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forty centuries of ink-第7章

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royal palace; the library was founded in the same

place; and it soon drew vast numbers thither; but

when it was so much augmented; as to contain four

hundred thousand volumes; they began to deposit

the additional books in the Serapion。 This last

library was a supplement to the former; for which

reason it received the appellation of its Daughter;

and in process of time had in it three hundred thousand

volumes。



〃In Caesar's war with the inhabitants of Alexandria;

a fire; occasioned by those hostilities; consumed

the library of Bruchion; with its four hundred

thousand volumes。 Seneca seems to me to be

out of humour; when; speaking of the conflagration;

he bestows his censures both on the library itself;

and the eulogium made on it by Livy; who styles

it an illustrious monument of the opulence of the

Egyptian kings; and of their judicious attention to

the improvement of the sciences。 Seneca; instead

of allowing it to be such; would have it considered

only as a work resulting from the pride and vanity

of those monarchs; who had amassed such a number

of books; not for their own use; but merely for

pomp and ostentation。 This reflection; however;

seems to discover very little sagacity; for is it not

evident beyond contradiction; that none but kings

are capable of founding these magnificent libraries;

which become a necessary treasure to the learned;

and do infinite honour to those states in which they

are established?



〃The library of Serapion; did not sustain any

damage; and it was undoubtedly there that Cleopatra

deposited those two hundred thousand volumes

from that of Pergamus; which was presented

to her by Antony。 This addition; with other enlargements

that were made from time to time; rendered

the new library of Alexandria more numerous

and considerable than the first; and though it

was ransacked more than once; during the troubles

and revolutions which happened in the Roman empire;

it always retrieved its losses; and recovered

its number of volumes。 In this condition it subsisted

for many ages; displaying its treasures to the

learned and curious; till the seventh century; when

it suffered the same fate with its parent; and was

burnt by the Saracens; when they took that city in

the year of our Lord 642。 The manner by which

this misfortune happened is too singular to be passed

over in silence。



〃John; surnamed the Grammarian; a famous

follower of Aristotle; happened to be at Alexandria;

when the city was taken; and as he was much esteemed

by Amri Ebnol As; the general of the Saracen

troops; he entreated that commander to bestow

upon him the Alexandrian library。 Amri replied;

that it was not in his power to grant such a request;

but that he would write to the Khalif; or emperor

of the Saracens; for his orders on that head; without

which he could not presume to dispose of the

library。 He accordingly wrote to Omar; the then

Khalif; whose answer was; that if those books contained

the same doctrine with the Koran; they could

not be of any use; because the Koran was sufficient

in itself; and comprehended all necessary truths;

but if they contained any particulars contrary to

that book; they ought to be destroyed。 In consequence

to this answer; they were all condemned to

the flames; without any further examination; and;

for that purpose; were distributed among the public

baths; where; for the space of six months; they

were used for fuel instead of wood。 We may from

hence form a just idea of the prodigious number of

books contained in that library; and thus was this

inestimable treasure of learning destroyed!



The Museum of Bruchion was not burnt with

the library which was attached to it。 Strabo acquaints

us; in his description of it; that it was a

very large structure near the palace; and fronting

the port; and that it was surrounded with a portico;

in which the philosophers walked。 He adds; that

the members of this society were governed by a

president; whose station was so honourable and important;

that; in the time of the Ptolemies; he was

always chosen by the king himself; and afterwards

by the Roman emperor; and that they had a hall

where the whole society ate together at the expense

of the public; by whom they were supported in a

very plentiful manner。〃



Among the other events contributing to the deplorable

losses which mankind has sustained in this respect;

a sad one was when the most ancient ink writings of the

Chinese were ordered to be destroyed by their emperor

Chee…Whange…Tee; in the third century before

Christ; with the avowed purpose that everything

should begin anew as from his reign。 The small portion

of them which escaped destruction were recovered

and preserved by his successors。







CHAPTER III。



CLASSICAL INK AND ITS EXODUS。



THE MATERIALS AND METHODS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING

