THEinstrumentsofantiquityemployedintheartofwritingbelongtotwoofthemostdistantepochs。
Inthefirstperiod,inscriptionswereengraved,carvedorimpressedwithsharpinstruments,andofpatternscharacteristicofagravingtool,chiselorotherformwhichcouldbeadaptedtoparticularsubstanceslikestone,leaves,metalorivoryplates,waxorclaytablets,cylindersandprisms。
TheancientAssyriansevenusedknivesorstampsforimpressingtheircuneiformwritinguponcylindersorprismsofsoftclaywhichwereoftenglazedbysubsequentbakingsinkilns。
Theotherperiodwasthatinwhichwrittencharactersweremadewithliquidsorpaintsofanykindorcolor。Theliquidsinkswereusedinconnectionwithapenmanufacturedfromareedcalamus,whilethepaintswere“painted“onthevarioussubstanceswithabrush。Thewritingexecutedwithbothoftheseinstrumentswasonmaterialslikethebarkoftrees,cloth,skins,papyrus,vellum,etc。
Theancientaswellasmodernpens,thoughofmanysortsandkinds,aretobeclassifiedundertwogeneralheads,thosewhichscratchandthosewhichuseanink。
Thereisnoauthoritytodisputethegenerallyconcededfactthatthe“scratching“instrumentwasthefirstoneused。Itsmostpopularformseemstohavebeenthestylusorbodkin,whichwasmadeofavarietyofmaterials,suchasiron,ivory,bone,mineralsoranyotherhardsubstance,whichcouldbesufficientlysharpenedatoneendtoindentthevariousmaterialsemployedinconnectionwithitsuse。Theotherendwasflattenedforerasingmarksmadeonwaxandsmoothingit。FromittheItalianstillettotookitsorigin。
Thestylusisbestdescribedinthefollowinglines:
“Myheadisflatandsmooth,butsharpmyfoot,Andbyman’shandtodifferentusesput;
Forwhatmyfootperformswithartandcare,Myheadmakesvoid,suchoppositestheyare。”
Relativetotheemploymentofmarkinginstrumentswhichbelongtothemostvenerableantiquity,NoelHumphreysobserves:
“Beforethegrowthofwealthandluxuryhadtaughtnationstoraisemagnificenttemplesandstatelypalaces,whosewallsthehieroglyphicsculptorcoveredwithrecordsofthepompandprideofprinces,morepurelynationalmemorialshadfoundtheirplaceuponthenativerock,themostconvenientsurfacesofwhichweresmoothedforthispurpose。Wherenosuchrockexistedinthesituationrequired,amassivestonewasraisedbyartificialmeansandtherecord,whetherreferringtoavictory,anewboundary,oranyothereventofnationalinterestwasengraveduponit。SuchmemorialshavebeendescribedbyHebrewwritersasaumadorammod,literally,thelipsofthepeople,or,thewordsofthepeople,butactuallymeaningapillar。Recordsinthisformandtheearlynametheyboreaccountforthestrangelegendsofmediaevaltimesreferringtospeakingstones——anamebywhichsuchmonumentswereprobablystillcalledlongaftertimehadeffacedthespeakingrecord,andtheoriginalpurportofthedefacedstonewasforgotten。Insemi-barbarousepochs,liketheerawhichfollowedthepartialextinctionofRomancivilization,popularcuriosityandsuperstitioncombinedwouldseektogiveameaningtothenameofsuch’speakingstones,’andasanexampleofthelegendswhichthusarose,theitinerariumcambriaeofGeraldusmaybecited,inwhichastoneismentionedatSt。David’sasthe’speakingstone’
lechlavarwhichwassaidtocalloutwhenadeadbodywasplaceduponit。ThemostremarkablerockinscriptionsstillremainingarethoseofAssyriaandPersia,butmanynationaltabletsofmorerecentdatearestillinexistence。FortheexecutionofsuchrecordsandthoseofthepalacesofEgyptandAssyria,somekindofsteelpointmusthavebeenused,asnosoftersubstancewouldhaveservedtoengravethemingraniticandbasalticslabswiththesharpnesstheystillexhibit,whichprovesthattheartofhardeningsteel,longthoughtacomparativelymoderninvention,wasknowntotheancientpeopleofAsiaandAfrica。”
Alistofthevariousdevicesofdifferentcountries,bywhichcharacterscouldbelegiblyportrayedwithascratchingimplement,isbestrecapitulatedbyMr。
Knight,whopresentstheminthefollowingorder:
“Thetabulaorwoodenboardsmearedwithwax,uponwhichaletterwaswrittenbyastylus。
“TheAthenianscratchedhisvoteuponashellasdidtheloutwhenhevotedtoostracizeAristides。
“TherecordsofNinevahwereinscribedupontabletsofclay,whichwerethenbaked。
“ThelawsofRomewereengravedonbrassandlaidupintheCapitol。
“Thedecaloguewasgravenuponthetablesofstone。
“TheEgyptiansusedpapyrusandgranite。
“TheBurmese,tabletsofivoryandleaves。
“Plinymentionssheetsoflead,booksoflinen,andwaxedtabletsofwood。
“TheHebrewsusedlinenandskins。
“ThePersians,Mexicans,andNorthAmericanIndiansusedskins。
“TheGreeks,preparedskinscalledmembrana。
“ThepeopleofPergamus,parchmentandvellum。
“TheHindoos,palm-leaves。”
ThewrittendeedsofbiblicaltimewerekeptinvariousstylesofpotteryJeremiahxxxii。14。HandwritingontileswascommoninEgypt,AssyriaandPalestineEzekieliv。I。Suchhandwritingswereontabletsofterra-cottaorcommonbakedclaybricks。
Oneofthekindwasfashionedbyinscribingdirectlywitha“stylus“ontheclay,beforebaking。Another,were“moulds“madefromolderinscriptionsorduplicatesfromthefirstkind。
TheHebrewtermsepher,translatedintoEnglishmeansa“book。”andsomeauthoritiesclaimitisderivedfromthesamerootastheGreek,astone,whichwouldseemtopointtoengravedstonesastheearliestkindsofrecords。IndeednearlyallthepassagesintheFiveBooksofMoses,inwhichwritingismentioned,refertorecordsofthiskind,ortotabletsofleadorwood,occasionallydescribedascoatedwithwax。
Longbeforetheuseofpapyrus,oranylikesubstancewasknownasamaterialforwritingon,thinbrickswerefrequentlyutilizedforsuchpurposes。
TheChinesewroteonslipsofbamboowhichhadbeenpreviouslyscrapedtobeafterwardssubmittedtointenseheatwhichsohardenedthem,thatagraverwouldcutlineswiththesamefacility,ascouldbeaccomplishedonsoftmetallikelead。Thesebambootabletswerejoinedtogetherbymeansofcordsmadeofbarkandwhenfoldedformeda“book。”Differentnationsadoptedothermodesintheirpreparationofsurfacestoengraveon。Manyoriginalspecimenshavecomedowntouswhichpresentdefiniteevidenceofthevarietyofmaterialsandmethodsemployedintheirmanufacture。
Hilprecht,“ExplorationsinBibleLands。”1903,mentionsmanydiscoveriesofsuchspecimens。Hesaysthatmorethanfourthousandclaytabletswerediscoveredduringtheexcavationsof1889and1900。
Theserelicscallattentiononlytoaveryfewdiscoveriesofthischaracter。TherewereotherexplorerswhoprecededHilprechtinthisdirection,andwhowithhimhavethussecuredtangibleevidencewhichfullyconfirmsallthathasbeensaidabouttheemploymentofthemostancientofwritinginstruments,the“stylus。”
Thediamondisalsotobeclassifiedundertheheadof“scratchingimplements“andmanyhistoricalincidentsarerecordedofitsuse。OneofthemostinterestingrelatestoSirWalterRaleighandQueenElizabethandtobefoundinScott’s“Kenilworth。”
SirWalter,usinghisdiamondring,wroteonapaneofglassinhersummer-houseatGreenwich:
“FainwouldIclimb,butthatIfeartofall。”
ThemaidenQueenaddingthewords:
“Ifthymindfailthee,donotclimbatall。”
Biblicalmentionofthediamond,employedasapen,isfoundinJeremiahxvii。1。
“ThesinofJudahiswrittenwithapenofiron,andwiththepointofadiamond。”
Ithasnotalwaysbeenpossibletodecipherandinterpretthecharactervaluesofthemostancienthieroglyphicsorpicturewritingsinscribedonbricks,stoneandmetalslabs,andtheEgyptianmonuments。Themeanstodosowerefurnishedastheresultofaveryfortunateaccidentor“find。”
