forty centuries of ink-第56节

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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