Forty Centuries of Ink

第3章

TheFrenchJewswereusing“tusche“(typicalofthe“Indian“ink),whiletheGermanswereemploying“pomegranate“and“gall“inks。RepresentativesfrominterestedreligiousJewishcenterscametogetherandresolvedtosubmittheirdifferencesforfinaladjustmenttoMaimonides,borninSpain,A。D。

1130,anddiedA。D。1204——thethengreatestlivingHebrewtheologianandauthorityonbiblicalandrabbinicallaws。Discardingallsideissues,theirdifferenceswereseeminglyincorporatedintothreequestionsandthuspropoundedtohim:

1。IstheTalmudicdeyoidenticalwithalchiber?

2。OfwhatingredientshouldtheTalmudicdeyoconsist,ifitisnotthesameasalchiber?

3。Isalchibertobeunderstoodasrelatingtothegall-appleandchalkanthum(bluevitriol)?

TothefirstandthirdquestionsMaimonidesdeclaredthatdeyoandalchiberwerenotidentical;

andforthereasonsthattheTalmuddeclaresdeyotobeawritingmaterialwhichdoesnotremainonthesurfaceonwhichitisplacedandtobeeasilyeffaced。

Ontheotherhandalchibercontainsgumandotherthingswhichcausesittoadheretothewritingsurface。

TothesecondquestionheaffirmedthattheTalmuddistinguishesadoublekindofdeyo,onecontaininglittleornogumandbeingafluid,andtheotherreferringto“pulverizedcoalofthevine,sootfromburningoliveoil,tar,rosinandhoney,pressedintoplatestobedissolvedinwaterwhenwantedforuse。”

Furthermore,whiletheTalmudexcludestheuseofcertaininksofwhichironvitriolwasone,itdoesnotexcludeatramentum,(chalkanthum,coppervitriol),becausetheTalmudneverspeaksofit。HeinsistedthattheTalmudrequiresadryink(deyo)。

AsoneofthelastentriesmadeintheTalmud(agreatcollectionoflegaldecisionsbytheancientRabbis,Hebrewtraditions,etc。,andbelievedtohavebeencommencedinthesecondcenturyoftheChristianera)isclaimedtobelongtothesixthcentury,mentionsgall-applesandiron(copper)vitriol,itmusthavereferredto“gall“ink。FurtherinvestigationdisclosesthefactthatsuchgallswereofChineseoriginandasweknowtheydonotcontainthenecessaryfermentwhichthealeppoandothergallspossessforinducingatransformationofthetanninintogallicacid,nocompleteunioncouldthereforeobtain。

Hencethevalueofthiscompositionwaslimiteduntilthetimewhenyeastandothermaterialswereintroducedtoovercomeitsdeficiencies。

Hotz-OsterwaldofZurich,antiquarianandscholar,hasassertedthatwiththeexceptionofthecarboninksemployedonpapyrus,thewritingpigmentsofantiquityandtheMiddleAgeshavescarcelybeeninvestigated。Thedarktolight-brownpigment,hithertoaproblem,universallyusedonparchment,hecontendsuponhistorical,chemicalandmicroscopicevidenceisidenticalwithoeno-cyaninandwaspreparedforthemostpartfromyeast,andwasfirstemployedasapigment。Contrarytothegeneralopinionitcontainsnoiron,exceptfrequentlyaccidentaltraces,andafteritsappearanceinGreeceinthethirdcentury,itformedalmostexclusivelytheinkoftheancientmanuscripts,untildisplacedbythegallateinks,saidtohavebeenintroducedbytheArabians。Theseaccidentaltracesofironwereduetotheemploymentofironvesselsinthemakingoftheink。

MyownobservationsinthisdirectionconfirmandestablishthefactthatitwasthecustomintheearlycenturiesoftheChristianeratoutilizeyeastorananalogouscompoundaspartofthecompositionofink,towhichwasaddedsepia,ortherindofthepomegranateapplepreviouslydissolvedbyheatinalkalinesolutions。

Thisanalogouscompoundwasprobablythematerialprocuredfromwinelees(dregs),depositedafterfermentationhascommenced,andwhichafterconsiderableapplicationofheatyieldsnotonlymostofthetannincontainedinthestonesandfruitstalks,butaviscidcompoundcharacteristicofgelatineandofared-purplecolorwhichincourseoftimechangestobrown。

Bloxamsaysthatthecoloringmatterofgrapesandofredwineappearstobe“cyanin。”

Oneofthemethodsoftreatingwinelees,astranslatedintheeighteenthcenturyfromanoldItaliansecreta,issufficientlycurioustopartlyquote:

“DrytheLees(dregs)ofwinewithagentlefireandfillwiththemtwothirdofalargeearthenRetort,placethisretortinareverberatoryfurnace,andfittingittoalargereceiver,giveasmallfiretoittoheattheRetortbydegrees,anddriveforthaninsipidphlegm;whenvapoursbegintorise,youmusttakeoutthephlegmandlutingcarefullythejuncturesofyourvessels,quickenthefirelittlebylittleuntilyoufindthereceiverfilledwithwhiteclouds;

continueitinthiscondition,andyouperceivethereceivertocool,raisethefiretotheutmostextremity,andcontinueitso,untiltherearisenomorevapours。Whenthevesselsarecoldunlutethereceiver,andshakingittomaketheVolatilesalt,whichstickstoit,falltothebottom,pouritallintoabolt-head;fitittoaHeadwithasmallreceiver;

lutewellthejuncturesandplacingitinsand,givealittlefireunderit,andthevolatilesaltwillriseandsticktothehead,andthetopoftheBolt-head;takeoffyourheadandsetonanotherinitsplace;gatheryoursaltandstopittipquickly,foriteasilydissolvesintoaliquor;continuethefire,andtakecaretogathertheSaltaccordingasyouseeitappear;butwhenthererisesnomoresalt,aliquorwilldistill,ofwhichyoumustdrawaboutthreeounces,andputoutthefire。”&c。

The“leesofwine。”inconnectionwiththeancientmethodsofink-makingisalsoreferredtobytheyoungerPlinyinhistwenty-fifthbook,whichtheEdinburghReviewhascarefullytranslatedandprinted:

“INK(orliterally)BLACKING——Inkalsomaybesetdownamongtheartificial(orcompound)

drugs,althoughitisamineralderivedfromtwosources。For,itissometimesdevelopedintheformofasalineefflorescence,——orisarealmineralofsulphureouscolor——chosenforthispurpose。

Therehavebeenpainterswhodugupfromgravescoloredcoals(CARBON)。Butalltheseareuselessandnew-fanglednotions。Foritismadefromsootinvariousforms,as(forinstance)ofburntrosinorpitch。Forthispurpose,theyhavebuiltmanufactoriesnotemittingthatsmoke。Theinkoftheverybestqualityismadefromthesmokeoftorches。Aninferiorarticleismadefromthesootoffurnacesandbath-housechimneys。Therearesome(manufacturers)also,whoemploythedriedleesofwine;andtheydosaythatiftheleessoemployedwerefromgoodwine,thequalityoftheinkistherebymuchimproved。PolygnotusandMicon,celebratedpaintersatAthens,madetheirblackpaintfromburntgrape-vines;theygaveitthenameofTRYGYNON。APELLES,wearetold,madeHISfromburntivory,andcalleditelephantina’ivory-black。’Indigohasbeenrecentlyimported,——

asubstancewhosecompositionIhavenotyetinvestigated。Thedyersmaketheirsfromthedarkcrustthatgraduallyaccumulatesonbrass-kettles。

