forty centuries of ink-第20节

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for　words；　but　chiefly　for　ornamenting　capital

letters。



A　large　room　was　in　most　monasteries　set　apart　for

such　labors　and　here　the　general　transcribers　pursued

their　avocations；　in　addition；　small　rooms　or　cells；

known　also　as　scriptoria；　occupied　by　such　monks　as

were　considered；　from　their　piety　and　learning；　to　be

entitled　to　the　indulgence；　and　used　by　them　for　their

private　devotions；　as　well　as　for　the　purpose　of　transcribing

works　for　the　use　of　the　church　or　library。

The　scriptoria　were　frequently　enriched　by　donations

and　bequests　from　those　who　knew　the　value　of　the

works　carried　on　in　them；　and　large　estates　were　often

devoted　to　their　support。



　　　　　〃Meanwhile　along　the　cloister's　painted　side；

　　　　　　　　　　The　monkseach　bending　low　upon　his　book

　　　　　With　head　on　hand　reclinedtheir　studies　plied；

　　　　　　　　　　Forbid　to　parley；　or　in　front　to　look；



　　　　　Lengthways　their　regulated　seats　they　took：

　　　　　　　　　　The　strutting　prior　gazed　with　pompous　mien；

　　　　　And　wakeful　tongue；　prepared　with　prompt　rebuke；

　　　　　　　　　　If　monk　asleep　in　sheltering　hood　was　seen；

　　　　　He　wary　often　peeped　beneath　that　russet　screen。



　　　　　〃Hard　by；　against　the　window's　adverse　light；

　　　　　　　　　　Where　desks　were　wont　in　length　of　row　to　stand；

　　　　　The　gowned　artificers　inclined　to　write；

　　　　　　　　　　The　pen　of　silver　glistened　in　the　hand

　　　　　Some　of　their　fingers　rhyming　Latin　scanned；

　　　　　　　　　　Some　textile　gold　from　halls　unwinding　drew；

　　　　　And　on　strained　velvet　stately　portraits　planned；

　　　　　　　　　　Here　arms；　there　faces　shown　in　embryo　view；

　　　　　At　last　to　glittering　life　the　total　figures　grew。〃

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FOSBROOKE。



The　public　scribes　of　those　days　were　employed

mostly　by　secular　individuals；　although　subject　to　be

called　upon　at　any　moment　by　the　fathers　of　the

church。　They　worked　in　their　homes　except　when

any　valuable　work　was　to　be　copied；　then　in　that　of

their　employer；　who　boarded　and　lodged　them　during

the　time　of　their　engagement。



To　differentiate　the　character　of　the　class　of　pigments

or　materials　then　employed　in　making　colored

inks；　from　those　of　the　more　ancient　times　is　difficult；

because　we　not　only　find　many　of　like　character　but　of

larger　variety。　These　were　used　more　for　purposes　of

illuminating　and　embellishing　than　for　regular　writing。



Even　when　printing　had　been　invented　spaces　were

frequently　left；　both　in　the　block　books　and　in　the

earliest　movable　type；　for　the　illumination　by　hand；

of　initial　letters　so　as　to　deceive　purchasers　into　the

belief　that　the　printed　type　which　was　patterned

closely　after　the　forms　of　letters　employed　in　MSS。

writings　was　the　real　thing。　The　learned　soon　discovered

such　frauds　and　thereafter　these　practices

were　abandoned。







CHAPTER　X。



RENAISSANCE　INK。



INK　OF　GRAY　COLOR　BELONGING　TO　THE　SIXTEENTH　CENTURY

AND　ITS　CAUSESINFLUENCE　OF　THE　FATHERS　OF

THE　CHURCH　RESPECTING　INK　DURING　THE　DARK

AGESTHE　REFORMATION　AND　HOW　IT　AFFECTED　MEDIAEVAL

MSS。REMARKS　OF　BALE　ABOUT　THEIR　DESTRUCTION

QUAINT　INK　RECEIPT　OF　1602SELECTION

FROM　THE　TWELFTH　NIGHT　RELATING　TO　PEN　AND

INKGENERAL　CONDITIONS　WHICH　OBTAINED　UNTIL

1626THE　FRENCH　GOVERNMENT　AWARDS　AN　INK

CONTRACT　IN　THAT　YEAROTHER　GOVERNMENTS　ADOPT

THE　FRENCH　FORMULAINKS　OF　THE　SEVENTEENTH

CENTURY　ALMOST　PERFECT　IN　THEIR　COLOR　PHENOMENA

NO　ADDED　COLOR　EMPLOYED　IN　THEIR　MANUFACTURE。



THE　gray　color　of　most　of　the　inks　found　on　documents

written　in　the　sixteenth　century　is　a　noteworthy

fact。　Whence　its　cause　is　a　matter　for　considerable

speculation。　The　majority　of　these　inks

unquestionably　belong　to　the　〃gall〃　class　and　if　prepared

after　the　formulas　utilized　in　preceding　centuries

should　indicate　like　color　phenomena。　As

these　same　peculiarities　exist　on　both　paper；　vellum

and　parchment；　it　cannot　be　attributed　to　their　use。

Investigations　in　many　instances　of　the　writings　indicate

the　exercise　of　a　more　rapid　pen　movement

and　a　consequent　employment　of　inks　of　greater

fluidity　than　those　of　an　earlier　history。　Such　fluidity

could　only　be　obtained　by　a　reduction　of　the　quantity

of　gummy　vehicles　together　with　an　increase　of　ink

acidity。　The　acids　which　had　theretofore　been　more

or　less　introduced　into　inks；　except　oxalic　acid；　could

not　effect　such　results。　Consequently；　as　the　monuments

of　this　gray　ink　phenomena　are　to　be　found

