuttonofthatmetal;thefibreofthelinenIprovedbythemicroscope,andbychemicalreagents,tobelinen;itisthereforecertainthattheancientEgyptianswereacquaintedwiththemeansofdissolvingsilver,andofapplyingitasapermanentink;butwhatwastheirsolvent?
Iknowofnonethatwouldactonthemetalanddecomposeflaxfibrebutnitricacid,whichwehavebeentoldwasunknownuntildiscoveredbythealchemistinthethirteenthcentury,whichwasabout2200yearsafterthedateofthismummy,accordingasitssuperscriptionwasread。
“TheYellowcolorofthefinelinenclothswhichhadnotbeenstainedbytheembalmingmaterials,Ifoundtobethenaturalcoloringmatteroftheflax;theythereforedidnot,ifwejudgefromthisspecimen,practicebleaching。Therewere,insomeofthebandagesneartheselvage,sometwentyorthirtybluethreads;theseweredyedbyindigo,butthetintwasnotsodeepnorsoequalastheworkofthemoderndyers;thecolorhadbeengivenitintheskein。
“Oneoftheouterbandageswasofareddishcolor,whichdyeIfoundtobevegetable,butcouldnotindividualizeit;Mr。T。J。Herapathanalyzeditfortinandalumina,butcouldnotfindany。
Thefaceandinternalsurfacesoftheorbitshadbeenpaintedwhite,whichpigmentIascertainedtobefinelypowderedchalk。”
“Iamascribbledform,drawnwithaPenUponaParchment,andagainstthisfireDoIshrinkup。”——
KINGJOHN,v,7。
“Withmuchado,hisBookbeforehimlaid,AndParchmentwiththesmoothersidedisplay’d;
HetakesthePapers,lays’emdownagen,AndwithunwillingfingerstrieshisPen;
Somepeevishquarrelstraighthetriestopick,HisQuillwritesdouble,orhisInk’stoothick;
InfusemoreWater;now’tisgrowntoothin,Itsinks,norcanthecharactersbeseen。”——
Persius,translatedbyDryden。
INKSCALLEDSYMPATHETICALSeventeenthCentury。
“Theseoperationsareliquorsofadifferentnature,whichdodestroyoneanother;thefirstisaninfusionofquick-limeandorpin;thesecondawaterturn’dblackbymeansofburnedcork;andthethirdisavinegarimpregnatedwithsaturn。
“Takeanounceofquick-lime,andhalfanounceoforpin,powderandmixthem,putyourmixtureintoamatrass,andpouruponitfiveorsixouncesofwater,thatthewatermaybethreefingersbreadthabovethepowder,stopyourmatrasswithcork,wax,andabladder;setitindigestioninamildsandheattenortwelvehours,shakingthematrassfromtimetotime,thenletitsettle,theliquidbecomesclearlikecommonwater。
“Burncork,andquenchitinaquavitae,thendissolveitinasufficientquantityofwater,whereinyoushallhavemeltedalittlegummarabick,inordertomakeaninkasblackascommonink。Youmustseparatethecorkthatcan’tdissolve,andiftheinkbenotblackenough,addmorecorkasbefore。
“Gettheimpregnationofsaturnmadewithvinegar,distilledasIhaveshewnbefore,orelsedissolvesomuchsaltofsaturnasaquantityofwaterisabletoreceive:writeonpaperwithanewpendiptinthisliquor,takenoticeoftheplacewhereyouwrit,andletitdry,nothingatallwillappear。
“Writeupontheinvisiblewritingwiththeinkmadeofburntcork,andletitdry,thatwhichyouhavewritwillappearasifithadbeendonewithcommonink。
“Dipalittlecottoninthefirstliquormadeoflimeandorpin,buttheliquormustbefirstsettledandclear;rubtheplaceyouwrituponwiththiscottonandthatwhichappearedwillpresentlydisappear,andthatwhichwasnotseenwillappear。
ANOTHEREXPERIMENT。
Takeabookfourfingersbreadthinbigness,orbiggerifyouwill:writeonthefirstleafwithyourimpregnationofsaturn,orelseputapaperthatyouhavewrituponbetweentheleaves;turntot’othersideoftheBook,andhavingobservedasnearasmaybetheoppositeplacetoyourwriting,rubthelastleafofthebookwithcottondiptinliquormadeofquick-