Inkismadealsofromtorches(pine-knots),andfromcharcoalpoundedfineinmortars。’Thecuttlefish’hasaremarkablequalifyinthisrespect;

butthecoloring-matterwhichitproducesisnotusedinthemanufactureofink。Allinkisimprovedbyexposuretothesun’srays。Book-writers’

inkhasgummixedwithit,——weavers’inkismadeupwithglue。Inkwhosematerialshavebeenliquifiedbytheagencyofanacidiserasedwithgreatdifficulty。”

Therearebutfewexceptionsrespectingthegeneralsamenessofinkreceiptsofthesucceedingcenturies,oneofwhichisthe“Pomegranate。”creditedtotheseventhcenturybutreallybelongingtoanearlierperiod:

“OfthedriedPommegranite(apple)rindtakeanounce,boilitinapintofwateruntil3/4begone;add1/2pintofsmallbeerwortandoncemoreboilitawaysothatonlya1/4pintremain。

Afteryoushallhavestrainedit,boilinghotthroughalinnenclothanditcomescold,beingthenofaglutinousconsistence,dropina’bit’ofSalAlkaliandaddasmuchwarmwateraswillbringittoaduefluidityandagoldbrowncolorforwritingwithapen。”

Followingthisformulaandwithoutanymodifications,Iobtainedanexcellentinkofdurablequality,butofpoorcolor,fromastandpointofblackness。

Alessancient“Secreta。”signedbytheItalianmonk“Theophilus。”wholivedaboutthecommencementoftheeleventhcentury,ismostinteresting:

“Tomakeink,cutforyourselfwoodofthethorn-treesinAprilorMay,beforetheyproduceflowersorleaves,andcollectingtheminsmallbundles,allowthemtolieintheshadefortwo,three,orfourweeks,untiltheyaresomewhatdry。Thenhavewoodenmallets,withwhichyoubeatthesethornsuponanotherpieceofhardwood,untilyoupeeloffthebarkeverywhere,putwhichimmediatelyintoabarrelfulofwater。Whenyouhavefilledtwo,orthree,orfour,orfivebarrelswithbarkandwater,allowthemsotostandforeightdays,untilthewatersimbibeallthesapofthebark。

Afterwardsputthiswaterintoaverycleanpan,orintoacauldron,andfirebeingplacedunderit,boilit;fromtimetotime,also,throwintothepansomeofthisbark,sothatwhateversapmayremaininitmaybeboiledout。Whenyouhavecookeditalittle,throwitout,andagainputinmore;whichdone,boildowntheremainingwateruntoathirdpart,andthenpouringitoutofthispan,putitintoonesmaller,andcookituntilitgrowsblackandbeginstothicken;addonethirdpartofpurewine,andputtingitintotwoorthreenewpots,cookituntilyouseeasortofskinshowitselfonthesurface;thentakingthesepotsfromthefire,placetheminthesununtiltheblackinkpurifiesitselffromthereddregs。Afterwardstakesmallbagsofparchmentcarefullysewn,andbladders,andpouringinthepureink,suspendtheminthesununtilallisquitedry;Andwhendry,takefromitasmuchasyouwish,andtemperitwithwineoverthefire,and,addingalittlevitriol,write。

But,ifitshouldhappenthroughnegligencethatyourinkbenotblackenough,takeafragmentofthethicknessofafingerandputtingitintothefire,allowittoglow,andthrowitdirectlyintotheink。”

Afterrecitingmanyreceiptswhichpertaintootherarts,thisgoodoldmonkconcludes:

“Whenyoushallhavere-readthisoften,andhavecommittedittoyourtenaciousmemory,youshallthusrecompensemeforthiscareofinstruction,that,asoftenasyoushallsuccessfullyhavemadeuseofmywork,youprayformeforthepityofomnipotentGod,whoknowsthatIhavewrittenthesethingswhichareherearranged,neitherthroughloveofhumanapprobation,northroughdesireoftemporalreward,norhaveIstolenanythingpreciousorrarethroughenviousjealousy,norhaveIkeptbackanythingreservedformyselfalone;but,inaugmentationofthehonourandgloryofHisname,Ihaveconsultedtheprogressandhastenedtoaidthenecessitiesofmanymen。”

The“thorn“treeswhichTheophilusmentionsareassertedbysomewriters(withwhomIdonotagree)tobethosecommonlyknownasthe“Norwayspruce。”aspeciesofpineofloftyproportionssometimesrisingtotheheightof150feetwithatrunkfromfourtofivefeetindiameter。Itlivestoagreatagebelievedtoexceedinmanyinstances450years。

Theleaves(needles,thorns)areshortbutstandthicklyuponthebranchesandareofaduskygreencolorshiningontheuppersurface;thefruitisnearlycylindricalinformandofapurplecolorcoveredwithscalesraggedattheedges。ItisanativeofEuropeandNorthernAsia。ItfurnishesthematerialknownasBurgundypitchwhichisobtainedbyremovingthejuicewhichissecretedinthebarkofthetree;itispurifiedbyameltingprocessandstrainingeitherthroughaclothoralayerofstraw。Itgivesforthapeculiarodornotunpleasant,resemblingturpentine。

TheBurgundypitchorrosinissolubleinhotalcohol(spiritsofwine)。

Aninkpreparedafterthemethodlaiddownbythismonk,assumingthathereferredtothespruce-pine,whiletroublesometowritewith,wouldbealmostaslastingas“Indian“inkandwouldbemostdifficulttoerasefromparchmentintowhichitwouldbeabsorbedduetoitsalcoholicqualities。

“Theink。”remarksMontfaucon,“whichweseeinthemostancientGreekmanuscripts,hasevidentlylostmuchofitspristineblackness;yetneitherhasitbecomealtogetheryelloworfaint,butisrathertawnyordeepred,andoftennotfarfromavermillion。”

Whiletherearesomemonumentsofthiskindofinkinfairconditionofthefourthandsucceedingcenturies,theyaggregatebutaverysmallproportionofthevastnumberofprincipallyIndianinkspecimenswhichremaintousofthoseepochs。Asexemplars,however,ofaforgottenclassofinksbelongingtoastillmoreremoteantiquity,carefulresearchadducescertainproofoftheirexistencemorethanninehundredyearsbeforetheChristianeracommenced。

ReferencehasearlierbeenmadetotheancientMyrobolamink,whichwascharacteristicallythesameincolorphenomenaasthosewhichMontfauconmentions。