AFrenchartilleryofficerin1799whileexcavatingthefoundationsforafortificationneartheRosettamouthoftheNile,foundacuriousblacktabletofstone。Onitwereengravedthreeinscriptions,eachofdifferentcharactersanddialects。
Thefirstofthethreeinscriptionswasinhieroglyphic,thenunreadable;thesecondindemoticorshorterscript,alsounknown,andthethirdinalivinglanguagepertainingtothetimeofPtolemyEpiphanes,whoreignedabout200B。C。
ThisrelicofantiquityiscalledtheRosettastone。
JeanFrancoisChampollion,whowithDr。ThomasYoungstudiedtheintricaciesofthesewritings,firstestablishedthefactthatthethreeinscriptionsonthisstoneweretranslationsofeachother。Dr。Young’sinvestigationscausedhimtostudythelanguageincludedinthesecondinscription,andmadehisdeductions,itissaid,“bydintofthousandsofscientificguesses,allbutafewofwhichwereeliminatedbytestswhichheinventedandapplied;heatlastdiscoveredandputtogetherthesetoffundamentalprinciplesthatgoverntheancientwritings。”
Champollion,however,beganatthebottomandhavingsuccessfullytranslatedtheLIVINGlanguage,establisheda“key“oralphabet。Henceitbecamepossible,althoughrequiringsomeyears,tosolvethemysteryofwritingsof4000ormoreyearsold。
Champollionpursuedhisdiscoveriessothoroughlyinthisdirectionastobeabletocompletein1829anEgyptianvocabularyandgrammar。
TheRosettastoneafterremaininginthepossessionoftheFrenchformanyyearswascapturedbytheEnglishonthedefeatoftheFrenchforcesinEgyptandisnowintheBritishmuseum。
Aswritingwithliquidcolorsonpapyrusoranalogousmaterialswhichcouldbeusedintheformofrolls,graduallycameintovogue,thecalamusorreedpen,pencilbrushhairpencil,orthejuncas,apenformedfromakindofcane,weremoreorlessemployed。
The“calamus“followedthe“brush。”justasphonographicwritingwhichdenotesarbitrarysoundsorthelanguageofsymbols,cameafterthepictureorideographicwriting。
Theplaceswherethecalamusgrewandthemodesofpreparingthemarevariouslydiscussedbydifferentancientandmodernwriters。SomeclaimthatthebestreedsforpenpurposesformerlygrewnearMemphisontheNile,nearCnidusofCaria,inAsiaMinor,andinArmenia。ThosegrowninItalywereestimatedtohavebeenofbutpoorquality。Chardincallsattentiontoakindtobefound,“inalargefenortractofsoggylandsuppliedwithwaterbytheriverHelle,aplaceinArabiaformedbytheunitedarmsoftheEuphratesandTigris。TheyarecutinMarch,tiedinbundles,laidsixmonthsinamanureheap,wheretheyassumeabeautifulcolor,mottledyellowandblack。”TournefortsawthemgrowingintheneighborhoodofTeflisinGeorgia。Millerdescribesthecaneas“growingnohigherthanaman,thestemthreeorfourlinesinthicknessandsolidfromoneknottoanother,exceptingthecentralwhitepith。”Theincipientfermentationinthemanureheapdriesupthepithandhardensthecane。Thepenswereaboutthesizeofthelargestswan’squills。
Theywerecutandslitlikeaquillpenbutwithmuchlargernibs。
InthefarEastthecalamusisstillused,thebestbeinggatheredinthemonthofMarch,nearAurac,onthePersianGulf,andstillpreparedaftertheoldmethodofimmersingthemforaboutsixmonthsinfermentingmanurewhichcoatsthemwithasortofdarkvarnishandthedarkertheircolorthemoretheyareprized。
The“brush“alsoholdsitscareerofusefulness,moreespeciallyinChinaandJapan。
TheearliestexamplesofreedpenwritingaretheancientrollsofpapyruswhichhavebeenfoundburiedwiththeEgyptiandead。SomeoftheseoldrelicsofantiquityareclaimedtohavebeenpreparedfullytwentycenturiesormorebeforetheChristianera。
The“reed“penforinkwritingheldalmostundisputedswayuntilthesixthcenturyaftertheChristianera,whenthequillpennacameintovogue。
ReedpenspreservedinexcellentconditionwerefoundintheruinsofHerculaneum。
“Whenhehadfinished,hedriedthebamboo-penonhishair,andreplaceditbehindhisear,saying,’Yakpose’Thatiswell。’Temouchu’Restinpeace,wereplied;and,afterpolitelyputtingoutourtongues,withdrew。”AbbeHueatLha-Ssa。
CHAPTERXXVI。
INKUTENSILSQUILLPENSTEELPEN。
THEQUILLPENTHEMOSTSUCCESSFULANDFITTINGOF
ALLWRITINGINSTRUMENTS——TENDENCYTO“WEAR“
OUT——THESOMETIMESAFFECTIONFOROLDPENS——DR。
HOLLAND’SLINESONTHEPEN——SELECTIONOFQUILLS
TOBEMADEINTOPENS——METHODOFPREPARING
THEM——BYRON’SESTIMATIONOFHISQUILLPEN——ITS
INVENTIONBEFORETHESIXTHCENTURYUNCERTAIN——
EMPLOYMENTOFTHEREEDANDQUILLPEN
TOGETHERUNTILTHETWELFTHCENTURY——WHEN
THESTEELPENCAMEINTOVOGUE——WHOWASITS
INVENTOR——SOMEOBSERVATIONSABOUTIT——QUANTITY
OFMATERIALSIXTYYEARSAGOCONSUMEDINPEN
MANUFACTURE——AFEWREMARKSABOUTGOLD,FOUNTAIN
ANDSTYLOGRAPHICPENS——MORESTEELUSEDIN
THEMANUFACTUREOFPENSTHANINTHATOFSWORDS
ANDGUNS——POETICALLINESABOUTTHEPEN。
THEquillsbelongingtothefeathersofbirdsseemtohavebeenthemostsuccessfulandfittingofallmaterialsforpens,for,thoughsteelandothermetalsarenowusedforthispurposetoanimmenseextent,thereisapowerofadaptationinaquillpenwhichhasneveryetbeenequalledinmetal。Quills,however,likeotherthings,haveatendencyto“wearout。”andthetroubleresultingfromthenecessityoffrequentlymendingquillpensandadesiretowritewithmorerapidityhavebeenthemaincausesoftheintroductionofsteelsubstitutes。Akindofaffectionhasoftenbeenfeltbyanauthororofficial,ortheiradmirers,forthepenwithwhichhehaswrittenanylargeorcelebratedworkorsignedsomeimportantdocument;
oldworn-outpens,aswellasnewones,havebeenpreservedasmemorialsinconnectionwithsuchmatters,andDr。Holland,whotranslatedPliny’s“NaturalHistory“inthesixteenthcentury,recordedanexploitconnectedwithitinthefollowinglines:
“WithonesolepenIwrotethisbook,Madeofagraygoose-quill:
ApenitwaswhenitItookApenIleaveitstill。”
Thequillsemployedforpensweregenerallythoseofthegoose,althoughthecrow,theswan,andotherbirdsyieldedfeatherswhichwereoccasionallyavailableforthispurpose。Eachwingproducedaboutfivegoodquills,butthenumberthusyieldedwassosmallthatthegeeserearedinEnglandcouldnotfurnishnearlyenoughforthedemand,hencetheimportationofgoosequillsfromtheContinentwasverylarge。
Theprocesssurroundingthemanufactureofaquillpenprovesofconsiderableinterest。
“Thegeesearepluckedoftheirfeathersthreeorfourtimesayear,thefirsttimeforthesakebothofthequillsandthefeathers,buttheothertimesforthefeathersonly。Thepenquillsaregenerallytakenfromtheendsofthewings。Whenpluckedthequillsarefoundtobecoveredwithamembranousskin,resultingfromadecayofakindofsheathwhichhadenvelopedthem;theinteriorvascularmembrane,too,resultingfromthedecayofthevascularpith,adheressostronglytothebarrelofthequillastobewithdifficultyseparated,while,atthesametime,thebarrelitselfisopaque,soft,andtough。Toremovethesevariousdefectsthequillsundergoseveralprocesses。Inthefirstinstance,asameansofremovingthemembraneousskin,thequillsareplungedintoheatedsand,thehightemperatureofwhichcausestheexternalskinofthebarreltocrackandpeeloff,andtheinternalmembranetoshrivelup。Theoutermembraneisthenscrapedoffwithasharpinstrument,whiletheinnermembraneremainsinastatetobeeasilydetached。Forthefinestquillstheheatingisrepeatedtwoorthreetimes。Theheatofthesand,byconsumingordryingupthenaturalmoistureofthebarrel,rendersitharderandmoretransparent。Inordertogivethebarrelayellowcolor,andatendencytosplitmorereadilyandclearly,itisdippedinweaknitricacid,butthiswasconsideredtorenderthequillmorebrittleandlessdurable,andwasthereforeasacrificeofutilityforthesakeofappearance。”
“Oh!nature’snoblestgift——mygraygoosequill!
