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inks employed on papyrus; the writing pigments of

antiquity and the Middle Ages have scarcely been

investigated。 The dark to light…brown pigment;

hitherto a problem; universally used on parchment;

he contends upon historical; chemical and microscopic

evidence is identical with oeno…cyanin and was prepared

for the most part from yeast; and was first

employed as a pigment。 Contrary to the general opinion

it contains no iron; except frequently accidental

traces; and after its appearance in Greece in the third

century; it formed almost exclusively the ink of the

ancient manuscripts; until displaced by the gallate

inks; said to have been introduced by the

Arabians。 These accidental traces of iron were due

to the employment of iron vessels in the making of

the ink。



My own observations in this direction confirm and

establish the fact that it was the custom in the early

centuries of the Christian era to utilize yeast or an

analogous compound as part of the composition of ink;

to which was added sepia; or the rind of the pomegranate

apple previously dissolved by heat in alkaline

solutions。



This analogous compound was probably the material

procured from wine lees (dregs); deposited after fermentation

has commenced; and which after considerable

application of heat yields not only most of the

tannin contained in the stones and fruit stalks; but a

viscid compound characteristic of gelatine and of a

red…purple color which in course of time changes to

brown。



Bloxam says that the coloring matter of grapes and

of red wine appears to be 〃cyanin。〃



One of the methods of treating wine lees; as translated

in the eighteenth century from an old Italian

secreta; is sufficiently curious to partly quote:



〃Dry the Lees (dregs) of wine with a gentle fire

and fill with them two third of a large earthen Retort;

place this retort in a reverberatory furnace; and

fitting it to a large receiver; give a small fire to it to

heat the Retort by degrees; and drive forth an insipid

phlegm; when vapours begin to rise; you must

take out the phlegm and luting carefully the junctures

of your vessels; quicken the fire little by little

until you find the receiver filled with white clouds;

continue it in this condition; and you perceive the

receiver to cool; raise the fire to the utmost extremity;

and continue it so; until there arise no more

vapours。 When the vessels are cold unlute the receiver;

and shaking it to make the Volatile salt;

which sticks to it; fall to the bottom; pour it all

into a bolt…head; fit it to a Head with a small receiver;

lute well the junctures and placing it in

sand; give a little fire under it; and the volatile salt

will rise and stick to the head; and the top of the

Bolt…head; take off your head and set on another

in its place; gather your salt and stop it tip quickly;

for it easily dissolves into a liquor; continue the

fire; and take care to gather the Salt according as

you see it appear; but when there rises no more

salt; a liquor will distill; of which you must draw

about three ounces; and put out the fire;〃 &c。



The 〃lees of wine;〃 in connection with the ancient

methods of ink…making is also referred to by the

younger Pliny in his twenty…fifth book; which the

Edinburgh Review has carefully translated and

printed:



〃INK (or literally) BLACKING。Ink also may be

set down among the artificial (or compound)

drugs; although it is a mineral derived from two

sources。 For; it is sometimes developed in the

form of a saline efflorescence;or is a real mineral

of sulphureous colorchosen for this purpose。

There have been painters who dug up from graves

colored coals (CARBON)。 But all these are useless

and new…fangled notions。 For it is made from

soot in various forms; as (for instance) of burnt

rosin or pitch。 For this purpose; they have built

manufactories not emitting that smoke。 The ink

of the very best quality is made from the smoke of

torches。 An inferior article is made from the soot

of furnaces and bath…house chimneys。 There are

some (manufacturers) also; who employ the dried

lees of wine; and they do say that if the lees so

employed were from good wine; the quality of the

ink is thereby much improved。 Polygnotus and

Micon; celebrated painters at Athens; made their

black paint from burnt grape…vines; they gave it

the name of TRYGYNON。 APELLES; we are told;

made HIS from burnt ivory; and called it elephantina

'ivory…black。' Indigo has been recently imported;

a substance whose composition I have not

yet investigated。 The dyers make theirs from the

dark crust that gradually accumulates on brass…kettles。

Ink is made also from torches (pine…knots);

and from charcoal pounded fine in mortars。 'The

cuttlefish' has a remarkable qualify in this respect;

but the coloring…matter which it produces is not

used in the manufacture of ink。 All ink is improved

by exposure to the sun's rays。 Book…writers'

ink has gum mixed with it;weavers' ink is

made up with glue。 Ink whose materials have been

liquified by the agency of an acid is erased with

great difficulty。〃



There are but few exceptions respecting the general

sameness of ink receipts of the succeeding centuries;

one of which is the 〃Pomegranate;〃 credited

to the seventh century but really belonging to an earlier

period:



〃Of the dried Pommegranite (apple) rind take

an ounce; boil it in a pint of water until 3/4 be

gone; add 1/2 pint of small beer wort and once

more boil it away so that only a 1/4 pint remain。

After you shall have strained it; boiling hot through

a linnen cloth and it comes cold; being then of a

glutinous consistence; drop in a 'bit' of Sal Alkali

and add as much warm water as will bring it to a

due fluidity and a gold brown color for writing with

a pen。〃



Following this formula and without any modifications;

I obtained an excellent ink of durable quality;

but of poor color; from a standpoint of blackness。



A less ancient 〃Secreta;〃 signed by the Italian

monk 〃Theophilus;〃 who lived about the commencement

of the eleventh century; is most interesting:



〃To make ink; cut for yourself wood of the

thorn…trees in April or May; before they produce

flowers or leaves; and collecting them in small bundles;

allow them to lie in the shade for two; three;

or four weeks; until they are somewhat dry。 Then

have wooden mallets; with which you beat these

thorns upon another piece of hard wood; until you

peel off the bark everywhere; put which immediately

into a barrelful of water。 When you have

filled two; or three; or four; or five barrels with

bark and water; allow them so to stand for eight

days; until the waters imbibe all the sap of the bark。

Afterwards put this water into a very clean pan; or

into a cauldron; and fire being placed under it; boil

it; from time to time; also; throw into the pan some

of this bark; so that whatever sap may remain in it

may be boiled out。 When you have cooked it a

little; throw it out; and again put in more; which

done; boil down the remaining water unto a third

part; and then pouring it out of this pan; put it

into one smaller; and cook it until it grows black

and begins to thicken; add one third part of pure

wine; and putting it into two or three new pots;

cook it until you see a sort of skin show itself on

the surface; then taking these pots from the fire;

place them in the sun until the black ink purifies itself

from the red dregs。 Afterwards take small

bags of parchment carefully sewn; and bladders;

and pouring in the pure ink; suspend them in the

sun until all is quite dry; And when dry; take from

it as much as you wish; and temper it with wine

over the fire; and; adding a little vitriol; write。

But; if it should happen through negligence that

your ink be not black enough; take a fragment of

the thickness of a finger and putting it into the

fire; allow it to glow; and throw it directly into the

ink。〃



After reciting many receipts which pertain to other

arts; this good old monk concludes:



〃When you shall have re…read this often; and

have committed it to your tenacious memory; you

shall thus recompense me for this care of instruction;

that; as often as you shall successfully have

made use of my work; you pray for me for the pity

of omnipotent God; who knows that I have written

these things which are here arranged; neither

through love of human approbation; nor through

desire of temporal reward; nor have I stolen anything

precious or rare through envious jealousy; nor

have I kept back anything reserved for myself

alone; but; in augmentation of the honour and

glory of His name; I have consulted the progress

and hastened to aid the necessities of many men。〃



The 〃thorn〃 trees which Theophilus mentions are

asserted by some writers (with whom I do not

agree) to be those commonly known as the 〃Norway

spruce;〃

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