These“tawny“coloredinksIestimatewereproductsobtainedfromthe“thorn“treesspokenofbythemonkTheophilus。Thethorntreeswereoftwospecies。Thepomegranate,ancientlycalledthe“Punicapple。”becauseitwaslargelyemployedbytheCarthageniansforthepurposesofdyeingandtanning;andtheacacia,knowninEgyptiantimesasthelotus。TheformerwasheldinsuchhighesteemthattheArabiansandEgyptiansmadeitanemblemtodesignateoneoftheirdietiesandtermeditraman。

Theproductsofthesethorn,treeswerecollectivelyusedtogetherasink,mostofthetanninbeingobtainedfromthepomegranate,andthegumfromtheacacia。

CHAPTERVIII。

MEDIAEVALINK。

INKSECRETASOFTHETWELFTHCENTURYCOMPAREDWITH

EARLIERONES——APPEARANCEOFTANNO-GALLATEOF

IRONINKINTHETWELFTHCENTURY——ITSINTRODUCTION

LOCATESTHEEPOCHWHENTHEMODERNINKOF

TO-DAYFIRSTCAMEINTOVOGUE——ITSAPPROVALAND

ADOPTIONBYTHEFATHERSOFTHECHURCH——THE

INVENTIONNOTITALIANBUTASIATIC——ITSARRIVAL

FROMASIAFROMTHEWESTANDNOTTHEEAST——APPEARANCE

ABOUTTHESAMETIMEOFLINENORMODERN

PAPER——SETTLEMENTOFOLDCONTROVERSIESABOUT

ANCIENTSO-CALLEDCOTTONPAPER-DEVINNE’SCOMMENT

ABOUTPAPERANDPAPER-MAKING——CURIOUS

CONTRACTOFTHEFOURTEENTHCENTURY。

THE“Secretas“ofthetwelfthcentury,insofarastheyrelatetomethodsofmakingink,indicatemanydeparturesfromthosecontainedinthemoreancientones。Frequentmentionismadeofsourgalls,aleppogalls,greenandbluevitriol,theleesofwine,blackamber,sugar,fish-glueandahostofunimportantmaterialsasbeingemployedintheadmixtureofblackinks。Combinationsofsomeofthesematerialsareexpressedinformulas,themostimportantoneofwhichdetailswithgreatparticularitythecomminglingtogetherofaninfusionofnut-galls,greenvitriol(sulphateofiron)andfish-glue(isinglass);thetwofirst(tanno-gallateofiron)whenusedalone,formsthesolebaseofallunadulterated“gall“inks。

Datesareappendedtosomeoftheseinkandotherformulas。The“tanno-gallateofiron“onehas,however,nodate。ButasitappearscloselyfollowingadateofA。D。1126,itmusthavebeenwrittenaboutthattime。

Documents,publicandprivate,bearingdatesnearlycontemporarywiththatera,writtenininkofliketype,arestillextant,confirminginaremarkabledegreethe“Secreta“formula,andestablishingthefactthatthefirsthalfofthetwelfthcenturymarkstheepochinwhichthe“gall“ormoderninkoftodaycameintovogue。

ItsadoptionbythepriestsstampeditwiththesealoftheChurchandthearrivalfromtheWestaboutthesameperiodofflaxorlinenpaperwiththeaddedfactthattheseassimilatedsowelltogether,laterplacedthembothonthepopularbasiswhichhascontinuedtothepresenttime。

WhiletheSecretawhichcontainsthe“gall“inkformulaisofItalianorigin,theinventionofthisinkbelongssolelytoanAsiaticcountry,fromwhenceingradualstagesbywayofArabia,SpainandFrance,itfinallyreachedRome。Thence,throughtheChurch,informationaboutitwasconveyedtowherevercivilizationexisted。

WearenotconfinedinourinvestigationsofancientMSS。toanyparticularlocalityordate,asthetwelfth,thirteenth,fourteenthandfifteenthcenturiesareprolificof“gall“inkmonumentscoveringanimmenseterritory。Suchinkswhenusedunadulterated,remaininanalmostpristinecolorcondition;whiletheotherinkstowhichsomepigmentorcolorhadbeenadded,probablytomakethemmoreagreeableinappearanceandmorefree-flowing,withamistakenideaofimprovingthem,aremuchdiscoloredandineveryinstancepresentbutslightindicationsoftheiroriginalcondition。

Thequestionofthecharacterofthepaperemployedduringtheseeras,composedofdifferentkindsoffibrousvegetablesubstances,possessessomeimportancewhendiscussingitsrelationshiptoinks。Manyauthorscertifytothemanufactureanduseof“cotton“

intheeleventh,twelfthandlatercenturies。

Madan,however,intreatingthissubject,makesthefollowingcommentswhichareinlinewithmyownobservations:

“Paperhasforlongbeenthecommonsubstanceformiscellaneouspurposesofordinarywriting,andhasatalltimesbeenformedexclusivelyfromrags(chieflyoflinen)reducedtopull),pouredoutonaframeinathinwaterysheet,andgraduallydriedandgivenconsistencebytheactionofheat。Ithasbeenapopularbelief,foundineverybooktill1886(nowentirelydisproved,butprobablydestinedtodiehard),thatthecommonyellowishthickpaper,withroughfibrousedge,foundespeciallyinGreekMSS。tillthefifteenthcentury,waspaperofquiteanothersort,andmadeofcotton(chartabombycna,bombyxbeingusuallysilk,butalsousedofanyfinefibresuchascotton)。Themicroscopehasatlastconclusivelyshownthatthesetwopapersaresimplytwodifferentkindsofordinarylinen-ragpaper。”

DeVinnespeaking,ofpaperandpaper-makingsays:

“Thegradualdevelopmentofpaper-makinginEuropeisbutimperfectlypresentedthroughthesefragmentaryfacts。Papermayhavebeenmadeformanyyearsbeforeitfoundchroniclerswhothoughtthemanufactureworthyofnotice。TheSpanishpaper-millsofToledowhichwereatworkintheyear1085,andanancientfamilyofpaper-makerswhichwashonoredwithmarkedfavorbythekingofSicilyintheyear1102,arecarelesslymentionedbycontemporarywritersasifpaper-makingwasanoldandestablishedbusiness。Itdoesnotappearthatpaperwasanoveltyatamuchearlierperiod。

Thebullsofthepopesoftheeighthandninthcenturieswerewrittenoncottoncardorcottonpaper,butnowritercalledattentiontothiscard,ordescribeditasanewmaterial。IthasbeensupposedthatthispaperwasmadeinAsia,butitcouldhavebeenmadeinEurope。Apaper-likefabric,madefromthebarksoftrees,wasusedforwritingbytheLongobardsintheseventhcentury,andacoarseimitationoftheEgyptianpapyrus,intheformofastrongbrownpaper,hadbeenmadebytheRomansasearlyasthethirdcentury。TheartofcompactinginawebthemaceratedfibresofplantsseemstohavebeenknownandpractisedtosomeextentinSouthernEuropelongbeforetheestablishmentofMoorishpaper-mills。