Slaveofmythoughts,obedienttomywill,Tornfromthyparentbirdtoformapen,Thatmightyinstrumentoflittlemen!“
BYRON。
Tolocateanexactperiodfortheinventionofthequillpenisimpossible。Itcouldhardlyhavebeeninusebeforethefourthcentury,probablynotearlierthantwocenturieslater。SomewritershaveassumedthatitwasemployedbytheRomans,butasnodistinctmentionismadeofthembyearlyclassicalauthorswemustaccepttheonlyinformationathand。
IsidorediedA。D。636andcontemporariesstatethatthequillsofbirdscameintouseaspensonlyinthesixthcentury。Itisalsoknown,St。Brovverusbeingtheauthority,thatinhistimeseventhcentury
thecalamusorreedpenandthequillpenwereemployedtogether,thecalamusbeingusedinthewritingoftheuncialinchlettersandcapitals,andthequillforsmallerletters。MentionisalsomadebymanywritersofthefivecenturieswhichfollowedIsidore’stimeofthecalamus,indicatingthatnotwithstandingithadbeensupersededbythequillitwasstillafavoritewritingimplementinsomeplaces。
Theuseofthe“steelpen“didnotspringimmediatelyfromthatofthe“quillpen。”Therewereseveralintermediatestagesadoptedbeforethefitnessofsteelforthispurposewassufficientlyknown,Fromabout1800to1835thenumberofproposedsubstitutesforthequillpenwasveryconsiderable。
Hornpens,tortoise-shellpens,nibsofdiamondorrubyimbeddedintortoiseshell,nibsofrubysetinfinegold,nibsofrhodiumandofiridiumimbeddedingold,——
allhavebeenadoptedatdifferenttimes,butmostofthemhavebeenfoundtoocostlyforgeneraladoption。
Steelisprovedtobesufficientlyelasticanddurabletoformverygoodpens,andtheingenuityofmanufacturershasbeenexertedtogivetosuchpensasmanyaspossibleofthegoodqualitiespossessedbythequillpen。
Theoriginalflexibleironpenofmoderntimeswasanexperimentalaffairprobably,beingmentionedbyChamberlayneasfarbackas1685。
ThefirststeelpensinregularuseweremadebyWise,inLondon,in1803,andformanyyearsthereafter。
Hispenwasmadewithabarrel,bywhichitwasslippeduponastraighthandle。Initsportableformitwasmountedinabonecaseforthepocket。
Prejudice,however,wasstrongagainstthem,andupto1835orthereaboutsquillsmaintainedtheirfullsway,andmuchlateramongtheold-fashionedfolks。
Tohim,however,isduethecreditofbeingtheinventorofthemodernsteelpen。
IthasbeenthethoughtofsomepeoplethatGillottwastheprogenitorofthesteelpen,buthewasnot。
Arnoux,aFrenchmechanic,mademetallicpenswithsideslitsin1750。SamuelHarrison,anEnglishman,madeasteelpenforDr。Priestlyin1780。PeregrineWilliamson,anativeofNewYork,whileengagedasajewelerinthecityofBaltimore,madesteelpensin1800。
Perry’sfirstpenswereofsteel,rolledfromwire,thematerialcostingsevenshillingsapound。Fiveshillingseachwaspaidtheworkmanformakingthem;
thiswasafterwardreducedtothirty-sixshillingspergross,whichpricewascontinuedforseveralyears。
ItwasJosephGillott,however,originallyaSheffieldcutler,andafterwardsaworkmaninlightsteelarticles,asbuckles,chains,andotherarticlesofthatclass,whoin1822gaveimpulsetothesteel-penmanufacture。
Previoustohisenteringthebusinessthepenswerecutoutwithshearsandfinishedwiththefile。Gillottadaptedthestampingpresstotherequirementsofthemanufacture,ascuttingouttheblanks,formingtheslits,bendingthemetal,andimpressingthemaker’snameonthepens。Healsodevisedimprovedmodesofpreparingthemetalfortheactionofthepress,tempering,cleansing,andpolishing,and,inshort,manylittledetailsofmanufacturenecessarytogivethemtherequiredflexibilitytoenablethemtocompetewiththequillpen。Onegreatdifficultytobeovercomewastheirextremehardnessandstiffness;
thiswaseffectedbymakingslitsatthesideinadditiontothecentralone,whichhadpreviouslybeensolelyused。Afurtherimprovement,thatofcrossgrindingthepoints,wassubsequentlyadopted。Thefirstgrossofpenswiththreeslitswassoldforsevenpounds。In1830thepricewas$2。00;in1832,$1。50;
in1861,12cents,andacommonvarietyfor4centsagross。About9,300tonsofsteelareannuallyconsumed,thenumberofpensproducedinEnglandalonebeingabout8,000,000,000。
Bramahpatentedquillnibsmadebysplittingquillsandcuttingthesemicylindersintosectionswhichwereshapedintopensandadaptedtobeplacedinaholder。Thesewere,perhaps,thefirstnibs,theprogenitorsofahostofsteel,gold,andotherpens。
HawkinsandMordan,in1823,madenibsofhornandtortoiseshell,insteadofquill。Thetortoiseshellbeingsoftened,pointsofrubyanddiamondwereimbedded。
Metallicpointswerealsocementedtotheshellnibs。
Doughty,about1825,madegoldpenswithrubypoints。
Goldpenswithrhodiumoriridiumpointswereintroducedsoonafterwards。
Mordan’sobliquepen,Englishpatent,1831,wasdesignedtopresentthenibsintherightdirectionwhilepreservingthecustomarypositionsofthepenandhand。
Thefountainpencarriesasupplyofink,fedgraduallytothepointoftheinstrument。ThefirstmadebySchefferwasintroducedabout1835byMordan。
Thepressureofthethumbonastudinaholdercausedacontinuoussupplyofinktoflowfromthereservoirtothepen。
The“stylographic“isareservoirpenshapedlikeapencil,inwhichtheflowofinkisregulatedbypressureofastyleorfineneedlewithbluntpointuponthepaper。Itmustbeheldinaverticalposition。
Allmarksmadewithone,bothupanddownstrokes,areequalinwidth。
Goldpensarenowusuallytippedwithiridium,makingwhatarecommonlyknownasdiamondpoints。
“Theiridiumforthispurposeisfoundinsmallgrainsofplatinum,slightlyalloyedwiththislattermetal。Thegoldforpensisalloyedwithsilvertoaboutsixteencaratsfineness,rolledintothinstrips,fromwhichtheblanksarestruck。Theundersideofthepointisnotchedbyasmallcircularsawtoreceivetheiridiumpoint,whichisselectedwiththeaidofamicroscope。Afluxofboraxandablowpipesecureittoitsplace。Thepointisthengroundonacopperwheelofemery。Thepen-blankisnextrolledtotherequisitethinnessbythemeansofrollersespeciallyadaptedforthepurpose,andtemperedbyblowsfromahammer。Itisthentrimmedaroundtheedges,stamped,andformedinapress。
Theslitisnextcutthroughthesolidiridiumpointbymeansofathincopperwheelfedwithfineemery,andasawextendstheaperturealongthepenitself。
Theinsideedgesoftheslitaresmoothedandpolishedbytheemerywheel;burnishingandhammeringproducetheproperdegreeofelasticity。”
Itisassertedthatmoresteelisusedinthemanufactureofpensthaninalltheswordsandgunsintheworld。Thisfactpartlyverifiestheoldsaying,“Thepenismightierthanthesword。”
“Threethingsbearmightyswaywithmen,TheSword,theSceptre,andthePen;
Whocantheleastofthesecommand,InthefirstrankofFamewillstand。”
CHAPTERXXVII。
SUBSTITUTESFORINKUTENSILS“LEAD“ANDOTHER
PENCILS。
“BLACK-LEAD“PENCILSANEXCELLENTPENSUBSTITUTE
UNDERCERTAINCONDITIONS——ITSCOMPOSITION——
“BLACK-LEAD“CONTAINSNOLEAD,HENCE
THENAMEISMISAPPLIED——THEDISCOVERYOFITS
PRINCIPALSOURCEOFSUPPLYANACCIDENT——A
DESCRIPTIONOFHOWITISMINED——TREATMENT
