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forty centuries of ink-第55章

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of the Nile or with fine paste made of wheat flour;

after being pressed and dried they were made smooth

with a ruler and then rubbed over with a glass hemisphere。

The size of the paper seldom exceeded two

feet。



Papyrus was also known to the Hebrews。



The Prophet Isaiah (B。 C。 752) refers to this plant

when he says:



〃The paper reeds by the brooks; and everything

sown by the brooks; shall wither; be driven away

and be no more。〃



Which prediction seems to have been long ago fulfilled

as the plant is now exceedingly rare。



The manufacture of Egyptian paper from papyrus

it is said was quite an industry in the ancient city of

Memphis more than six hundred years before the

Christian era。



The Mexicans employed for writing a paper which

somewhat resembled the Egyptian papyrus。 It was

prepared from the aloe; called by the natives Maguey

which grows wild over the tablelands of Mexico。 It

could be easily colored and seemed to bind to ink

very closely。 It could be rolled up in scrolls just like

the more ancient rolls of papyrus。



The following account of an interesting discovery

of a fragment of one of the 〃Orations of Hyperides;〃

by Mr。 Harris; the well…known Oriental scholar; is

derived from the London Athenaeum:



〃In the winter of 1847 Mr。 Harris was sitting

in his boat; under the shade of the well…known

sycamore; on the western bank of the Nile; at

Thebes; ready to start for Nubia; when an Arab

brought him a fragment of a papyrus roll; which

he ventured to open sufficiently to ascertain that it

was written in the Greek language; and which he

bought before proceeding further on his journey。

Upon his return to Alexandria; where circumstances

were more favorable to the difficult operation of

unrolling a fragile papyrus; he discovered that be

possessed a fragment of the oration of Hyperides

against Demosthenes; in the matter of Harpalus;

and also a very small fragment of another oration;

the whole written in extremely legible characters;

and of a form or fashion which those learned in

Greek MSS。 consider to be of the time of the

Ptolemies。 With these interesting fragments of orations

of an orator so celebrated is Hyperides; of whose

works nothing; is extant but a few quotations in

other Greek writers; he embarked for England。

Upon his arrival there he submitted the precious

relics to the inspection of the Council and members

of the Royal Society of Literature; who were unanimous

in their judgment as to the importance and

genuineness of the MSS。; and Mr。 Harris immediately

set to work; and with his own hand made a

lithographic facsimile of each piece。 Of this performance

a few copies were printed and distributed

among the savants of Europe;and Mr。 Harris returned

to Alexandria; whence he has made more

than one journey to Thebes in the hope of discovering

some other portion of the volume; of which

he already had a part。 In the same year (1847)

another English gentleman; Mr。 Joseph Arden; of

London; bought at Thebes a papyrus; which he

likewise brought to England。 Induced by the success

of Mr。 Harris; Mr。 Arden submitted his roll

to the skilful and experienced hands of Mr。

Hogarth; and upon the completion of the operation

of unrolling; the MSS。 was discovered to be the

terminating portion of the very same volume of

which Mr。 Harris had bought a fragment of the

former part in the very same year; and probably of

the very same Arabs。 No doubt now existed that

the volume; when entire; consisted of a collection

of; or a selection from; the orations of the celebrated

Athenian orator; Hyperides。



〃The portion of the volume which has fallen into

the possession of Mr。 Arden contains 'fifteen continuous

columns of the 〃Oration for Lycophron;〃

to which work three of Mr。 Harris's fragments appertained;

and likewise the 〃Oration for Euxenippus;〃

which is quite complete and in beautiful

preservation。 Whether; as Mr。 Babington observes

in his preface to the work; any more scraps of

the 〃Oration for Lycophron〃 or of the 〃Oration

against Demosthenes〃 remain to be discovered;

either in Thebes or elsewhere; may be doubtful;

but is certainly worth the inquiry of learned travellers。'