“TheMoorsbroughttoSpainandSicilynotanentirelynewinvention,butanimprovedmethodofmakingpaper,andwhatwasmoreimportant,acultureandcivilizationthatkeptthismethodinconstantexercise。ItwaschieflyforthelackofabilityandlackofdispositiontoputpapertoproperusethattheearlierEuropeanknowledgeofpaper-

makingwassobarrenofresults。Theartofbook-

makingasitwasthenpractisedwasmadesubservienttothespiritofluxurymorethantothedesireforknowledge。Vellumwasregardedbythecopyistastheonlysubstancefitforwritingon,evenwhenitwassoscarcethatitcouldbeusedonlyforthemostexpensivebooks。Thecard-likecottonpaperoncemadebytheSaracenswascertainlyknowninEuropeformanyyearsbeforeitsutilitywasrecognized。Hallamsaysthattheuseofthiscottonpaperwasbynomeansgeneralorfrequent,exceptinSpainorItaly,andperhapsinthesouthofFrance,untiltheendofthefourteenthcentury。

NorwasitmuchusedinItalyforbooks。

“Papercamebeforeitstimeandhadtowaitforrecognition。Itwassorelyneeded。TheEgyptianmanufactureofpapyrus,whichwasinastateofdecayintheseventhcentury,ceasedentirelyintheninthortenth。Notmanybookswerewrittenduringthisperiod,buttherewasthen,andforatleastthreecenturiesafterwards,anunsatisfieddemandforsomethingtowriteupon。Parchmentwassoscarcethatrecklesscopyistsfrequentlyresortedtothedesperateexpedientofeffacingthewritingonoldandlightlyesteemedmanuscripts。Itwasnotadifficulttask。Thewritinginkthenusedwasusuallymadeoflamp-black,gumandvinegar;itithadbutafeebleencausticproperty,anditdidnotbiteinorpenetratetheparchment。Theworkofeffacingthisinkwasaccomplishedbymoisteningtheparchmentwithaweakalkalinesolutionandbyrubbingitwithpumicestone。Thistreatmentdidnotentirelyobliteratethewriting,butmadeitsoindistinctthattheparchmentcouldbewrittenoverthesecondtime。Manuscriptssotreatedarenowknownaspalimpsests。AllthelargeEuropeanpubliclibrarieshavecopiesofpalimpsests,whicharemelancholyillustrationsoftheliterarytastesofmanywritersorbookmakersduringtheMiddleAges。Moreconvincinglythanbyargumenttheyshowtheutilityofpaper。ManuscriptsoftheGospels,oftheIliad,andofworksofthehighestmerit,oftenofgreatbeautyandaccuracy,aredimlyseenunderneathstupidsermons,andtheologicalwritingsofanaturesopaltrythatnomanlivingcarestoreadthem。InSomeinstancesthefirstwritinghasbeensothoroughlyscrubbedoutthatitsmeaningisirretrievablylost。

“Muchaspaperwasneeded,itwasnotatallpopularwithcopyists;theirprejudicewasnotaltogetherunreasonable,foritwasthick,coarse,knotty,andineverywayunfittedforthedisplayorornamentalpenmanshiporillumination。Thecheaperquality,thenknownascottonpaper,wasespeciallyobjectionable。

Itseemstohavebeensobadlymadeastoneedgovernmentalinterference。FrederickII,ofGermany,intheyear1221,foreseeingevilsthatmightarisefrombadpaper,madeadecreebywhichhemadeinvalidallpublicdocumentsthatshouldbeputoncottonpaper,andorderedthemwithintwoyearstobetranscribeduponparchment。

PeterII,ofSpain,intheyear1338,publiclycommandedthepaper-makersofValenciaandXativatomaketheirpaperofabetterqualityandequaltothatofanearlierperiod。

“Thebetterqualityofpaper,nowknownaslinenpaper,hadthemeritsofstrength,flexibility,anddurabilityinahighdegree,butitwassetasidebythecopyistsbecausethefabricwastoothickandthesurfacewastoorough。Theartofcalenderingorpolishingpapersuntiltheywereofasmooth,glossysurface,whichwasthenpractisedbythePersians,wasunknownto,oratleastunpractisedby,theearlyEuropeanmakers。Thechangesorfashionintheselectionofwritingpapersareworthyofpassingnotice。Theroughhand-madepaperssoheartilydespisedbythecopyistsofthethirteenthcenturyarenowpreferredbyneatpenmenandskilleddraughtsmen。

Theimitationsofmediaevalpaper,thick,harsh,anddingy,andshowingthemarksofthewiresuponwhichthefabricwascouched,arepreferredbymenoflettersforbooksandforcorrespondence,whilehighlypolishedmodernplatepapers,withsurfacesmuchmoreglossythananypreparationofvellum,arenowrejectedbythemasfinicalandeffeminate。

“Thereisapopularnotionthattheso-calledinventionsofpaperandxylographicprintingweregladlywelcomedbymenofletters,andthatthenewfabricandthenewartwereimmediatelypressedintoservice。Thefactsabouttobepresentedinsucceedingchapterswillleadtoadifferentconclusion。Weshallseethatthemakersofplayingcardsandofimageprintswerethemenwhofirstmadeextendeduseofprinting,andthatself-taughtandunprofessionalcopyistswerethemenwhogaveencouragementtothemanufactureofpaper。Themoreliberaluseofpaperatthebeginningofthefifteenthcenturybythisnewly-

createdclassofreadersandbook-buyersmarkstheperiodoftransitionandofmentalandmechanicaldevelopmentforwhichthecrudeartsofpaper-

makingandofblackprintinghadbeenwaitingforcenturies。WeshallalsoseethatifpaperhadbeeneversocheapandcommonduringtheMiddleAges,itwouldhaveworkednochangesineducationorliterature;itcouldnothavebeenusedbythepeople,fortheyweretooilliterate;itwouldnothavebeenusedbytheprofessionalcopyists,fortheypreferredvellumanddespisedthesubstitute。

“Thescarcityofvelluminonecentury,anditsabundanceinanother,areindicatedbythesizeofwrittenpapersduringthesameperiods。Beforethesixthcentury,legaldocumentsweregenerallywrittenupononesideonly;inthetenthcenturythepracticeofwritinguponbothsidesofthevellumbecamecommon。Duringthethirteenthcenturyvaluabledocumentswereoftenwrittenuponstripstwoincheswideandbutthreeandahalfincheslong。Attheendofthefourteenthcenturythesestripswentoutoffashion。Themoregeneraluseofpaperhaddiminishedthedemandforvellumandincreasedthesupply。Inthefifteenthcentury,legaldocumentsonrollsofsewedvellumtwentyfeetinlengthwerenotuncommon。Allthevaluablebooksofthefourteenthcenturywerewrittenonvellum。InthelibraryoftheLouvrethemanuscriptsonpaper,comparedtothoseonvellum,wereasonetotwenty-eight;inthelibraryoftheDukesofBurgundy,one-fifthofthebookswereofpaper。

Theincreaseintheproportionofpaperbooksisafairindicationoftheincreasingpopularityofpaper;

butitisobviousthatvellumwaseventhenconsideredasthemoresuitablesubstanceforabookofvalue。”