BEFOREBEINGINTRODUCEDINTOTHEGROOVED
WOOD——USEOFREDANDBLACKCHALKPENCILS
INGERMANY,1450——THEIRUSEINMEXICOINEARLY
TIMES——WHOMANUFACTURESLEADPENCILS——EMPLOYMENT
OFTHECOMPOSITIONOFLEADANDTIN
INMEDIAEVALTIMES——BAVARIANGOVERNMENTIN
1816AMANUFACTUREROFLEADPENCILS。
THEblack-leadpencil,undermanycircumstances,isaveryusefulsubstituteforthepen,inthatitrequiresnoliquidinkformarkingthecharactersonpaperorothermaterials。Thepeculiarsubstancewhichfillsthecentralchannelofthestickofcedarhasthepropertyofmarkingwhenittouchespaper;
and,asthemarksthusmadearesusceptibletoeasyremoval,apencilofthiskindisavailableforpurposeswhichwouldnotbeansweredbytheuseofpenandink。
Thesubstancemisnamed“black-lead“containsNO
LEADandisacarburetofiron,beingcomposedofcarbonandiron。ItgenerallyoccursinMountaindistricts,insmallkidney-shapedpieces,varyinginsizefromthatofapeaupwards,whichareinterspersedamongvariousstrata,andismetwithindifferentpartsoftheworld。
Itsprincipalsourceofsupplyuntilabout1845,whenitbecameexhausted,wastheBorrowdalemineinCumberland,England,whichwasdiscoveredin1564。About1852anumberofmineswereopenedcontainingthissubstanceinSiberiaandfromwhichplacethebestproductsarenowobtained。
TheaccidentaldiscoveryofthismineralatBorrowdalewasduringthereignofQueenElizabethwhomademanyinquiriesaboutit。Thenameofthismineralwaslocallyknownaswadgraphite。Sovaluablewasitregardedthatitcommandedaveryhighprice,andthispriceactedasininducementtotheworkmenandotherstopilferpiecesfromthemine。Foranumberofyearsscenesofgreatcommotiontookplace,arisingoutofthesedepredations;andtheresultwasthattheproprietorsadoptedsuchstringentrulesthathardlyanythingwasknownoftheinternaleconomyoftheminetillaboutsixtyyearsago,whenMr。Parkesgaveadescriptionofit,fromwhichImaycondenseafewparticulars。
Themineisinthemidstofamountainabouttwothousandfeethigh,whichrisesatinangleofabout45degrees;and,asthatpartoftheminewhichhasbeenworkedduringthelastcenturyisnearthemiddleofthemountain,thepresententranceisaboutathousandfeetfromthesummit。Theopeningbywhichtheworkmenenterdescendsbyaflightofsteps;andinordertoguardthetreasurewithin,theproprietorshaveerectedastrongbrickbuildingoffourrooms,oneofwhichisimmediatelyovertheentranceintothemine。Thisentranceissecuredbyatrap-door,andtheroomconnectedwithitservesasadressing-roomforthemenwhentheyenterandleavethemine。Themenworkingangs,whichrelieveeachothereverysixhours,andwhenthehourofreliefcomes,astewardorforemanattendsthedressing-
roomtoseethemenchangetheirdressesastheycomeuponebyoneoutofthemine。Theclothesareexaminedbythestewardtoseethatnoblack-leadisconcealedinthem;andwhenthemenhavedressedtheyleavethemine,makingroomforanothergang,whochangetheirclothes,enterthemine,andarefastenedinforsixhours。Inoneofthefourroomsofwhichthehouseconsiststhereisatable,atwhichmenareemployedinsortinganddressingthemineral。Thisisnecessary,becauseitisusuallydividedintotwoqualities,thefinestofwhichhavegenerallypiecesofiron-
oreorotherimpurityattachedtothem,whichmustbedressedoff。Thesemen,whoarestrictlywatchedwhileatwork,putthedressedblack-leadintocasksholdingaboutonehundred-weighteach,inwhichstateitleavesthemine。Thecasksareconveyeddownthesideofthemountaininacuriousmanner。Eachcaskisfixeduponalightsledgewithtwowheels,andaman,whoiswellusedtotheprecipitouspath,walksdowninfrontofthesledge,takingcarethatitdoesnotacquiremomentumenoughtooverpowerhim。Whenthecaskhasbeenthusguidedsafelytothebottom,themancarriesthesledgeuphilluponhisshoulders,andpreparesforanotherdescent。
Uptoaboutthemiddleoftheeighteenthcenturytheminewasopenedonlyonceinsevenyears,thequantitytakenoutateachtimeofopeningbeingsuchaswasdeemedsufficienttoservethemarketforsevenyears;
butwhen,atalaterperiod,itwasfoundthatthedemandwasincreasingandthesupplydecreasing,itwasdeemednecessarytoworktheminesixorsevenweekseveryyear。Duringthetimeofworking,themineisguardednightandday;andwhenaquantitysufficientforoneyear’sconsumptionhasbeentakenout,themineissecureduntilthefollowingyear。
Severalhundredcartloadsofrubbisharewheeledintothemine,soastoblockuptheentrancecompletely;
andthisrubbishactsasadamtopreventthespringsandlandwatersfromflowingout,sothattheminegraduallybecomesflooded。
WhentheYear’sminingisconcluded,thebarrelsofblack-leadarebroughttomarket,andthemodeofeffectingthesaleswasdescribedbyDr。Faradaysomeyearsagotobeasfollows:AmarketisheldonthefirstMondayofeverymonthatahouseinLondon,wherethebuyers,whoaregenerallyonlysevenoreightinnumber,examineeachpiecewithasharpinstrumenttoascertainitshardness,thosewhicharetoosoftbeingrejected。Thepersonwhohasthefirstchoicepays45s。perpound,theothers30s。
But,asthereisnoadditionmadetothefirstquantityinthemarket,theresidualportionsareexaminedoverandoveragainuntiltheyareexhausted。AtonetimetheannualsalewassaidtoamounttothevalueofL40,000perannum,butithasbeengreatlyreducedsince。
Amodeofapplyingmanufacturingprocessestothepreparationofblack-leadisdescribedbyDr。
UreasbeingadoptedinParis。Themineral,beingreducedtoafinepowder,ismixedwithverypurepowderedclay,andthetwoarecalcinedinacrucibleatawhiteheat;theproportionofclayemployedisgreaterasthepencilisrequiredtobeharder,theaveragebeingequalpartsofboth。Theingredientsaregroundwithamulleronaporphyryslabandthenmadeintoballs,whicharepreservedinamoistatmosphereintheformofpaste。Thepasteispressedintogroovescutinasmoothboard,andanotherboard,previouslygreased,ispresseddownuponit。Whenthepastehashadtimetodry,themouldorgroovedboardisputintoamoderatelyheatedoven,bywhichthepaste,nowintheformofsquarepencils,shrinkssufficientlytofalloutofthegrooves。Inordertogivesoliditytothepencilstheyaresetuprightinacrucibleandsurroundedwithpoundedcharcoal,finesand,orsiftedashes;thecrucible,beingcovered,isexposedtoadegreeofheatproportionatetothehardnessrequiredinthepencils,theharderpencilsrequiringthehigherdegreeofheat。Someofthepencilsareshapedinacuriousmanner:modelsofthepencils,madeofiron,arestuckuprightuponanirontray,havingedgesraisedashighastheintendedlengthofthepencils;andametallicalloy,madeoftin,lead,antimonyandbismuthispouredintothesheet-irontray。Whenthealloyhascooled,itisinvertedandshakenofffromthemodel-rods,soastoformamassofmetalperforatedthroughoutwithtubularcavitiescorrespondinginsizewiththeintendedpencilpieces;thepencilpasteisintroducedbypressureintothesecavities,andwhennearlydrythepiecesshrinksufficientlytobeeasilyremovedfromthecavities。