THE INK MSS。 OF ANTIQUITYTHE INTRODUCTION

OF PARCHMENT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR

PAPYRUSMODE OF WRITING ON PARCHMENTHOW

SEPARATE PIECES WERE FIRST JOINED INTO BOOK

FORMEVIDENCE OF THE CHARACTER OF WRITING

UTENSILS TO BE FOUND IN ANCIENT PICTURESSOME

FORMULAS BY THE YOUNGER PLINY AND HIS CONTEMPORARY

DIOSCORIDESHOW THE GREEKS AND

ROMANS KEPT THEIR PAPYRI FROM BREAKINGWHEN

BLACK INK BEGAN TO FALL INTO DISUSE AND ITS

CAUSETHE ADOPTION OF THE STYLUS AND ITS ACCOMPANYING

SHEETS OF LEAD; IVORY; METAL AND

WOOD COATED WITH WAXTHE EFFORTS MADE TO

RESUME THE USE OF SOME INK WHICH WOULD BIND

TO PARCHMENTWHY THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL MSS。

EXTANT BELONGING TO THE TIME OF CHRISTTHE

INVENTION OF THE VITRIOLIC INKSHUMPHREY'S

BLUNDER IN LOCATING DATES OF EARLY GREEK

MSS。THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES OF HERCULANEUM

AND POMPEIIAWAKENING OF INTEREST

AGAIN ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OF INKSREDISCOVERIES

OF SOME OF THE MORE REMOTE ANCIENT

RECIPESTHE WRITERS IN GOLD AND SILVERRECORDED

INSTANCES OF ILLUMINATED MSS。PASSAGE

FROM THE BOOK OF JOB WRITTEN BY ST。

JEROMEDENIAL OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF TANNO…

GALLATE OF IRON INK IN THE FOURTH CENTURY

DESTRUCTION OF THE INSPIRED WRITINGS BY ORDER

OF THE ROMAN SENATETHE ECLIPSE OF CLASSICAL

LITERATURE AND DISMEMBERMENT OF THE

ROMAN EMPIREPOEM ON THE THOUSAND YEARS

KNOWN AS THE DARK AGES WHICH FOLLOWED。



THEOPHRASTUS says that the papyrus books of the ancients

were no other than rolls prepared in the following

manner: Two leaves of the rush were plastered together;

usually with the mud of the Nile; in such a

fashion that the fibres of one leaf should cross the fibres

of the other at right angles; the ends of each being

then cut off; a square leaf was obtained; equally capable

of resisting fracture when pulled or taken hold of

in any direction。 In this form the papyri were exported

in great quantities。 In order to form these

single leaves into the 〃scapi;〃 or rolls of the ancients;

about twenty were glued together end to end。 The

writing was then executed in parallel columns a few

inches wide; running transversely to the length of the

scroll。 To each end of the scrolls were attached round

staves similar to those we use for maps。 To these

staves; strings; known as 〃umbilici;〃 were attached;

to the ends of which bullae or weights were fixed。

The books when rolled up; were bound up with these

umbilici; and were generally kept in cylindrical boxes

or capsae; a term from which the Mediaeval 〃capsula;〃

or book…cover was derived。 〃The mode in which the

students held the rolls in order to read from them is

well shown in a painting in the house of a surgeon at

Pompeii。 One of the staves; with the papyrus rolled

round it; was held in each hand; at a distance apart

equal to the width of one or more of the transverse

columns of writing。 As soon as the eye was carried

down to the bottom of a column; one hand rolled up

and the other unrolled sufficient of the papyrus to

bring a fresh column opposite to the reader's eye; and

so on until the whole was wound round one of the

staves; when; of course; the student had arrived at the

end of his book。〃



Eumenes; king of Pergamus; being unable to procure

the Egyptian papyrus; through the jealousy of

one of the Ptolemies; who occupied himself in forming

a rival library to the one which subsequently

became so celebrated at Pergamus; introduced the

use of Parchment properly 〃dressed〃 for taking

ink and pigments and hence the derivation of the

word 〃pergamena〃 as applied to parchment or vellum;

the former substance being the prepared skin

of sheep; and the latter of calves。



The sheets of parchment were joined end to end; as

the sheets of papyrus had been; and when written

upon; on one side only; and in narrow columns across

the breadth of the scroll; were rolled up around staves

and bound with strings; to which seals of wax were

occasionally attached; in place of the more common

leaden bullae。



The custom of dividing wax; ivory; wood and metal

MSS。 into pag
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