Thecuriouscontractbelongingtothefourteenthcenturywhichfollows,isaliteralcopyoftheoriginal。

Itdoesnotseemtospecifywhetherthebookistobemadeofvellumorpaper。Inotherrespectstheminutedetailsnodoubtpreventedanymisunderstandingbetweenthecontractingparties。

“August26th,1346——ThereappearedRobertBrekeling,scribe,andsworethathewouldobservethecontractmadebetweenhimandSirJohnForber,viz。,thatthesaidRobertwouldwriteonePsalterwiththeKalenderfortheworkofthesaidSirJohnfor5s。and6d。;andinthesamePsalter,inthesamecharacter,aPlaceboandaDirige,withaHymnalandCollectary,for4s。and3d。AndthesaidRobertwillilluminate(’luminabet’)allthePsalmswithgreatgildedletterslaidinwithcolours;andallthelargelettersoftheHymnalandCollectarywillheilluminatewithgoldandvermillion,exceptthegreatlettersofdoublefeasts,whichshallbeasthelargegiltlettersareinthePsalter。

Andallthelettersatthecommencementoftheversesshallbeilluminatedwithgoodazureandvermillion;

andallthelettersatthebeginningoftheNocturnsshallbegreatuncial(unciales)letters,containingV。lines,buttheBeatusVirandDixitDominusshallcontainVI。orVII。lines;andfortheaforesaidilluminationandforcolourshe[John]

willgive5s。6d。,andforgoldhewillgive18d。,and2s。foracloakandfurtrimming。Itemonerobe——onecoverlet,onesheet,andonepillow。”

CHAPTERIX。

ENDOFMEDIAEVALINK。

THESECRETASPRECEDEALCHEMYANDCHEMISTRY——EFFORT

TOIMPROVEGALLINKS——VARIATIONSININK

COLORS——THEUSEOFREDINKINTHENINTHAND

TENTHCENTURIES——COLORCOMPARISONSBETWEENINK

WRITINGSOFITALY,GERMANY,FRANCE,ENGLANDAND

SPAIN——HOWTODETERMINETHEANTIQUITYOF

MSS——PRACTICESWHICHOBTAINEDINMONASTICLIBRARIES

OFVARIOUSCOUNTRIES——KINDSOFINKEMPLOYED

INLITURGICALWRITINGS——THEPUBLICSCRIBES

ANDTHEIREMPLOYMENTS——EFFORTSTOCOUNTERFEIT

OLDSCRIPTINEARLYPRINTEDBOOKS——WHENTHEY

WEREABANDONED。

ITiswellknownthatalchemyprecededchemistryandhencetheSecretacamefirst。Whentheformulaformakingareal“gall“inkhadceasedtobeasecret,chemistrywasthenbutlittleunderstood。Itisnotamatterforwonder,therefore,tolearnthat“gall“inkofthefirsthalfofthetwelfthcenturywaslowingradeandpoorinquality。Itwasamuddyfluideasilyprecipitatedanditdeterioratedquickly。A

centuryormoreofexperimentingwasneededtomodifyorovercomedefects,aswellastogaininformationaboutthechemicalvalueofthedifferenttannins,therelativeproportionsofeachconstituentandthecorrectmethodsinitsadmixture。

Thereisnowrittenaccountofthisinkbeingmanufacturedasanindustryuntiloverthreehundredyearslater。Hence,asitappearssofrequentlyofvaryingdegreesofcolorondocumentsoftheinterveningcenturies,wearecompelledtoassumethatitwascompoundedbyindividualswhohadneitherchemicalknowledge,norwhohadmadeastudyorabusinessofink-making。Notwithstandingwhich,itsprogressseemstohavebeencomparativelyrapidandlikethesameinkofthepresentdaywastobeobtainedofanyqualityorkind,whetherunadulteratedorcontainingsomeaddedcolor。

Intenseblackorablacktingedwithred-browncharacterizesthecoloroftheinksfoundontheveryearliestMSS。Theirlastingcolorphenomena,duetotheemploymentoflampblackandkindredsubstancesevenafteralapseofsomanyages,isatthislatedayofnoparticularmomentastheybutprovethevirtuesofthedifferenttypesof“Indian“inks。

Adifferentsetoffactsareevidentintheinksofmediaevaltimeswhicharefoundtogreatlyvaryaccordingtotheiragesandlocality。Butfewblackinksoftheninthandtenthcenturiesremaintous。

IntheMSS。ofthosecenturiesaredinkwastheprevailingoneeventotheextentofentirevolumesbeingwrittenwithit。InItalyandmanyotherportionsofSouthernEuropespecimensnowextant,whencomparedwiththosebelongingtoGermanyandothermorenortherncountries,areseentobeblackerandthisisalsotruewhenthoseofFranceandEnglandarecompared,theblackerinksbelongingtoFrance。

Withthegradualdisappearanceoftheso-called“DarkAges。”theinkfoundonSpanishwrittenMSS。

ofthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies,arenotedlyofintenseblacknesswhilethoseofsomeoftheothercountriesappearofaratherfadedgraycolor,andinthesixteenthcentury,thisgraycoloreffectprevailedallovertheChristianworld。

TorevertagaintotheinkphenomenaofthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturieswhichareofItalianorigin。InnosectionofthatcountryorofEuropeduringthosecenturiesdoinkcreationspossess,insomarkedadegree,thevarietyofcolorqualitiesthatareseenonthoseofthecityofFlorence。IndeeditmaybetrulysaidthatduringthoseperiodsmoreinkwrittenMSS。wereproducedinthatplacethanalltherestofEurope。TheseproductionsofMSS。werenotconfinedtosimpleinkwritings。Theheadsofreligiousordersandrulersofthecountrylikedtohaveartistsnearthemtoilluminatetheirmissalsandsacredbooks,besidesthedecoratingofwallsintheirchurchesandpalaces。

ThroughthisartofilluminatingandthepaintingofminiaturesinMSS。books,“oil“paintingtookrootandthedayformeresymbolsandhieroglyphicswasover。

InthatcityofscholarsandwealthitwasafashionandlaterthecustomtoacquireGreek,LatinandOrientalMSS。andcopythemforcirculationandsale。

Thepricesofferedweresufficienttostimulatethesearchandzealforthem。Welearnthatintheyear1400“onthesquareoftheDuomaaspacciatorewasestablishedwhosebusinesswastosellmanuscriptsoftenfullofmistakesandblunders。”NicholasV,beforehebecamePope,wasnicknamed“TommasotheCopyist。”HeissaidtohavepresentedtotheVaticanlibraryasagiftfivethousandvolumesofhisowncreation。

TheinformationoftheseincreasingdemandsforancientdocumentsofanykindspreadoverEuropeandportionsofAsia,bringingintoFlorenceagreatquantityofthem,aswellasmanyscholarsandcopyists。

ShiploadsoftheworksoftheByzantinehistoriansarrivedfromtheGoldenHorn,andthecitybecameavastmanufactoryforduplicatingorforgingancientMSS。Parchmentandvellumweretoocostlytoemployverymuch,somostofthemwereofpaper。