limeandorpin,nayandleavethecottonontheplaceclapafoldedpaperpresentlyuponit,andshuttingthebookquickly,strikeuponitwithyourhandfourorfivegoodstrokes;thenturnthebook,andclapitintoapressforhalfaquarterofanhour;takeitoutandopenit,you’llfindtheplaceappearblack,whereyouhadwritwiththeinvisibleink。Thesamethingmightbedonethroughawall,ifyoucouldprovidesomethingtolayonbothsides,thatmighthindertheevaporationofthespirits。
REMARKS。
“Theseoperationsareindeedofnouse,butbecausetheyaresomewhatsurprizing,Ihopethecuriouswillnottakeitill,thatImakethissmalldigression。
“ItisahardmattertoexplicatewelltheeffectsI
havenowrelated,neverthelessIshallendeavourtoillustratethemalittle,withouthavingrecoursetosympathyandantipathy,whicharegeneralterms,anddonotexplicatenothingatall;butbeforeIbegin,wemustremarkseveralthings。
“Thefirstis,thatitisanessentialpointtoquenchthecoalofcorkinaquavitae,thatthevisibleinkmaybecomeblackwithit。
“Secondly,thattheblacknessofthisinkdoesproceedfromthefuliginosityorsootypartofthecoalofthecorkwhichisexceedingporousandlight,andthatthisfuliginosityisnothingbutanoilverymuchrarefied。
“Thirdly,thattheimpregnationofsaturn,whichmakestheinvisibleink,isonlyaleaddissolved,andheldupimperceptiblyinanacidliquor,asIhavesaid,whenIspokeofthismetal。
“Fourthly,thatthefirstoftheseliquorsinamixtureofthealkaliandigneouspartsofquick-limewiththesulphureoussubstanceofarsenick;fortheorpinisasortofarsenick,asIsaidbefore。
“Allthisbeinggranted,asnobodycanreasonablythinkotherwise,Inowaffirm,thatthereasonwhythevisibleinkdoesdisappear,whenthedefacingliquorisrubbeduponit,isthatthisliquorconsistingofanalkalisalt,andpartsthatareoilyandpenetrating,thismixturedoesmakeakindofsoap,whichisabletodissolveanyfuliginoussubstance,suchasburntcork,especiallywhenithasbeenalreadyrarefiedanddisposedfordissolutionbyaquavitae,afterthesamemannerascommonsoap,whichiscompoundedofoil,andanalkalisalt,isabletotakeawayanyspotsmadebygrease。
“Butitmaybedemanded,whyafterthedissolutiontheblacknessdoesdisappear。
“Ianswer,thatthefuliginouspartshavebeensodivided,andlockedupinthesulphureousalkalioftheliquor,thattheyarebecomeinvisible,andweseeeverydaythatveryexactsolutionsdorenderthethingdissolvedimperceptible,andwithoutcolour。
“Thelittlealkalisaltwhichisintheburntcorkmayalsothebetterservetojoynwiththealkaliofthequick-lime,andtohelpthedissolution。
“Asfortheinvisibleink,itiseasytoapprehendhowthatappearsblack,whenthesameliquor,whichservestodefacetheother,isuseduponit。Forwhereastheimpregnationofsaturnisonlyaleadsuspendedbytheedges,oftheacidliquor,thisleadmustneedsrevive,andresumeitsblackcolour,whenthatwhichhelditrarefiedisentirelydestroyed;sothealkaliofquick-
limebeingfilledwiththesulphursofarsenickbecomesverypropertobreakanddestroytheacids,andtoagglutinatetogethertheparticlesoflead。
Ithappensthatthevisibleinkdoesdisappearbyreasonthatthepartswhichdidrenderitblackhavebeendissolved;andtheinvisibleinkdoesalsoappearbecausethedissolvedpartshavebeenrevived。
“Quick-limeand,orpimentbeingmixedanddigestedtogetherinwater,doyieldasmellmuchlikethatwhichhappenswhencommonsulphurisboiledinalixivium,oftartar。Thishereisthestronger,becausethesulphurofarsenickisloadedwithcertainsaltsthatmakeastrongerimpressiononthesmell。Quick-
limeisanalkalithatoperatesinthismuchlikethesaltoftartarintheotheroperation;youmustnotleavethematrassopen,becausetheforceofthiswaterdothconsistinavolatile。