Thepencilsjustdescribedarealikethroughoutalltheirthickness,butinthemajorityofEnglishpencilsthereisawoodenholdertocontainanarrowfilamentofblackleadrunningdownthemiddle。Solongagoastheyear1618thismodewasadopted;forSirJohnPettus,whowasdeputygovernoroftheBorrowdalemineunderCharlesII,inhis“FletaMinor。”while,speakingofblack-leadsays,that“Oflateitiscuriouslyformedintocasesofdealorcedarandsosoldasdrypencils,somethingmoreusefulthanpenandink。”Inageneralwaymodernblack-leadpencils,aremadebysawingcedarfirstintolongplanks,andthenintosmallerrods;groovesarecutoutbymeansofacuttingmachinemovedbyafly-
wheeltosuchadepthaswillreceiveasmalllayerofblack-lead;thepiecesofthemineralarecutintothinslabsandthenintorodsthesamesizeasthegrooves,intowhichtheyareinserted;thetwohalvesofthecasearethengluedtogether,andthewholeisturnedintoacylindricalformbymeansofaguage。
Thekindofpencilcalled“crayon“isamixtureofsomekindofearthwithacoloringsubstance。
Theearthemployedissometimeschalk,andatothertimespipe-clay,gypsum,starch-flour,orochre。Thecoloringsubstanceisyellowochre,mineralyellow,chrome,redchalk,vermilion,indigo——indeed,anyoftheusualdrycolors,accordingtothetintrequired。
Besidestheearthandthecolor,thereisagummyliquidrequiredtocombinethemtogether;gumarabic,gumtragacanth,andinsomecasesoil,wax,orsuet,areusedasthethirdingredient。Thecrayonsherealludedtoareemployedratherfordrawingthanforwriting,buttheyobviouslybelongtotheclassofpencilsintheirmodeofaction。
Theancientsdrewlinesandletterswithwoodenstyles,andafterwardanalloyofleadandtinwasused。Plinyreferstotheuseofleadforrulinglinesonpapyrus。LaMoinecitesadocumentof1387
ruledwithgraphite。SlipsofgraphiteinwoodenstickspencilsarementionedbyGesner,ofZurich,in1565;hecreditsEnglandwiththeproduction。TheyaredoubtlesstheproductoftheBorrowdalemine,thenlatelydiscovered。Intheearlypartoftheseventeenthcenturyblack-leadpencilsaredistinctlydescribedbyseveralwriters。TheyarenoticedbyAmbrosinus,1648;spokenofbyPettus,in1683,asinclosedinfirorcedar。
RedandblackchalkpencilswereusedinGermanyin1450;infact,fragmentsofchalk,charcoal,andshapedsticksofcoloredmineralshadbeeninusesincetimesprevioustoallhistoricmention。
WhenCortezlandedinMexico,in1520,hefoundtheAztecsusinggraphitecrayons,whichwereprobablymadefromamineralfoundinSonora。
ThefirmofA。W。Faberarethelargestmanufacturersofleadpencilsintheworld。Theyhavecompiledahistoryofthisimplementofhandwritingwhichtheyhavepermittedmetouseinthestorywhichfollows。
Theleadpencilisaninventionofmoderntimes,anditsintroductionmaydeservedlyberankedwiththelargenumberoftechnicalinnovationsinwhichmoreespeciallythelastthreecenturieshavebeensorich;norcanitbedeniedthatpencilshaveplayedanimportantpartinthediffusionofartsandsciencesandinfacilitatingstudyandintellectualintercourse。
Totheclassicagesandtheirartthepencil,andingeneraleveryapplicationofleadasawritingmaterial,wasentirelyunknown,anditwasnottilltheadventofthemiddleagesthatitbegantobeusedforthispurpose。Thislead,i。e。metalliclead,however,wasinnowayequivalenttothegraphiteorblack-leadofourpencils,whichareonlyhonoredwiththeprefixof“lead。”owingtotheleadencolorofthewritingdonewiththem。
Moreover,inthosedays,leadwasusedexclusivelyforrulingandinnowayforwritingordrawing;itwasemployedintheformofround,sharp-edgeddiscs,similartothosewhich,itissaid,werealreadyusedforthesamepurposeinancientclassictimes。Itisonlywiththedevelopmentandgrowthofmodernpaintingthattracesofpencil-likedrawingsfirstbegintobemet。Atsoearlyaperiodevenasthefourteenthcentury,mentionismadebythemastersofthattime,moreespeciallybythebrothersVanEyck,andagaininthefifteenthcenturybyMenlinkandothers,ofstudiesorcompositionswhichweremadewithaninstrumentsimilartoaleadpencil,uponapaperwithchalkpreparedsurface。
Thistypeofdrawingwascommonlyclassedas“silver-
style。”aterm,however,whichwasnodoubterroneous,astherecouldbenoquestionoftheuseofpuresilverinthisconnection。
InthesamewayitisalsoreportedofthelatermediaevalItalianartiststhattheydrewtheirsubjectsin“silver-style。”uponplanishedfig-treewood,thesurfaceofwhichhadbeenpreparedwiththepowderobtainedfromcalcinedbones,——amethod,however,whichseemsonlytohavebeenemployedinexceptionalinstances。
Butinthefourteenthcentury,drawingswerefrequentlydoneinItalywithpencilsconsistingofamixturecastfromleadandtin;thesedrawingscouldeasilybeerasedwithbreadcrumbs。
Petrarch’s“Laura“wasportrayedinthismannerbyoneofhiscontemporaries,andthemethodwasstillinvogueinthedaysofMichaelAngelo。FromItalythesepencilssubsequentlyfoundtheirwaytoGermany,butitisnotapparentunderwhatparticularname。InItalyitselftheywerecalled“stili。”theequivalentofthewordstylus。Atnotime,however,dothesevarietiesseemtohavebeenthepredominatingmaterialusedfordrawingpurposes。
Inconjunctionwiththese,penswereusedforwritinganddrawing,andatthezenithoftheartperiodofthosedaysblackandredcrayonswerealsousedonalargescale。TheItaliansimportedthebestqualitiesofredcrayonsfromGermany,thebestblackchalkbeingobtainedfromSpain。
Vasariwritesofacertainsixteenthcenturyartist,thathewasequallyskillfulinhandlingthestylusorthepen,blackchalkorredcrayon。
Itwasthisperiodwhichwitnessedthediscoveryofplumbago,amineralwhichwassoonworkedupintoanentirelynewmaterialforwritinganddrawing,——
theleadpencil。
Thisdiscovery,whichwasdestinedtoconfersuchgreatbenefitsnotonlyuponpracticallife,butalsouponart,wasmadeinEnglandduringthereignofQueenElizabeth,forintheyear1564thecelebratedblack-leadminesofBorrowdale,inCumberland,werediscovered。Withtheopeningofthismine,thefirstmaterialstepsweretakentoimplantonEnglishsoilaleadpencilindustrywhichinthecourseoftimewastoassumeimportantdimensions。
ThefirstleadpencilsaresupposedtohavebeenmanufacturedinEnglandinthesecondhalfofthesixteenthcentury。Therawplumbago,or“wad。”asitwaslocallytermed,wassubjectedtothefollowingtreatment:“Onreachingthesurfaceitwassawnintostripsoftherequiredsize,andthese,withoutanyfurthermanipulation,wereinsertedintothewood。
Strangethoughitmayappear,theleadpencilsfirstmanufacturedinthismannerareacknowledgedtohavebeenthebest——andevenatthebeginningofthepresentcenturytheyremainedunsurpasseduponthescoreofthesoftnessandfinetoneofthelead。AlthoughtheCumberlandleadpencilswereingreatdemandowingtothefactthattheywerethefirsttosuccessfullymeetalong-feltwant,theyneverthelessowedtheirpermanentandwide-spreadreputation——
moreespeciallyinartisticcircles——totheirexcellentquality。
Towardstheendofthelastcenturytheblack-leadpencilindustrywasintroducedintoFrance,wherewithsomerestrictionsitsoondeveloped。
