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

paper; although the sheet were big enough for

the bed of Ware in England; set 'em down; go;

about it。 Let there be gall enough in thy ink;

though thou write with a goose pen; no matter:

about it。〃



The general black ink conditions for a period of at

least three hundred years; if we exclude the sixteenth

century; had been but repetitions of each other。

They so remained until the year 1626; when the

French government concluded an arrangement with a

chemist by the name of Guyot; for the manufacture

of a 〃gall〃 ink WITHOUT added color and which thereby

guaranteed and insured more sameness in respect to

desirable ink qualities。 That government with a few

modifications relative to the proportions of ingredients

continued its employment; which was followed by the

contemporaneous writers。 Other governments later

partially adopted the French formulas while some of

them gave the matter no attention; although their

records and those of the cities or towns not only of

Europe but early America; the United States and

Canada are found in most instances to have been written

with an ink of this character。



Where prior to 1850; inks containing a different

base (with the single exception of indigo) were used;

they have either disappeared or nearly so and it is not

an infrequent occurrence among those who are accustomed

to examine old records to find that signatures

or dates to valuable instruments; pages of writings and

indeed sometimes the writings in an entire book are

more or less obliterated。



The black inks of a large portion of the seventeenth

century; on documents of every kind; are found to be

nearly perfect as to color conditions; which is evidence

of the extreme care used in their preparation and the

exclusion of 〃added〃 color in ink manufacture。





CHAPTER XI。



ANCIENT INK TREATISES。



INK TREATISES OF THE FIFTEENTH; SIXTEENTH AND

SEVENTEENTH CENTURIESJOHN BAPTISTA PORTA

AUTHOR OF THE FIRSTSECRET INKS…NERI; CANEPARIUS;

BOREL; MERRET; KUNCKEL AND OTHER AUTHORS

WHO REFER TO INK MANUFACTUREPROGRESS OF THE

ART OF HANDWRITING ILLUSTRATED IN THE NAMES OF

OVER A HUNDRED CALLIGRAPHERS CHRONOLOGICALLY

ARRANGED。



THE literature of the fifteenth; sixteenth and seventeenth

centuries on the subject of black and colored

ink formulas; secret inks; etc。; is both diversified and

of considerable importance。 The following authors

and citations are deemed the most noteworthy:



John Baptista Porta; of Naples; born A。 D。 1445

and died A。 D。 1515; is best known as the inventor

of the 〃camera obscuro;〃 was also the author of many

MSS。 books compiled; he says;



〃As the results of discussions of long years held

at my own house which is known as de Secreti;

and into which none can enter unless he claim to be

an inventor of new discoveries。〃



Two of these treatises which were extant in the

first half of the seventeenth century; dated respectively

1481 and 1483; dwell at great length on SECRET

inks and specifically mention as translated into the

English of the time 〃sowre galls in white wine;〃 and

〃vitriol;〃 repeating Italian formulas pertaining to

the 〃Secreta〃 of the twelfth century。



About secret ink he tells us:



〃There are many and almost infinite ways to

write things of necessity; that the Characters shall

not be seen; unless you dip them into waters; or

put them near the fire; or rub them with dust; or

smeer them over。

 *   *    *    *    *    *    *    *



〃Let Vitriol soak in Boyling water: when it is

dissolved; strain it so long till the water grow clear:

with that liquor write upon paper: when they are

dry they are not seen。 Moreover; grinde burnt

straw and Vinegar: and what you will write in the

spaces between the former lines; describe at large。

Then boyl sowre Galls in white Wine; wet a spunge

in the liquor: and when you have need; wipe it

upon the paper gently; and wet the letters so long

until the native black colour disappear; but the

former colour; that was not seen; will be made

apparent。 Now I will show in what liquors paper

must be soaked to make letters to be seen。 As I

said; Dissolve Vitriol in water: then powder Galls

finely; and soak them in water: let them stay there

twenty…four hours: filtre them through a linen

cloth; or something else; that may make the water

clear; and make letters upon the paper that you

desire to have concealed: send it to your Friend

absent: when you would have them appear; dip

them in the first liquor; and the letters will presently

be seen。

 *   *    *    *    *    *    *    *



If you write with the juice of Citrons; Oranges;