Vespaciano,oneofthemanyengagedinthisbusinessandwholivedin1464,founditnecessaryinordertoreducethecostofproduction,tobecomeapapermerchant。

Inwritingtoafriendhesays:

“Iengagedforty-fivecopyistsandintwenty-

twomonthshadcompletedtwohundredvolumes,whichincludedsomeGreekandLatinaswellasmanyOrientalwritings。”

Thereadingandjudgingofmanuscriptsarenowknownasthescienceofdiplomatics。Todeterminetheirantiquityorgenuinenessrequiresthenicestdistinctionsandcare,irrespectiveofallegeddates(whetherexhibitedbyRomannumbersortheArabiconewhichwecontinuetoemploy,andwhichfirstmadetheirappearancenearthecommencementofthetwelfthcentury)。Theinksasalreadymentionedandusedonthem,asweshallsee,servefullyasmuchinestimatingauthenticityorgenuinenessasdoescombinedtogether,——thestyleofthewriting,theminiatures,vignettesandarabesques(ifany),thecolors,covers,materials,ornamentationandthecharacteroftheircontents。

Withthere-establishmentoflearninginthefifteenthcenturyandthecreationofallegedstablegovernments,whomayperhapshaverealizedthenecessityforaninkofenduringgoodcommercialandrecordqualities,so-called“gall“inkswerechosenasbestpossessingthem,andweremadeandemployedwithvaryingresultsevenmorethantheancient“Indian“

inks。

MediaevalpracticesinrelationtoinkandotherwritingmaterialsaswellasthemonasticlibrariesofwhichEngland,France,GermanyandItalypossessedmanyduringthethirteenth,fourteenth,andmoreparticularlythefifteenthcenturies,weregovernedbyestablishedrules。

Thelibrariesofsuchinstitutionswereplacedbytheabbotunderthesolechargeofthe“armarian。”anofficerwhowasmaderesponsibleforthepreservationofthevolumesunderhiscare;bewasexpectedfrequentlytoexaminethem,lestdamporinsectsshouldinjurethem;hewastocoverthemwithwoodencoverstopreservethemandcarefullytomendandrestoreanydamagewhichtimeoraccidentmightcause;hewastomakeanoteofanybookborrowedfromthelibrary,withthenameoftheborrower;

butthislastruleappliedonlytothelessvaluableportionofit,asthe“greatandpreciousbooks“

couldonlybelentbythepermissionoftheabbothimself。Itwasalsothedutyofthearmariantohaveallthebooksinhischargemarkedwiththeircorrecttitles,andtokeepaperfectlistofthewhole。

SomeofthesecataloguesarestillinexistenceandarecuriousandinterestingintheirexemplificationofthekindsofinkemployedandasindicativeofthestateofliteratureintheMiddleAges,besidespresentingthenamesofmanyauthorswhoseworkshaveneverreachedus。Itwasalsothedutyofthearmarian,undertheordersofhissuperior,toprovidethetranscribersofmanuscriptswiththewritingswhichtheyweretocopy,aswellasallthematerialsnecessaryfortheirlabors,tomakebargainsastopayment,andtosuperintendtheworkduringtheirprogress。

Thesetranscribers,Mr。Maitlandinhis“DarkAges“tellsus,weremonksandtheirclerks,someofwhomweresoskilledthattheycouldperformallthedifferentbranches。Theywereexhortedbytherulesoftheirordertolearnwriting,andtopersevereintheworkofcopyingmanuscriptsasbeingonemostacceptabletoGod;thosewhocouldnotwritewererecommendedtobindbooks。ThiswasinlinewiththebehestofthefamousmonkAlciunwholivedintheeighthcenturyandwhoentreatedalltoemploythemselvesincopyingbooks,saying:

“Itisamostmeritoriouswork,moreusefultothehealththanworkinginthefields,whichprofitsonlyaman’sbody,whilethelabourofacopyistprofitshissoul。”

Whenblackinkwasusedinliturgicalwritings,thetitlepageandheadsofchapterswerewritteninredink;whencecomesthetermrubric。Green,purple,blueandyellowinksweresometimesusedforwords,butchieflyforornamentingcapitalletters。

Alargeroomwasinmostmonasteriessetapartforsuchlaborsandherethegeneraltranscriberspursuedtheiravocations;inaddition,smallroomsorcells,knownalsoasscriptoria,occupiedbysuchmonksaswereconsidered,fromtheirpietyandlearning,tobeentitledtotheindulgence,andusedbythemfortheirprivatedevotions,aswellasforthepurposeoftranscribingworksfortheuseofthechurchorlibrary。

Thescriptoriawerefrequentlyenrichedbydonationsandbequestsfromthosewhoknewthevalueoftheworkscarriedoninthem,andlargeestateswereoftendevotedtotheirsupport。

“Meanwhilealongthecloister’spaintedside,Themonks——eachbendinglowuponhisbookWithheadonhandreclined——theirstudiesplied;

Forbidtoparley,orinfronttolook,Lengthwaystheirregulatedseatstheytook:

Thestruttingpriorgazedwithpompousmien,Andwakefultongue,preparedwithpromptrebuke,Ifmonkasleepinshelteringhoodwasseen;

Hewaryoftenpeepedbeneaththatrussetscreen。

“Hardby,againstthewindow’sadverselight,Wheredeskswerewontinlengthofrowtostand,Thegownedartificersinclinedtowrite;

ThepenofsilverglistenedinthehandSomeoftheirfingersrhymingLatinscanned;

Sometextilegoldfromhallsunwindingdrew,Andonstrainedvelvetstatelyportraitsplanned;

Herearms,therefacesshowninembryoview,Atlasttoglitteringlifethetotalfiguresgrew。”——

FOSBROOKE。

Thepublicscribesofthosedayswereemployedmostlybysecularindividuals,althoughsubjecttobecalleduponatanymomentbythefathersofthechurch。Theyworkedintheirhomesexceptwhenanyvaluableworkwastobecopied,theninthatoftheiremployer,whoboardedandlodgedthemduringthetimeoftheirengagement。

Todifferentiatethecharacteroftheclassofpigmentsormaterialsthenemployedinmakingcoloredinks,fromthoseofthemoreancienttimesisdifficult;

becausewenotonlyfindmanyoflikecharacterbutoflargervariety。Thesewereusedmoreforpurposesofilluminatingandembellishingthanforregularwriting。

Evenwhenprintinghadbeeninventedspaceswerefrequentlyleft,bothintheblockbooksandintheearliestmovabletype,fortheilluminationbyhand,ofinitialletterssoastodeceivepurchasersintothebeliefthattheprintedtypewhichwaspatternedcloselyaftertheformsoflettersemployedinMSS。

writingswastherealthing。Thelearnedsoondiscoveredsuchfraudsandthereafterthesepracticeswereabandoned。