“Thelimeretainsthemorefixtpartofthearsenickandthesulphursthatcomefortharesomuchthemoresubtile,astheyareseparatedfromwhatdidfixthembefore,andthisappearstobeso,becausethesulphursmustofnecessitypassthroughallthebooktomakeawritingofaclearandinvisibleliquorappearblackandvisible:andtofacilitatethispenetrationthebookisstrook,andthenturnedabout,becausethespiritorvolatilesulphursdoalwaystendupwards;youmustlikewiseclapitintoapress,thatthesesulphursmaynotbedispersedintheair。Ihavefound,ifthatthesecircumstancesarenotobserved,thebusinessfails。
Furthermorethatwhichpersuadesmethatthesulphursdopassthroughthebook,andnottakeacircuittoslipinbythesides,asmanydoimagine,isthatafterthebookistakenoutofthepress,alltheinsideisfoundtobescentedwiththesmellofthisliquor。
“Thereisonethingmoretobeobserved,whichis,thattheinfusionofquick-limeandorpinbenewlymade,becauseotherwiseitwillnothaveforceenoughtopenetrate。Thethreeliquorsshouldbemadeindifferentplacestoo;foriftheyshouldapproachnearoneanother,theywouldbespoiled。
“Thislasteffectdoeslikewiseproceedfromthedefacingliquor;forbecauseuponthedigestionofquick-
limeandorpin,itisathingimpossibleforsomeoftheparticleswillexalt,stopthevesselascloseasyouwill;theairimpregnatedwiththeselittlebodiesdoesmixwith,andaltertheinks,insomuchthatthevisibleinkdoestherebybecomethelessblack,andtheinvisibleinkdoesalsoacquirealittleblackness。”
PricelessMSS。inimmensenumberwritteninperiodsbetweenthethirdandthirteenthcenturieshavebeendestroyedbymodernscholarsinexperimentationsbasedonthefalsetheorythatthefadedinksonthem,whetheraboveorbelowotherinkspalimpsests,containediron。
Sulphocyanideofpotassiumishighlyesteemedasareagentfortherestorationofwriting,ifironispresent。
Theoretically,itisoneofthebestforsuchapurposeifemployedwithaceticacid。Itcauses,however,suchadecidedcontractionofparchmentastobeutterlyuseless,butforpaperMSS。isexcellent。Themetallicsulphidesgenerallypronouncedharmless,causesthewritingtosoftenandbecomeillegibleinashorttime。Ontheotherhand,yellowprussiateofpotash,withaceticacidinsuccessiveoperationsisofgreatserviceintreatingthemostperplexingpalimpsests。
Inkwhichbadlycorrodesasteelpenneednotnecessarilybecondemned;itmaycontainjustthequalitieswhichmakeitbindtothepaperandrenderitmoredurable。
Someinkswhicharefairlypermanentagainsttimeifnottamperedwith,canberemovedwithwater。
Thisistrueofthemostlastingofinks,——theold“Indian。”
InancientLatinMSS。thewordsfuco,fucosusandfucusarefoundtobefrequentlyemployed。Itisinterestingtonotethevariationsintheirmeaning:
FUCO——Tocolor,paintordyearedcolor。
FUCOSUS——Colored,counterfeit,spurious,painted,etc。
FUCUS——Rocklichenorchilreddye。Redorpurplecolor。Thereddishjuicewithwhichbeesstopuptheentrancetotheirhives。Beeglue。
FUCUS——Adrone。
InJapantheword“ink“possessesmorethanonemeaningFourhundredInks——onedegreeofsixtymiles。”SeeGeographicalGrammar,of1737,page3。
“SaywhatyouwillSir,butIknowwhatIknow;
ThatyoubeatmeattheMart,Ihaveyourhandtoshow;
IftheskinwereParchment,andtheblowsyougavewereInk,YourownHand-writingwouldtellyouwhatIthink。”——
ComedyofErrors,iii,1。
ThefirstbookeverprintedinEurope,towit,acopyof“Tully’sOffices。”iscarefullypreservedinHolland。
White’sLatin-EnglishDictionary,1872,distinguishesthewordsAtramentumandSutoriumintheirinterpretations。
ATRAMENTUM——Thethingservingformakingblack。Ablackliquidofanykind。Awritingink。
Shoemaker’sblack。Bluevitriol。
SUTORIUM——Belongingtoashoemaker。
Beforetheemploymentofblottingpaperapounce-
