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。