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AGESOBSERVATIONS ABOUT THEM AND SOME DISCOVERIES

OF THE MORE FAMOUS ONESUSE OF PAPYRUS;

PARCHMENT AND VELLUM TOGETHER IN MSS。

BOOKSOBSERVATIONS BY THOMPSONCHARACTER

OF THE ROLLS AND RECORDS BELONGING TO EARLY

PARLIAMENTARY TIMES IN ENGLANDCOMPARATIVE

METHODS OF THEIR PREPARATIONMODES OF DEPOSITING

AND CARRYING ANCIENT ENGLISH RECORDS

METHOD OF FINDING PARTICULAR DOCUMENTS

THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HANDLED THE BOOKS OF THOSE

EPOCHSCITATIONS FROM KNIGHT'S 〃LIFE OF

CAXTON〃REMARKS BY WARTONEXPENSE ACCOUNT OF

SIR JOHN HOWARDMETHODS OF THE TRANSCRIBERS

AND LIMNERS OF THOSE TIMESMODERN METHODS

OF PREPARING PARCHMENT AND VELLUMCITATION

FROM THE PENNY CYCLOPaeDIAPASSAGE FROM A

SERMON OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF TOURSANECDOTE

ABOUT THE COUNT OF NEVERS。



THE great abundance of papyrus in Egypt; the

chief source of its supply; the genius and magnificence

of the rulers of that country; and the army of

learned men who resorted thither; caused it to become

the principal home of those immense libraries of antiquity

already mentioned as having perished by fire

and tumults included in periods between B。 C。 48 and

A。 D。 640。



The Pergamus library which was deposited by

Cleopatra; B。 C。 32; in the city of Alexandria; is said

to have been composed almost wholly of parchment

written volumes。 The reason or cause of such employment;

of parchment in preference to papyrus is

attributed to jealousies existing between Eumenes;

King of Pergamus; and Ptolemy Philadelphus; the

ruler of Egypt; contemporaries of each other。



This Ptolemy; B。 C。 202; issued an edict prohibiting

the exportation of papyrus from Egypt; and hoped

thereby to rid himself of foreign rivals in the formation

of libraries; also that he might never be subject

to the inconvenience of wanting paper for the multitude

of scribes whom he kept constantly employed;

both to write original manuscripts as well as to multiply

them by duplication。



Before this period the exportation of papyrus had

been a very considerable article of Egyptian commerce;

but thereafter it became much curtailed; and

about A。 D。 950 had ceased altogether。



Eumenes; it appears; was not to be deterred from

his favorite study and pastime; so lie contrived a peculiar

mode of dressing skins; which seems to have

answered very fully the requirements of fluid…ink

writing methods and thus avoiding the necessity of

employing paints; the only material which would

〃bind〃 to undressed parchment (skins)。



That the refined and luxurious Romans; after the

introduction of parchment; vellum; and paper; insisted

on an improvement in quality and appearance is certain。

This appears from various passages in their best authors。

Ovid; writing to Rome from his place of exile;

complains bitterly that his letter must be sent plain;

simple; and without the customary embellishments。



We can safely date the first step towards the modern

form of books to the introduction of dressed skins

(parchment and vellum); as surfaces to receive ink

writing。 These materials could be formed into leaves;