Withtheremovalofallrestrictionsonindustrialfreedomin1795,theideawasentertainedofusingclayasabindingmediumforblack-lead。Thismethodofferedseveraladvantages,fornotonlydidtheadditionofclaycauseasavingofalargepercentageofthevaluablemineral,butitgreatlyfacilitatedthemethodofmanufacture,sothatleadpencilscouldnowbeofferedatgreatlyreducedprices。
BytheseimprovementsanewerainthemanufactureofleadpencilswasbeguninFrance。Still,thereremainedmuchtobedoneinthefieldofblack-
leadpencilmakinginordertodojusticetotheincreasingdemandsofartandtherequirementsofmorecivilizedlife。
Itistrue,differentkindsofleadpencilsofvariousdegreeswereproduced,buttheydidnotcomplybyalongwaywiththedifferentusesforwhichtheywereneeded。Themanipulationofthebrittlematerialrequirednotonlydeepstudy,butalsoconscientiousandskillfulworkmen,inordertoimpartthenecessarystandardofperfectiontotheleadpencil。
AmongthevariousGermanindustriesthemanufactureofblack-leadpencilsoccupiedbutaverymodestplace。
ThefirsttracesofitsexistencearetobefoundatStein,avillagenotfarfromNuremberg。Asfarbackastheyear1726thechurchregistersmentionmarriagesbetween“black-leadpencilmakers。”and,atalaterdatereferencesarefoundinthesameregistersto“black-leadcutters“ofbothsexes。
Themanufactureofblack-leadpencils,however,occupiedapositionontheverylowestrungoftheindustrialladder。
ButistimeproceededtheBavariangovernmentdirectedtheirattentiontothisbranchofindustry,anddidallintheirpowertoencourageit;and,asearlyastheyear1766,aCountvonKronsfeldobtainedaconcessiontoestablishaleadpencilfactoryatJettenbach。Lateron,intheyear1816,theBavariangovernmentestablishedaroyalleadpencilmanufactoryatObernzellHafnerzell,andintroducedintoittheFrenchprocess,describedabove,ofusingclayasabindingmediumforgraphite。
CHAPTERXXVIII。
ANCIENTINKBACKGROUNDSTHEORIGINOFPAPYRUS。
FROMWHENCECOMESTHENAMEPAPER——FIRSTCENTURY
COMMENTABOUTIT——KNIGHT’SCOMMENTSMORETHAN
1,800YEARSLATER——PAPYRUSANEGYPTIAN
REED——NAMESBESTOWEDBYANCIENTWRITERS——THE
SAMENAMESASEMPLOYEDINMODERNTIMES——LEAVES
OFPLANTSPRECEDEDTHEINVENTIONOFPAPYRUS——
WHENITWASTHATROLLEDRECORDSCAMEINTO
VOGUE——VARRO’SESTIMATIONASTOTHEORIGINALUSE
OFPAPYRUSNOTCORRECT——REALFACTSRESPECTING
THEINTRODUCTIONOFPAPYRUSBEYONDTHELIMITSOF
EGYPT——CHARACTEROFMATERIALSEMPLOYEDBYTHE
GREEKSBEFORETHATEPOCH——EMPLOYMENTOFIT
FORLITERARYPURPOSES——ADOPTIONOFPARCHMENT
ANDVELLUM——PAPYRUSMSS。EMPLOYEDINTHEFORM
OFROLLSANDTHEREASONFORSAME——ANCIENT
MANUFACTUREOFPAPYRUSINEGYPT——SOMEOFTHENAMES
USEDTODESIGNATEDIFFERENTKINDS——PLINY’S
DESCRIPTIONOFTHEMANUFACTUREOFPAPYRUSANDHIS
MISINFORMATIONABOUTIT——WHEREITFLOURISHED
BEST——PAPYRUSASKNOWNTOTHEHEBREWSANDITS
BIBLICALMENTION——MANUFACTUREOFPAPYRUSIN
THEANCIENTCITYOFMEMPHIS——CHARACTERISTICSOF
THEPAPEREMPLOYEDBYTHEMEXICANS——MR。HARRIS’S
DISCOVERYOFANCIENTFRAGMENTSOFPAPYRUS——
THESTORYABOUTITASTOLDBYTHELONDON
ATHENaeUM——DATESOFTHEOLDESTKNOWNSPECIMENS
OFGREEKPAPYRI——DATEOFTHEFIRSTDISCOVERY
OFGREEKPAPYRI——USEOFOTHERPLIABLEMATERIALS
WITHPAPYRUS——HOWTHEYWEREPREPARED
FORWRITINGPURPOSES——DOUBTSASTOTIMETHAT
ROLLEDRECORDSSUPERSEDEDTABLETFORMS——SUGGESTIONS
BYNOELHUMPHREYS——VIEWSENTERTAINED
BYEARLIERWRITERS。
THEnamepaperisderivedfrompapyrus,areedgrowninEgypt,whosestalkfurnishedforsomanycenturiestheprincipalmaterialforwritingupontothepeopleofthatcountryandthoseborderingontheMediterraneanSea。InthefirstcenturyoftheChristianeratheyoungerPlinyremarks:
“Alltheusagesofcivilizedlifedependinaremarkabledegreeupontheemploymentofpaper。
Atallevents,theremembranceofpastevents。”
AstatementwhichhascausedMr。Knighttomakethefollowingcomment:
“Thisobservation,undoubtedlytrue1,800yearsago,ismuchmoreremarkablysonow;indeed,inconsideringthatpaperaswenowunderstanditwasentirelyunknowntoEuropeinthetimeofPliny,theexpressionofthegreatdependenceuponwhatseemstoussofragileandinefficientasubstituteforrealpaperappearsstrange。”
Mr。KnightalsosaysthattheGreeknamepapuros,mentionedbyTheophrastus,acontemporaryofAristotleandAlexander,wasprobablytheEgyptiannameofthereedwithaGreektermination。ItwasalsocalledbiblosbyHomerandHerodotus,whenceourtermbible。Thetermvolumen,ascroll,indicatestheearlyformofabookofbark,papyrus,skin,orparchment,asthetermliberLatin,abook,ortheinnerbarkofatreedoestheuseofthebarkitself。Hencealsoourtermslibraryandlibrarian。“Book“isalsoderivedfromtheDanishwordbog,thebarkofthebeech。
PlinyquotingVarro,whoprecededhimsometwocenturies,assertsthatbeforetheinventionofpapyrus,thelargeleavesofcertainplantswerepreparedsothattheycouldbewrittenupon。Henceoriginatesourterm“leaves“ofabookwhichintheLatinformfoliumhasalsogivenusthemoderntermfolio。
When,however,thereedpenandthepencilbrushandtheirkindredsubstancesdenominatedcoloredliquidsorinks,cameintovogue,somematerialonwhichcharacterscouldbeinscribedandpreservedintheshapeofcontinuousrollsforrecordandotherusesbecamenecessary。Thepapyrusplantseemstohavemeteveryrequirement。Itisanoteworthyfactthatallinformationwhichcanbederivedfromanysource,specificallycallsattentiontopapyrusandsometimestheinnerbarksoftreesasbeingcoexistentwithpenandink。
Varrohasbeencreditedwithmanystatementswhichinthelightofinvestigationanddiscoveryareprovedtobeincorrect。OneoftheseisineffectthattheuseofpapyruswasanincidentpertainingtotheexpeditionsofAlexandertheGreat。ThisassertionisnotonlycontradictedbyPliny,thehistorian,whocallsattentionto“booksofpapyrusfoundinthetombofNuma“NumaPompilius,thesecondkingofRome,B。C。716-672,butevenatthislatedaymanymonumentsofancientpapyriarestillextantandbelongingtoperiodsmorethanathousandyearsbeforeAlexander’stime。
Therealfactsinrespecttothismatterare,thattheintroductionoftheuseofpapyrustonationsbeyondthelimitsofEgyptwasaneventthatdidnottakeplaceuntilafterthereignofthefirstMacedoniansovereignofEgypt,PtolemyLagusB。C。323when,inreturnforGreekliterature,Egyptgavebackherpapyrus。BeforethisepochtheGreekshadbeeninthehabitofemployingsuchmaterialsaslinen,wax,barkandleavesforordinarywritingpurposes,whiletheirpublicrecordswereinscribedonstone,brass,leadorothermetals。
Papyrusasthenintroducedintothosewesterncountrieswastheonlysubstanceforalongperiodemployedforliterarypurposes。
Parchmentandvellum,whichwereadoptedthereaswritingmaterialsabouttwocenturieslater,weretoocostlytobeusedsolongaspapyruswaswithinreach。
WhentheuseofthisancientpaperhadbecomeestablishedinthecountriesborderingontheMediterranean,alltheMSS。assumedtheformofrolls,beingrolledoncylindersofwood,ivory,bronze,glassandothersubstances。Sometimes,theendsweredecoratedbyvariousornaments。Asaruleonlyonesideofthematerialwaswrittenupon。Thiswasduelargelytothefactofitsbrittlecharacterwhichwouldcauseittobreakifrolledorbentthewrongway。