boxwhichcontainedeitherpowderedgumsandarachandgroundcuttle-fishbones,orpowderedcharcoal,sandandlikematerialswasusedbyshakingitlikeapepper-
boxonfreshlywrittenmanuscripts。
Blottingpaperasfirstemployedconsistedofverythinsheetsandofadarkpinkcolor,whichfashionchangedtoblueinlateryears。
GoodblottingpaperofthepresenttimeremovesfullytwothirdsoffreshinkwhenusedonHARD
finishedpaper。
Blottingpapershouldnotbeuseduponrecords。
Itsuseremovesthebodyoftheink,leavingdiscoloration,butnothingforpenetration。Ininksintendedforcopying,theemploymentofblottingpaperisespeciallybad。
“ThouhastmosttraitorouslycorruptedtheyouthoftherealminerectingaGrammarSchool;andwhereas,before,ourforefathershadnootherbooksbutthescoreandthetally,thouhastcausedprintingtobeused,andcontrarytotheKing,hiscrownanddignity,thouhastbuiltapapermill。”——
2KingHenryVI,iv,5。
Mr。KnightrelatesaconversationbetweenDr。GaleandagentlemenfromtheWestrelativetotheintroductionofsomematerialintoinktopreventmoulding。
Dr。Galehadastonishedhisfriendbystating——
“willpreventthedepositionoftheovaofinfusoriaanimalcutae;“whenitwassuggestedthatheadd“andthesporadicgrowthsofthallogeniccryptogramsandbefataltothefungi。”
TheUniversityofPennsylvaniaclaimstopossesstheoldestpieceofwritingintheworldandwhichisonafragmentofavasefoundatNippur。Itisaninscriptioninpicturewritingsupposedtohavebeenmade4,500yearsbeforeChrist。
Waferswerenotintroduceduntilthecloseofthesixteenthcentury。
ThePersiansinancienttimes,some800yearsB。C。,wereinthehabitofcelebratingcertainfestivalsanditisrelatedthatinthemonthofDecemberoneoftheirceremonieswasthatofdrivingtheDivesspiritsoutoftheirhouses。
ForthispurposetheMagiwrotecertainwordswithsaffrononskins,papyrusorwoodandthensmokeditoverafire。Thespellthuspreparedwasgluedornailedtotheinsideofthedoor,whichwaspaintedred。Thepriestthentooksand,whichhespreadwithalongknife,whilsthemutteredcertainprayersandthenthrowingitonthefloortheenchantmentwascomplete;andtheDivesweresupposedimmediatelytovanish;oratleasttobedeprivedofallmalignantinfluence。
Aristotle’sworkontheConstitutionofAthens,B。C。340,orprobablythecopymadebyTyrannio,wasdiscoveredtranscribedunderneathfarmaccountsoflandinthedistrictofHermopolisinEgyptinthereignofVespasian,A。D。9to79。
InMSS。writtenbeforetheinventionofprintingandindeedformanyyearsafter,thetitlepageifany,willbefoundonthelastpagewiththedate。
“Letlawyersbawlandstraintheirthroats,’TisIthatmustthelandsconvey,Andstriptheirclientstotheircoats,Nay,givetheirverysoulsaway!“——
DEANSWIFT,“Onink。”
“ItiscertainthatintheirtreatieswiththeEuropeanGreeksofConstantinopletheArabsalwaysstipulatedforthedeliveryofafixednumberofmanuscripts。TheirenthusiasmforAristotleisequallynotorious;butitwouldbeunjusttoimaginethat,inadoptingtheAristotelianmethod,togetherwiththeastrologyandalchemyofPersia,andoftheJewsofMesopotamiaandArabia,theywerewhollydevoidoforiginality。”
The“Arabic“numeralswhichwenowemployareprobablyofIndianorigin,havingbeenbroughtbyArabtradersfromtheEastandintroducedbythemintoSpaininthemiddleages,whereastheyspreadoverEuropecominginuseinEnglandperhapsabouttheeleventhcentury。ButwhetherIndiainventedthemorborrowedfromGreekorothertradersfromtheWestisunknown。
Theancientwritingimplementknownasthestyluswasmadeofeveryconceivablematerial,sometimeswiththepreciousmetals,butusuallyofiron,andonoccasionmightbeturnedintoformidableweapons。
ItwaswithhisstylusthatCaesarstabbedCascainthearm,whenattackedinthesenatebyhismurderers;