The condition; however; of the fragments

obtained by Mr。 Harris but too significantly indicate

the hopelessness of success。 The scroll had

evidently been more frequently rolled and unrolled

in that particular part; namely; the speech of Hyperides

in a matter of such peculiar interest as

that involving the honor of the most celebrated

orator of antiquity; it had been more read and

had been more thumbed by ancient fingers than any

other speech in the whole volume; and hence the

terrible gap between Mr。 Harris's and Mr。 Arden's

portions Those who are acquainted with the

brittle; friable nature of a roll of papyrus in the dry

climate of Thebes; after being buried two thousand

years or more and then coming first into the hands

of a ruthless Arab; who; perhaps; had rudely

snatched it out of the sarcophagus of the mummied

scribe; will well understand how dilapidations occur。

It frequently happens that a single roll; or possibly

an entire box; of such fragile treasures is

found in the tomb of some ancient philologist or

man of learning; and that the possession is immediately

disputed by the company of Arabs who may

have embarked on the venture。 To settle the dispute;

when there is not a scroll for each member

of the company; an equitable division is made by

dividing the papyrus and distributing the portions。

Thus; in this volume of Hyperides; it seems that

it has fallen into two pieces at the place where it

had most usually been opened; and where; alas! it

would have been most desirable to have kept it

whole; and that the smaller fragments have been

lost amid the dust and rubbish of the excavation;

while the two extremities have been made distinct

properties; which have been sold; as we have seen;

to separate collectors。 So; at all events; such

matters are managed at Thebes。



〃Mr。 Harris mentions fragments of the 'Iliad;'

which he had purchased of some of the Arab disturbers

of the dead in the sacred cemeteries of

Middle Egypt; most probably Saccara。〃



The oldest known specimens of the Greek papyri

and which were found in Egypt; have a range of one

thousand years; that is; from the third century B。 C。

to the seventh century A。 D。



The first discovery of Greek papyri was made at

Herculaneum in 1752。 Papyrus; however; in the

most ancient; periods was not the only pliable material

used to write on which could be rolled on cylinders。

Linen or cloth; which had been first treated

with substances which filled the interstices and

characteristic of our oil…cloth; the inner bark of certain

trees; or in fact any material which would receive ink

and roll around a cylinder was in vogue。 This form

of manuscript was later termed by the Romans rolles;

to roll round; or more commonly volvere; to roll over。



It is not certain; however; that this character of

manuscript immediately superseded the tablet form

of records inscribed on wood or metal。 Noel Humphreys

is one of several to suggest:



〃The reference to the 'pen of a ready writer;'

mentioned in the Psalms of David (B。 C。 1086…

1016) could scarcely be the sharp point; or stilus;

by means of which characters were engraved upon

wood or metal; but rather the calamus or juncas;

used for writing with a dark fluid upon bark or

linen。 The word volume indeed occurs in Psalms

xxxix。; and these volumina or volumes must have

been either rolls of leaves; or bark; or Egyptian

papyrus。〃



Some writers like Casley; Purcelli; Haygen; Calmet;

and others; who also more or less discuss this subject;

do not view it entirely the same。







CHAPTER XXIX。



ANCIENT INK BACKGROUNDS (PARCHMENT AND VELLUM)。



THE PERGAMUS LIBRARY COMPOSED PRINCIPALLY OF

PARCHMENT VOLUMESCAUSES WHICH CONTRIBUTED

TO THE SUBSTITUTION OF PARCHMENT FOR PAPYRUS

ANECDOTE ABOUT EUMENES AND PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS

INVENTION OF METHOD WHICH MADE SKINS

AVAILABLE FOR FLUID INK WRITINGINTRODUCTION

OF DRESSED SKINS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE

MODERN FORM OF BOOKSWHEN PARCHMENT AND

VELLUM SUPERSEDED OTHER SUBSTANCES AS A GENERAL

MATERIAL FOR WRITING UPONMANUFACTURE

OF BARK PAPER PREVIOUS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF

THE LINEN PAPER OF THE EASTSOME OBSERVATIONS

ABOUT CHINESE PAPERALLUSIONS OF CLASSICAL

WRITERS TO INSCRIPTIONS ON SKINS AND DISCOVERY

OF SPECIMENSEMPLOYMENT OF PARCHMENT BY THE

HEBREWSOLD SCRIPTURAL MSS。 DISCOVERED ON

PARCHMENTNAMES OF THE MOST VALUABLE NEW

TESTAMENT CODICESSTORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF

THE SINAITIC CODEX AS TOLD BY MADANASSERTION

OF SIMONIDES THAT HE FORGED ITPAMLIMPSESTS

THE LINK BETWEEN CLASSICAL TIMES AND THE MIDDLE

AGESOBSERVATIONS ABOUT THEM AND SOME DISCOVERIES

OF THE MORE FAMOUS ONESUSE OF PAPYRUS;
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