TheancientmanufactureofpapyrusforexportwascarriedoninEgyptonanextensivescaleandinthemostsystematicmanner。Agradualimprovementinqualitywastheresult,someofthekindsbeinggivenwell-knownRomannameswhicharementionedbycontemporarywriters。ThekindemployedbytheRomansforordinaryusewasdesignatedCharta。Moreexpensivequalitieswereknownas“Augusta。”“Livinia。”“Hieratica。”etc。,thelatterbeingreservedforreligiousbooks。Somekindsweresoldbyweightandemployedbythetradesmenforwrappingpurposes,whilethebarkoftheplantwasmanufacturedintocordandrope。
ThemethodsofthemanufactureofpapyrusasawritingmaterialPlinyundertakestodescribeatgreatlength,andwhileheassertsmanythingsfromprobableknowledgeandtheinformationathandinhistime,yetheisnotalwayscorrect。Hesaysthatthereedstalkswerecutintolengthsandseparated“bysplittingthesuccessivefoldsofthestalkwithafinemetalpoint。”
Mr。Knight,whoinvestigatedthismatterwithcare,isauthorityforthestatement,thatthepapyrusstalkasseenunderthemicroscopeshowsthatitdoesnotpossesssuccessivefolds,butisatriangularstalkwithasingleenvelopewithapithontheinside,whichcouldonlybedividedintosliceswithaknife,eitherinstripesofawidthpermittedbythesidesoftheprism,orelseshavedroundandround,liketheoperationofcorkmaking,andproducingalongspiralshaving。
InthedescriptionwhichPlinygivesofthevarioushomesofthisplantinEgypt,hecallsparticularattentiontoitsabundanceinmarshyplaceswheretheNileoverflowsandstagnates:“Itgrowslikeagreatbulrushfromfibrous,reedyroots,andrunsupinseveraltriangularstalkstoaconsiderableheight。”
Theypossessedlargetuftedheads,butonlythestemwasfitformakingintopaper。Afterthepelliclesorthincoatswereremovedfromthestalk,theywerelaidupontablestwoormoreovereachotherandgluedtogetherwiththemuddyandglutinouswateroftheNileorwithfinepastemadeofwheatflour;
afterbeingpressedanddriedtheyweremadesmoothwitharulerandthenrubbedoverwithaglasshemisphere。
Thesizeofthepaperseldomexceededtwofeet。
PapyruswasalsoknowntotheHebrews。
TheProphetIsaiahB。C。752referstothisplantwhenhesays:
“Thepaperreedsbythebrooks,andeverythingsownbythebrooks,shallwither,bedrivenawayandbenomore。”
Whichpredictionseemstohavebeenlongagofulfilledastheplantisnowexceedinglyrare。
ThemanufactureofEgyptianpaperfrompapyrusitissaidwasquiteanindustryintheancientcityofMemphismorethansixhundredyearsbeforetheChristianera。
TheMexicansemployedforwritingapaperwhichsomewhatresembledtheEgyptianpapyrus。Itwaspreparedfromthealoe,calledbythenativesMagueywhichgrowswildoverthetablelandsofMexico。Itcouldbeeasilycoloredandseemedtobindtoinkveryclosely。Itcouldberolledupinscrollsjustlikethemoreancientrollsofpapyrus。
Thefollowingaccountofaninterestingdiscoveryofafragmentofoneofthe“OrationsofHyperides。”
byMr。Harris,thewell-knownOrientalscholar,isderivedfromtheLondonAthenaeum:
“Inthewinterof1847Mr。Harriswassittinginhisboat,undertheshadeofthewell-knownsycamore,onthewesternbankoftheNile,atThebes,readytostartforNubia,whenanArabbroughthimafragmentofapapyrusroll,whichheventuredtoopensufficientlytoascertainthatitwaswrittenintheGreeklanguage,andwhichheboughtbeforeproceedingfurtheronhisjourney。
UponhisreturntoAlexandria,wherecircumstancesweremorefavorabletothedifficultoperationofunrollingafragilepapyrus,hediscoveredthatbepossessedafragmentoftheorationofHyperidesagainstDemosthenes,inthematterofHarpalus,andalsoaverysmallfragmentofanotheroration,thewholewritteninextremelylegiblecharacters,andofaformorfashionwhichthoselearnedinGreekMSS。considertobeofthetimeofthePtolemies。WiththeseinterestingfragmentsoforationsofanoratorsocelebratedisHyperides,ofwhoseworksnothing,isextantbutafewquotationsinotherGreekwriters,heembarkedforEngland。
UponhisarrivaltherehesubmittedthepreciousrelicstotheinspectionoftheCouncilandmembersoftheRoyalSocietyofLiterature,whowereunanimousintheirjudgmentastotheimportanceandgenuinenessoftheMSS。;andMr。Harrisimmediatelysettowork,andwithhisownhandmadealithographicfacsimileofeachpiece。OfthisperformanceafewcopieswereprintedanddistributedamongthesavantsofEurope,——andMr。HarrisreturnedtoAlexandria,whencehehasmademorethanonejourneytoThebesinthehopeofdiscoveringsomeotherportionofthevolume,ofwhichhealreadyhadapart。Inthesameyear1847
anotherEnglishgentleman,Mr。JosephArden,ofLondon,boughtatThebesapapyrus,whichhelikewisebroughttoEngland。InducedbythesuccessofMr。Harris,Mr。ArdensubmittedhisrolltotheskilfulandexperiencedhandsofMr。
Hogarth;anduponthecompletionoftheoperationofunrolling,theMSS。wasdiscoveredtobetheterminatingportionoftheverysamevolumeofwhichMr。Harrishadboughtafragmentoftheformerpartintheverysameyear,andprobablyoftheverysameArabs。Nodoubtnowexistedthatthevolume,whenentire,consistedofacollectionof,oraselectionfrom,theorationsofthecelebratedAthenianorator,Hyperides。
“TheportionofthevolumewhichhasfallenintothepossessionofMr。Ardencontains’fifteencontinuouscolumnsofthe“OrationforLycophron。”
towhichworkthreeofMr。Harris’sfragmentsappertained;
andlikewisethe“OrationforEuxenippus。”
whichisquitecompleteandinbeautifulpreservation。Whether,asMr。Babingtonobservesinhisprefacetothework,anymorescrapsofthe“OrationforLycophron“orofthe“OrationagainstDemosthenes“remaintobediscovered,eitherinThebesorelsewhere,maybedoubtful,butiscertainlyworththeinquiryoflearnedtravellers。’
Thecondition,however,ofthefragmentsobtainedbyMr。Harrisbuttoosignificantlyindicatethehopelessnessofsuccess。Thescrollhadevidentlybeenmorefrequentlyrolledandunrolledinthatparticularpart,namely,thespeechofHyperidesinamatterofsuchpeculiarinterestasthatinvolvingthehonorofthemostcelebratedoratorofantiquity;ithadbeenmorereadandhadbeenmorethumbedbyancientfingersthananyotherspeechinthewholevolume;andhencetheterriblegapbetweenMr。Harris’sandMr。Arden’sportionsThosewhoareacquaintedwiththebrittle,friablenatureofarollofpapyrusinthedryclimateofThebes,afterbeingburiedtwothousandyearsormoreandthencomingfirstintothehandsofaruthlessArab,who,perhaps,hadrudelysnatcheditoutofthesarcophagusofthemummiedscribe,willwellunderstandhowdilapidationsoccur。
Itfrequentlyhappensthatasingleroll,orpossiblyanentirebox,ofsuchfragiletreasuresisfoundinthetombofsomeancientphilologistormanoflearning,andthatthepossessionisimmediatelydisputedbythecompanyofArabswhomayhaveembarkedontheventure。Tosettlethedispute,whenthereisnotascrollforeachmemberofthecompany,anequitabledivisionismadebydividingthepapyrusanddistributingtheportions。