instead of metal; wood; ivory; or wax tablets; a use to

which papyrus could not be put on account of its brittleness。

Thus originated the libri quadrali; or square

books; which eventually superseded the ancient volumina

(rolls)。



Parchment and vellum gradually superseded all

other substances in Europe as a general material

for writing upon; after the third or fourth century。

The employment of papyrus; however; in ecclesiastical

centers continued even as late as the eleventh

century。



A kind of bark paper was manufactured in Europe

previous to the introduction of linen (〃cotton;〃

〃Bombycina〃) paper from the East。 The ancient Chinese

made various kinds of paper and had a method of producing

pieces sometimes forty feet in length。 The

Chinese record; called 〃Sou kien tchi pou;〃 states

that a kind of paper was made from hemp; and another

authority (Du Halde) observes; 〃that old pieces

of woven hemp were first made into paper in that

country about A。 D。 95; by a great mandarin of the

palace。〃 Linen rags were afterwards employed by

the Chinese。



The introduction of 〃linen〃 paper into Europe

did not materially affect or interfere with the use of

parchment or vellum until after the invention of

printing in the fifteenth century。



The class of substances to which parchment and

vellum belong has already received some consideration

but is a subject well worth some further discussion。



Allusions are found in some of the classical writers

to inscriptions written on the skins of goats and

sheep; it has; indeed; been asserted by some scholars

that the Books of Moses were written on such skins。

Dr。 Buchanan many years ago discovered; in the

record chest of some Hebrews at Malabar; a manuscript

copy of the greater part of the Pentateuch;

written in Hebrew on goat's skins。 The goat skins

were thirty…seven in number; dyed red; and were

sewn together; so as to form a roll forty…eight feet in

length by twenty…two inches in width。 At what date

this was written cannot be now determined; but it is

supposed to be extremely ancient。



The Hebrews began; early after the invention of

parchment; to write their scriptures on this material;

of which the rolls of the law used in their synagogues

are still composed。



Scriptural; like many other classes of MSS。 originating

previous to the eighth century and ink written

either on parchment or vellum; or both; are in

capital letters without spaces between words and

exceedingly rare。 The more important and valuable of

them which apply to the New Testament are respectively

known as the Sinaitic; the Vatican and the

Alexandrian; many of whose various translations and

readings are incorporated by Tischendorf in his

Leipzig edition of the English New Testament。 The

stories relating to the discovery and obtaining of

these relics of the first centuries of our era are

startling ones。 The reputation and standing; however;

of the discoverers; and the investigations

subsequently made by known scholars of their time;

serves to invest them with a certain degree of truthfulness。

The most interesting is the story about the

Sinaitic codex; the oldest of any extant and which is

best told by Madan:



〃The story of the discovery of this famous

manuscript of the Bible in Greek; the oldest existing

of all the New Testament codexes; and in

several points the most interesting; reads like a

romance。 Constantine Tischendorf; the well…

known editor of the Greek Testament; started on

his first mission litteraire in April; 1844; and in

the next month found himself at the Convent of

St。 Catherine; at the foot of Mount Sinai。 There;

in the middle of the hall; as he crossed it; he saw

a basket full of old parchment leaves on their way

to the burning; and was told that two baskets had

already gone! Looking at the leaves more closely;

he perceived that they were parts of the Old Testament

in Greek; written in an extremely old handwriting。

He was allowed to take away forty…three

leaves; but the interest of the monks was aroused;

and they both stopped the burning; and also refused

to part with any more of the precious fragments。

Tischendorf departed; deposited the forty…

three leaves in the Leipsig Library; and edited

them under the title of the Codex Friderico…Au…

gustanus; in compliment to the King of Saxony; in

1846。 But he wisely kept the secret of their provenance;

and no one followed in his track until he

himself went on a second quest to the monastery in

1853。 In that year he could find no traces whatever

of the remains of the MSS。 except a few fragments

of Genesis; and returned unsuccessful and disheartened。

At last; he once more took a journey

to the monastery; under the patronage of the

Russian Emperor; who was popular throughout the

East as the protector of the Oriental Churches。

Nothing could he find; however; and he had

ordered his Bedouins to get ready for departure;

when; happening to have taken a walk with the

steward of the house; and to be invited into his

room; in the course of conversation the steward

said: 'I; too; have read a Septuagint;' and produced

out of a wrapper of red cloth; 'a bulky

kind of volume;' which turned out to be the whole

of the New Testament; with the Greek text of the

Epistle of Barnabas; much of which was hitherto

unknown; and the greater part of the Old Testament;

all parts of the very MSS。 which had so long

been sought! In a careless tone Tischendorf

asked if he might have it in his room for further

inspection; and that night (February 4…5; 1859)

it 'seemed impiety to sleep。' By the next morning

the Epistle of Barnabas was copied out; and a

course of action was settled。 Might he carry the

volume to Cairo to transcribe? Yes; if the Prior's

leave was obtained; but; unluckily the Prior had

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