belonging　to　all　the　portions　of　the　Christian　world；

with　a　uniformity　that　is　certainly　remarkable；　it　becomes

a　fair　deduction　to　assume　that　the　making　of

inks　bad　passed　into　the　hands　of　regular　manufacturers

who　adulterated　them　with　〃added〃　color。



We　can　well　believe　that　the　influences　which　the

fathers　of　the　Church　exerted　during　the　thousand

years　known　as　the　〃Dark　Ages；〃　in　respect　to　ink

and　kindred　subjects；　must　have　been　very　great。

That　they　endeavored　to　perpetuate　for　the　benefit　of

succeeding　generations　in　book　and　other　forms；　this

kind　of　information；　which　they　distributed　throughout

the　world　we　know　to　be　true。　Most　of　these

sources　of　ink　information；　however；　gradually　disappeared

as　constituting　a　series　of　sad　events　in　the　unhappy

war　which　followed　their　preparation。



The　Reformation　began　in　Germany　in　the　first

quarter　of　the　sixteenth　century；　and　with　it　the

eighty　years　of　continual　religious　warfare　which

followed。　During　this　period　the　priceless　MSS。　books

of　information；　historical；　literary　and　otherwise；　contained

in　the　monastic　libraries　outside　of　Italy　were

burnt。



We　are　told：



〃In　England　cupidity　and　intolerance　destroyed

recklessly。　Thus；　after　the　dissolution　of　monastic

establishments；　persons　were　appointed　to　search

out　all　missals；　books　of　legends；　and　such　'superstitious

books'　and　to　destroy　or　sell　them　for

waste　paper；　reserving　only　their　bindings；　when；

as　was　frequently　the　case；　they　were　ornamented

with　massive　gold　and　silver；　curiously　chased；　and

often　further　enriched　with　precious　stones；　and　so

industriously　had　these　men　done　their　work；　destroying

all　books　in　which　they　considered　popish

tendencies　to　be　shown　by　illumination；　the　use　of

red　letters；　or　of　the　Cross；　or　even　by　theto　them

mysterious　diagrams　of　mathematical　problems

that　when；　some　years　later；　Leland　was　appointed

to　examine　the　monastic　libraries；　with　a　view　to

the　preservation　of　what　was　valuable　in　them；　he

found　that　those　who　had　preceded　him　had　left

little　to　reward　his　search。〃



Bale；　himself　an　advocate　for　the　dissolution　of

monasteries；　says：



〃Never　had　we　bene　offended　for　the　losse　of

our　lybraryes　beyng　so　many　in　nombre　and　in　so

desolute　places　for　the　moste　parte；　yf　the　chief

monuments　and　moste　notable　workes　of　our　excellent

wryters　had　bene　reserved；　yf　there　had　bene

in　every　shyre　of　Englande　but　one　solemyne　lybrary

for　the　preservacyon　of　those　noble　workes；　and

preferrments　of　good　learnyuges　in　our　posteryte　it

had　bene　yet　somewhat。　But　to　destroye　all　without

consyderacyon　is　and　wyll　be　unto　Englande　for

ever　a　most　horryble　infamy　amonge　the　grave

senyours　of　other　natyons。　A　grete　nombre　of

them　wych　purchased　of　those　superstycyose　mansyons

reserved　of　those　lybrarye　bokes；　some　to

serve　theyr　jaks；　some　to　scoure　theyr　candelstyckes；

and　some　to　rubb　theyr　bootes　。　some　they　solde　to

the　grossers　and　sope　sellers；　and　some　they　sent

over　see　to　the　bokebynders；　not　in　small　nombre；

but　at　tymes　whole　shippesful。　I　knowa　merchant

man；　whyche　shall　at　thys　tyme　be　namelesse；　that

boughte　the　content…；　of　two　noble　lybraryes　for　xl

shyllyngs　pryce；　a　shame　it　is　to　be　spoken。　Thys

stuffe　hathe　he　occupyed　in　the　stide　of　greve　paper

for　the　space　of　more　than　these　ten　years；　and　yet

hathe　store　ynough　for　as　many　years　to　come。　A

prodyguous　example　is　thys；　and　to　be　abhorred　of

all　men　who　love　theyr　n　atyon　as　they　shoulde　do。〃



Passing　to　later　epochs；　A。　D。　1602；　the　following

quaint　receipt　proves　interesting　as　showing　that　the

〃gall〃　inks　were　well　known　at　that　time：



　〃To　make　common　Ink；　of　Wine　take　a　quart；

　　　　　Two　ounces　of　Gumme；　let　that　be　a　part；

　　　　　Five　ounces　of　Galls；　of　Cop'res　take　three；

　　　　　Long　standing　doth　make　it　the　better　to　be；

　　　　　If　Wine　ye　do　want；　raine　water　is　best；

　　　　　And　then　as　much　stuffe　as　above　at　the　least；

　　　　　If　the　Ink　be　too　thick；　put　Vinegar　in；

　　　　　For　water　doth　make　the　colour　more　dimme。〃



Shakespeare　in　his　Twelfth　Night　III；　2；　has　also

referred　to　them　in　the　following　amusing　strain：



〃Go　write　it　in　a　martial　hand；　be　curst　and　brief；

it　is　no　matter　how　witty；　so　it　be　eloquent；　and

full　of　invention；　taunt　him　with　the　license　of

ink；　if　thou　thou'st　him　thrice；　it　shall　nor　be

amiss；　and　as　many　lies　as　will　lie　on　a　sheet　of

paper；　although　the　sheet　were