Onyons; or almost any sharp things; if you make

it hot at the fire; their acrimony is presently discovered:

for they are undigested juices; whereas they

are detected by the heat of the fire; and then they

show forth those colours that they would show if

they were ripe。 If you write with a sowre Grape

that would be black; or with Cervices; when you

hold them to the fire they are concocted; and will

give the same colour they would in due time give

upon the tree; when they were ripe。 Juice of Cherries;

added to Calamus; will make a green: to sow…

bread a red: so divers juices of Fruits will show

divers colours by the fire。 By these means Maids

sending and receiving love…letters; escape from

those that have charge of them。 There is also a

kind of Salt called Ammoniac: this powdered and

mingled with water; will write white letters; and

can hardly be distinguished from the paper; but

hold them to the fire; and they will shew black。〃



With respect to the preparation of black and colored

inks and also colors: Antonio Neri; an Italian author

and chemist who lived in the sixteenth century; in his

treatise seems not only to have laid the foundation

for most of the receipts called attention to by later

writers during the two hundred years which followed;

but to have been the very first to specify a proper

〃gall〃 ink and its formula; as the most worthy of

notice。



Pietro Caneparius; a physician and writer of Venice;

A。 D。 1612; in his work De Atrametis; gives a more

extensive view about the preparation and composition

of inks and adopts all that Neri had given; though he

never quotes his name; and adds〃hitherto published

by no one。〃 He does however mention many valuable

particulars which were omitted by Neri。 Most

of his receipts are about gold; silver and nondescript

inks; with directions for making a great variety for

secret writing and defacing。 This book revised and

enlarged was republished in London; 1660。



In 1653 Peter Borel; who was physician to Louis

XIV; King; of France published his 〃Bibliotheca

Chemica;〃 which contains a large number of ink receipts;

two of which may be characterized as 〃iron

and gall〃 ones。 They possess value on account of

the relative proportions indicated between the two

chemicals。 The colored ones; including gold; silver

and sympathetic inks are mostly repetitions of those

of Neri and Caneparius。 The French writers; though;

speak of his researches in chemistry as 〃somewhat

credulous。〃



Christopher Merret; an English physician and naturalist;

born A。 D。 1614; translated Neri into our

language in 1654; with many notes of his own about

him; his observations have added nothing of value to

the chemistry of inks。



Johann Kunckel; a noted German chemist and

writer in 1657; republished in the German language

Neri's work with Merret's notes; and his own observations

on both。 He also inserted many other processes

as the result of considerable research and seems to

have been thoroughly conversant with the chemistry

of inks; advocating especially the value and employment

of a tanno…gallate of iron ink for record purposes。



Salmon; A。 D。 1665; in his Polygraphics; proceeds

to give instructions relative to inks which notwithstanding

their merit are confounded with so many absurdities

as to lessen their value for those who were

unable to separate truth from falsehood; but he

nevertheless dwells on the virtues of the 〃gall〃 inks。



Jacques Lemort; a Dutch chemist of some note;

issued a treatise; A。 D。 1669; on 〃Ink Formulas and

Colors;〃 seemingly selected from the books of those

who had preceded him。 He expresses the opinion

that the 〃gall〃 inks if properly compounded would

give beneficial results。



Formulas for making inks are found tucked away

in some of the very old literature treating of 〃curious〃

things。 One of them which appeared in 1669 directs:

〃to strain out the best quality of iron employ old and

rusty nails;〃 another one says; that the ink when

made is to remain in an open vessel 〃for thirty days

and thirty nights; before putting it in a parchment

bag。〃



An English compendium of ink formulas; published

in 1693; calls attention to many

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