CHAPTERX。

RENAISSANCEINK。

INKOFGRAYCOLORBELONGINGTOTHESIXTEENTHCENTURY

ANDITSCAUSES——INFLUENCEOFTHEFATHERSOF

THECHURCHRESPECTINGINKDURINGTHEDARK

AGES——THEREFORMATIONANDHOWITAFFECTEDMEDIAEVAL

MSS——REMARKSOFBALEABOUTTHEIRDESTRUCTION——

QUAINTINKRECEIPTOF1602——SELECTION

FROMTHETWELFTHNIGHTRELATINGTOPENAND

INK——GENERALCONDITIONSWHICHOBTAINEDUNTIL

1626——THEFRENCHGOVERNMENTAWARDSANINK

CONTRACTINTHATYEAR——OTHERGOVERNMENTSADOPT

THEFRENCHFORMULA——INKSOFTHESEVENTEENTH

CENTURYALMOSTPERFECTINTHEIRCOLORPHENOMENA——

NOADDEDCOLOREMPLOYEDINTHEIRMANUFACTURE。

THEgraycolorofmostoftheinksfoundondocumentswritteninthesixteenthcenturyisanoteworthyfact。Whenceitscauseisamatterforconsiderablespeculation。Themajorityoftheseinksunquestionablybelongtothe“gall“classandifpreparedaftertheformulasutilizedinprecedingcenturiesshouldindicatelikecolorphenomena。Asthesesamepeculiaritiesexistonbothpaper,vellumandparchment,itcannotbeattributedtotheiruse。

Investigationsinmanyinstancesofthewritingsindicatetheexerciseofamorerapidpenmovementandaconsequentemploymentofinksofgreaterfluiditythanthoseofanearlierhistory。Suchfluiditycouldonlybeobtainedbyareductionofthequantityofgummyvehiclestogetherwithanincreaseofinkacidity。Theacidswhichhadtheretoforebeenmoreorlessintroducedintoinks,exceptoxalicacid,couldnoteffectsuchresults。Consequently,asthemonumentsofthisgrayinkphenomenaaretobefoundbelongingtoalltheportionsoftheChristianworld,withauniformitythatiscertainlyremarkable,itbecomesafairdeductiontoassumethatthemakingofinksbadpassedintothehandsofregularmanufacturerswhoadulteratedthemwith“added“color。

WecanwellbelievethattheinfluenceswhichthefathersoftheChurchexertedduringthethousandyearsknownasthe“DarkAges。”inrespecttoinkandkindredsubjects,musthavebeenverygreat。

Thattheyendeavoredtoperpetuateforthebenefitofsucceedinggenerationsinbookandotherforms,thiskindofinformation,whichtheydistributedthroughouttheworldweknowtobetrue。Mostofthesesourcesofinkinformation,however,graduallydisappearedasconstitutingaseriesofsadeventsintheunhappywarwhichfollowedtheirpreparation。

TheReformationbeganinGermanyinthefirstquarterofthesixteenthcentury,andwithittheeightyyearsofcontinualreligiouswarfarewhichfollowed。DuringthisperiodthepricelessMSS。booksofinformation,historical,literaryandotherwise,containedinthemonasticlibrariesoutsideofItalywereburnt。

Wearetold:

“InEnglandcupidityandintolerancedestroyedrecklessly。Thus,afterthedissolutionofmonasticestablishments,personswereappointedtosearchoutallmissals,booksoflegends,andsuch’superstitiousbooks’andtodestroyorsellthemforwastepaper;reservingonlytheirbindings,when,aswasfrequentlythecase,theywereornamentedwithmassivegoldandsilver,curiouslychased,andoftenfurtherenrichedwithpreciousstones;andsoindustriouslyhadthesemendonetheirwork,destroyingallbooksinwhichtheyconsideredpopishtendenciestobeshownbyillumination,theuseofredletters,oroftheCross,orevenbythe——tothem——mysteriousdiagramsofmathematicalproblems——

thatwhen,someyearslater,Lelandwasappointedtoexaminethemonasticlibraries,withaviewtothepreservationofwhatwasvaluableinthem,hefoundthatthosewhohadprecededhimhadleftlittletorewardhissearch。”

Bale,himselfanadvocateforthedissolutionofmonasteries,says:

“Neverhadwebeneoffendedforthelosseofourlybraryesbeyngsomanyinnombreandinsodesoluteplacesforthemosteparte,yfthechiefmonumentsandmostenotableworkesofourexcellentwrytershadbenereserved,yftherehadbeneineveryshyreofEnglandebutonesolemynelybraryforthepreservacyonofthosenobleworkes,andpreferrmentsofgoodlearnyugesinourposteryteithadbeneyetsomewhat。ButtodestroyeallwithoutconsyderacyonisandwyllbeuntoEnglandeforeveramosthorrybleinfamyamongethegravesenyoursofothernatyons。Agretenombreofthemwychpurchasedofthosesuperstycyosemansyonsreservedofthoselybraryebokes,sometoservetheyrjaks,sometoscouretheyrcandelstyckes,andsometorubbtheyrbootes。sometheysoldetothegrossersandsopesellers,andsometheysentoverseetothebokebynders,notinsmallnombre,butattymeswholeshippesful。Iknowamerchantman,whycheshallatthystymebenamelesse,thatboughtethecontent-,oftwonoblelybraryesforxlshyllyngspryce,ashameitistobespoken。Thysstuffehatheheoccupyedinthestideofgrevepaperforthespaceofmorethanthesetenyears,andyethathestoreynoughforasmanyyearstocome。A

prodyguousexampleisthys,andtobeabhorredofallmenwholovetheyrnatyonastheyshouldedo。”

Passingtolaterepochs,A。D。1602,thefollowingquaintreceiptprovesinterestingasshowingthatthe“gall“inkswerewellknownatthattime:

“TomakecommonInk,ofWinetakeaquart,TwoouncesofGumme,letthatbeapart;

FiveouncesofGalls,ofCop’restakethree,Longstandingdothmakeitthebettertobe;

IfWineyedowant,rainewaterisbest,Andthenasmuchstuffeasaboveattheleast,IftheInkbetoothick,putVinegarin,Forwaterdothmakethecolourmoredimme。”

ShakespeareinhisTwelfthNightIII,2,hasalsoreferredtotheminthefollowingamusingstrain:

“Gowriteitinamartialhand;becurstandbrief;

itisnomatterhowwitty,soitbeeloquent,andfullofinvention;taunthimwiththelicenseofink;ifthouthou’sthimthrice,itshallnorbeamiss;andasmanyliesaswilllieonasheetofpaper,althoughthesheetwerebigenoughforthebedofWareinEngland,set’emdown;go,aboutit。Lettherebegallenoughinthyink,thoughthouwritewithagoosepen,nomatter:

aboutit。”

Thegeneralblackinkconditionsforaperiodofatleastthreehundredyears,ifweexcludethesixteenthcentury,hadbeenbutrepetitionsofeachother。