andCaligulaemployedsomepersontoputtodeathasenatorwithalikeinstrument。
InthereignofClaudiuswomenandboysweresearchedtoascertainwhethertherewereanystylusesintheirpencases。Stabbingwiththepen,therefore,isnotmerelyametaphoricalexpression。
SirWilliamGoreOuseley,afamousdiplomatandsavant,whowaslivingatthebeginningofthenineteenthcentury,duringhislongresidenceinIndiaspentafortuneinthecollectionofancientPersicandArabicMSS。In1807hepermittedthemtobeexaminedbyBeloe,whosedescriptionofafewwillbearrepeating:
“No。1。AKoran,intheCufiorCuficcharacter,saidtobewrittenbyAli,theson-in-lawofMahammed,theArabianprophet。Thesubstanceuponwhichthiscuriousmanuscriptiswrittenappearstobeafinekindofasses’skinorvellum,andtheinkofared,brownishcolour。Theendsofversesaremarkedbylargestarsofgold。IfwrittenbyAli,itmustbenearlytwelvehundredyearsold,butatalleventsmaybeconsideredasveryancient,manyhundredyearshavingelapsedsincetheuseoftheCuficharacterhasgivenwaytotheNeskh,Suls,etc。,etc。Thismanuscriptisstillinexcellentpreservation。”
“No。4。Beharistan,’TheGardenofSpring。’
Abookonethicsandeducation,illustratedbyinterestinganecdotesandnarratives,writtenbothinverseandprose,inimitationoftheGulistan,or’Rosegarden’ofSaadi,andlikeitdividedintoeightchapters,composedbyNuruddin,AbdurrahmanJami,benAhmedofthevillageofJam,nearHerat。HewasbornA。H。817anddiedattheageof81yearsaboutA。D。1492。Asagrammarian,theologistandpoethewasunequalled,andhiscompositiousareasvoluminousastheyareexcellent。Theenormousexpensewhichpeoplehaveincurredtopossessaccuratecopiesofandtoadornandembellishhisworks,isnosmallproofofthegreatestimationinwhichtheywereheldbytheliteratioftheEast。”
“Thisvolumeisasmallfolio,consistingof134
pages,writteninthemostbeautifulNastilikcharacter,bythefamousscribeMohammedHussein,who,inconsequenceofhisinimitablepenmanship,obtainedthetitleofZerinKalm,or’PenofGold。’TheleavesareofthesoftestCashmirianpaper,andofsuchmodestshadesofgreen,blue,brown,dove,andfawncolors,asnevertooffendtheeyebytheirglare,althoughrichlypowderedwithgold。Themargins,whicharebroad,displayagreatvarietyofchasteandbeautifuldelineationsinliquidgold,notwopagesbeingalike。Somearedividedintocompartments,othersareinrunningpatterns,inallofwhichtheilluminationsshowthemostcorrect,andatthesametimefancifultaste。Manyaredelineationsoffieldsports,which,thoughsimpleoutlinesofgold,arecalculatedtoaffordthehighestgratificationstotheloverofnaturalhistory,aswellastheartist,fromtheuncommonaccuracywithwhichtheformsoftheelephant,rhinoceros,buffalo,lion,tiger,leopard,panther,lynx,andotherAsiaticanimalsareportrayed。
Itappears,bythenameswhichareinsertedatthebottomofthepages,thatseveralartistswereemployedinthecompositionandcombinationoftheseornaments,oneforthelandscape,anotherfortheanimals,andathirdforthehumanfigures,allofwhomhavegivenproofsofsuperiormerit。Itwouldtakealmostamonthtoinspectalltheexcellenciesofthisraremanuscript;
for,althoughsorichlyornamentedingold,thechastecolorsofthegroundpreventanyglaringobtrusionontheeye,andobligetheexaminertoplaceitinaparticularpointoflighttoseetheexquisiteandminutebeautiesofthedelineations。
Thepaintings,whicharemeanttoillustratethesubjectofthebook,aredoneincolors,andinthecenteroftheleaves。
“OnthebackofthefirstpagearetheautographsoftheEmperorsofHindustan,JehangirandhissonShajehan。”
“No。5。’ADiwaniShahi。’ADiwanorCollectionOdesbyShahi,’transcribedbythefamouspenmanMirAli,inBokar