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