Thus,inthisvolumeofHyperides,itseemsthatithasfallenintotwopiecesattheplacewhereithadmostusuallybeenopened,andwhere,alas!itwouldhavebeenmostdesirabletohavekeptitwhole;andthatthesmallerfragmentshavebeenlostamidthedustandrubbishoftheexcavation,whilethetwoextremitieshavebeenmadedistinctproperties,whichhavebeensold,aswehaveseen,toseparatecollectors。So,atallevents,suchmattersaremanagedatThebes。
“Mr。Harrismentionsfragmentsofthe’Iliad,’
whichhehadpurchasedofsomeoftheArabdisturbersofthedeadinthesacredcemeteriesofMiddleEgypt,mostprobablySaccara。”
TheoldestknownspecimensoftheGreekpapyriandwhichwerefoundinEgypt,havearangeofonethousandyears;thatis,fromthethirdcenturyB。C。
totheseventhcenturyA。D。
ThefirstdiscoveryofGreekpapyriwasmadeatHerculaneumin1752。Papyrus,however,inthemostancient,periodswasnottheonlypliablematerialusedtowriteonwhichcouldberolledoncylinders。
Linenorcloth,whichhadbeenfirsttreatedwithsubstanceswhichfilledtheintersticesandcharacteristicofouroil-cloth,theinnerbarkofcertaintrees,orinfactanymaterialwhichwouldreceiveinkandrollaroundacylinderwasinvogue。ThisformofmanuscriptwaslatertermedbytheRomansrolles,torollround,ormorecommonlyvolvere,torollover。
Itisnotcertain,however,thatthischaracterofmanuscriptimmediatelysupersededthetabletformofrecordsinscribedonwoodormetal。NoelHumphreysisoneofseveraltosuggest:
“Thereferencetothe’penofareadywriter,’
mentionedinthePsalmsofDavidB。C。1086-
1016couldscarcelybethesharppoint,orstilus,bymeansofwhichcharacterswereengraveduponwoodormetal,butratherthecalamusorjuncas,usedforwritingwithadarkfluiduponbarkorlinen。ThewordvolumeindeedoccursinPsalmsxxxix。,andthesevoluminaorvolumesmusthavebeeneitherrollsofleaves,orbark,orEgyptianpapyrus。”
SomewriterslikeCasley,Purcelli,Haygen,Calmet,andothers,whoalsomoreorlessdiscussthissubject,donotviewitentirelythesame。
CHAPTERXXIX。
ANCIENTINKBACKGROUNDSPARCHMENTANDVELLUM。
THEPERGAMUSLIBRARYCOMPOSEDPRINCIPALLYOF
PARCHMENTVOLUMES——CAUSESWHICHCONTRIBUTED
TOTHESUBSTITUTIONOFPARCHMENTFORPAPYRUS——
ANECDOTEABOUTEUMENESANDPTOLEMYPHILADELPHUS——
INVENTIONOFMETHODWHICHMADESKINS
AVAILABLEFORFLUIDINKWRITING——INTRODUCTION
OFDRESSEDSKINSTHEFIRSTSTEPTOWARDSTHE
MODERNFORMOFBOOKS——WHENPARCHMENTAND
VELLUMSUPERSEDEDOTHERSUBSTANCESASAGENERAL
MATERIALFORWRITINGUPON——MANUFACTURE
OFBARKPAPERPREVIOUSTOTHEINTRODUCTIONOF
THELINENPAPEROFTHEEAST——SOMEOBSERVATIONS
ABOUTCHINESEPAPER——ALLUSIONSOFCLASSICAL
WRITERSTOINSCRIPTIONSONSKINSANDDISCOVERY
OFSPECIMENS——EMPLOYMENTOFPARCHMENTBYTHE
HEBREWS——OLDSCRIPTURALMSS。DISCOVEREDON
PARCHMENT——NAMESOFTHEMOSTVALUABLENEW
TESTAMENTCODICES——STORYOFTHEDISCOVERYOF
THESINAITICCODEXASTOLDBYMADAN——ASSERTION
OFSIMONIDESTHATHEFORGEDIT——PAMLIMPSESTS
THELINKBETWEENCLASSICALTIMESANDTHEMIDDLE
AGES——OBSERVATIONSABOUTTHEMANDSOMEDISCOVERIES
OFTHEMOREFAMOUSONES——USEOFPAPYRUS,PARCHMENTANDVELLUMTOGETHERINMSS。
BOOKS——OBSERVATIONSBYTHOMPSON——CHARACTER
OFTHEROLLSANDRECORDSBELONGINGTOEARLY
PARLIAMENTARYTIMESINENGLAND——COMPARATIVE
METHODSOFTHEIRPREPARATION——MODESOFDEPOSITING
ANDCARRYINGANCIENTENGLISHRECORDS——
METHODOFFINDINGPARTICULARDOCUMENTS——
THEINDIVIDUALSWHOHANDLEDTHEBOOKSOFTHOSE
EPOCHS——CITATIONSFROMKNIGHT’S“LIFEOF
CAXTON“——REMARKSBYWARTON——EXPENSEACCOUNTOF
SIRJOHNHOWARD——METHODSOFTHETRANSCRIBERS
ANDLIMNERSOFTHOSETIMES——MODERNMETHODS
OFPREPARINGPARCHMENTANDVELLUM——CITATION
FROMTHEPENNYCYCLOPaeDIA——PASSAGEFROMA
SERMONOFTHEARCHBISHOPOFTOURS——ANECDOTE
ABOUTTHECOUNTOFNEVERS。
THEgreatabundanceofpapyrusinEgypt,thechiefsourceofitssupply,thegeniusandmagnificenceoftherulersofthatcountry,andthearmyoflearnedmenwhoresortedthither,causedittobecometheprincipalhomeofthoseimmenselibrariesofantiquityalreadymentionedashavingperishedbyfireandtumultsincludedinperiodsbetweenB。C。48andA。D。640。
ThePergamuslibrarywhichwasdepositedbyCleopatra,B。C。32,inthecityofAlexandria,issaidtohavebeencomposedalmostwhollyofparchmentwrittenvolumes。Thereasonorcauseofsuchemployment,ofparchmentinpreferencetopapyrusisattributedtojealousiesexistingbetweenEumenes,KingofPergamus,andPtolemyPhiladelphus,therulerofEgypt,contemporariesofeachother。
ThisPtolemy,B。C。202,issuedanedictprohibitingtheexportationofpapyrusfromEgypt,andhopedtherebytoridhimselfofforeignrivalsintheformationoflibraries;alsothathemightneverbesubjecttotheinconvenienceofwantingpaperforthemultitudeofscribeswhomhekeptconstantlyemployed,bothtowriteoriginalmanuscriptsaswellastomultiplythembyduplication。
BeforethisperiodtheexportationofpapyrushadbeenaveryconsiderablearticleofEgyptiancommerce,butthereafteritbecamemuchcurtailed,andaboutA。D。950hadceasedaltogether。
Eumenes,itappears,wasnottobedeterredfromhisfavoritestudyandpastime,soliecontrivedapeculiarmodeofdressingskins,whichseemstohaveansweredveryfullytherequirementsoffluid-inkwritingmethodsandthusavoidingthenecessityofemployingpaints,theonlymaterialwhichwould“bind“toundressedparchmentskins。
ThattherefinedandluxuriousRomans,aftertheintroductionofparchment,vellum,andpaper,insistedonanimprovementinqualityandappearanceiscertain。
Thisappearsfromvariouspassagesintheirbestauthors。
Ovid,writingtoRomefromhisplaceofexile,complainsbitterlythathislettermustbesentplain,simple,andwithoutthecustomaryembellishments。
Wecansafelydatethefirststeptowardsthemodernformofbookstotheintroductionofdressedskinsparchmentandvellum,assurfacestoreceiveinkwriting。Thesematerialscouldbeformedintoleaves,insteadofmetal,wood,ivory,orwaxtablets,ausetowhichpapyruscouldnotbeputonaccountofitsbrittleness。
Thusoriginatedthelibriquadrali,orsquarebooks,whicheventuallysupersededtheancientvoluminarolls。
ParchmentandvellumgraduallysupersededallothersubstancesinEuropeasageneralmaterialforwritingupon,afterthethirdorfourthcentury。
Theemploymentofpapyrus,however,inecclesiasticalcenterscontinuedevenaslateastheeleventhcentury。
AkindofbarkpaperwasmanufacturedinEuropeprevioustotheintroductionoflinen“cotton。”
“Bombycina“paperfromtheEast。TheancientChinesemadevariouskindsofpaperandhadamethodofproducingpiecessometimesfortyfeetinlength。TheChineserecord,called“Soukientchipou。”statesthatakindofpaperwasmadefromhemp,andanotherauthorityDuHaldeobserves,“thatoldpiecesofwovenhempwerefirstmadeintopaperinthatcountryaboutA。D。95,byagreatmandarinofthepalace。”LinenragswereafterwardsemployedbytheChinese。
Theintroductionof“linen“paperintoEuropedidnotmateriallyaffectorinterferewiththeuseofparchmentorvellumuntilaftertheinventionofprintinginthefifteenthcentury。