Theysoremaineduntiltheyear1626,whentheFrenchgovernmentconcludedanarrangementwithachemistbythenameofGuyot,forthemanufactureofa“gall“inkWITHOUTaddedcolorandwhichtherebyguaranteedandinsuredmoresamenessinrespecttodesirableinkqualities。Thatgovernmentwithafewmodificationsrelativetotheproportionsofingredientscontinueditsemployment,whichwasfollowedbythecontemporaneouswriters。OthergovernmentslaterpartiallyadoptedtheFrenchformulaswhilesomeofthemgavethematternoattention,althoughtheirrecordsandthoseofthecitiesortownsnotonlyofEuropebutearlyAmerica,theUnitedStatesandCanadaarefoundinmostinstancestohavebeenwrittenwithaninkofthischaracter。

Wherepriorto1850,inkscontainingadifferentbase(withthesingleexceptionofindigo)wereused,theyhaveeitherdisappearedornearlysoanditisnotaninfrequentoccurrenceamongthosewhoareaccustomedtoexamineoldrecordstofindthatsignaturesordatestovaluableinstruments,pagesofwritingsandindeedsometimesthewritingsinanentirebookaremoreorlessobliterated。

Theblackinksofalargeportionoftheseventeenthcentury,ondocumentsofeverykind,arefoundtobenearlyperfectastocolorconditions,whichisevidenceoftheextremecareusedintheirpreparationandtheexclusionof“added“colorininkmanufacture。

CHAPTERXI。

ANCIENTINKTREATISES。

INKTREATISESOFTHEFIFTEENTH,SIXTEENTHAND

SEVENTEENTHCENTURIES——JOHNBAPTISTAPORTA

AUTHOROFTHEFIRST——SECRETINKS——NERI,CANEPARIUS,BOREL,MERRET,KUNCKELANDOTHERAUTHORS

WHOREFERTOINKMANUFACTURE——PROGRESSOFTHE

ARTOFHANDWRITINGILLUSTRATEDINTHENAMESOF

OVERAHUNDREDCALLIGRAPHERSCHRONOLOGICALLY

ARRANGED。

THEliteratureofthefifteenth,sixteenthandseventeenthcenturiesonthesubjectofblackandcoloredinkformulas,secretinks,etc。,isbothdiversifiedandofconsiderableimportance。Thefollowingauthorsandcitationsaredeemedthemostnoteworthy:

JohnBaptistaPorta,ofNaples,bornA。D。1445

anddiedA。D。1515,isbestknownastheinventorofthe“cameraobscuro;“wasalsotheauthorofmanyMSS。bookscompiled;hesays,“AstheresultsofdiscussionsoflongyearsheldatmyownhousewhichisknownasdeSecreti,andintowhichnonecanenterunlessheclaimtobeaninventorofnewdiscoveries。”

Twoofthesetreatiseswhichwereextantinthefirsthalfoftheseventeenthcentury,datedrespectively1481and1483,dwellatgreatlengthonSECRET

inksandspecificallymentionastranslatedintotheEnglishofthetime“sowregallsinwhitewine。”and“vitriol;“repeatingItalianformulaspertainingtothe“Secreta“ofthetwelfthcentury。

Aboutsecretinkhetellsus:

“Therearemanyandalmostinfinitewaystowritethingsofnecessity,thattheCharactersshallnotbeseen,unlessyoudipthemintowaters,orputthemnearthefire,orrubthemwithdust,orsmeerthemover。

********

“LetVitriolsoakinBoylingwater:whenitisdissolved,strainitsolongtillthewatergrowclear:

withthatliquorwriteuponpaper:whentheyaredrytheyarenotseen。Moreover,grindeburntstrawandVinegar:andwhatyouwillwriteinthespacesbetweentheformerlines,describeatlarge。

ThenboylsowreGallsinwhiteWine,wetaspungeintheliquor:andwhenyouhaveneed,wipeituponthepapergently,andwettheletterssolonguntilthenativeblackcolourdisappear,buttheformercolour,thatwasnotseen,willbemadeapparent。NowIwillshowinwhatliquorspapermustbesoakedtomakeletterstobeseen。AsI

said,DissolveVitriolinwater:thenpowderGallsfinely,andsoaktheminwater:letthemstaytheretwenty-fourhours:filtrethemthroughalinencloth,orsomethingelse,thatmaymakethewaterclear,andmakelettersuponthepaperthatyoudesiretohaveconcealed:sendittoyourFriendabsent:whenyouwouldhavethemappear,diptheminthefirstliquor,andtheletterswillpresentlybeseen。

********

IfyouwritewiththejuiceofCitrons,Oranges,Onyons,oralmostanysharpthings,ifyoumakeithotatthefire,theiracrimonyispresentlydiscovered:

fortheyareundigestedjuices,whereastheyaredetectedbytheheatofthefire,andthentheyshowforththosecoloursthattheywouldshowiftheywereripe。IfyouwritewithasowreGrapethatwouldbeblack,orwithCervices;whenyouholdthemtothefiretheyareconcocted,andwillgivethesamecolourtheywouldinduetimegiveuponthetree,whentheywereripe。JuiceofCherries,addedtoCalamus,willmakeagreen:tosow-

breadared:sodiversjuicesofFruitswillshowdiverscoloursbythefire。BythesemeansMaidssendingandreceivinglove-letters,escapefromthosethathavechargeofthem。ThereisalsoakindofSaltcalledAmmoniac:thispowderedandmingledwithwater,willwritewhiteletters,andcanhardlybedistinguishedfromthepaper,butholdthemtothefire,andtheywillshewblack。”

Withrespecttothepreparationofblackandcoloredinksandalsocolors:AntonioNeri,anItalianauthorandchemistwholivedinthesixteenthcentury,inhistreatiseseemsnotonlytohavelaidthefoundationformostofthereceiptscalledattentiontobylaterwritersduringthetwohundredyearswhichfollowed,buttohavebeentheveryfirsttospecifyaproper“gall“inkanditsformula,asthemostworthyofnotice。

PietroCaneparius,aphysicianandwriterofVenice,A。D。1612,inhisworkDeAtrametis,givesamoreextensiveviewaboutthepreparationandcompositionofinksandadoptsallthatNerihadgiven,thoughheneverquoteshisname,andadds——“hithertopublishedbynoone。”HedoeshowevermentionmanyvaluableparticularswhichwereomittedbyNeri。Mostofhisreceiptsareaboutgold,silverandnondescriptinks,withdirectionsformakingagreatvarietyforsecretwritinganddefacing。ThisbookrevisedandenlargedwasrepublishedinLondon,1660。

In1653PeterBorel,whowasphysiciantoLouisXIV,King,ofFrancepublishedhis“BibliothecaChemica。”whichcontainsalargenumberofinkreceipts,twoofwhichmaybecharacterizedas“ironandgall“ones。Theypossessvalueonaccountoftherelativeproportionsindicatedbetweenthetwochemicals。Thecoloredones,includinggold,silverandsympatheticinksaremostlyrepetitionsofthoseofNeriandCaneparius。TheFrenchwriters,though,speakofhisresearchesinchemistryas“somewhatcredulous。”

ChristopherMerret,anEnglishphysicianandnaturalist,bornA。D。1614,translatedNeriintoourlanguagein1654,withmanynotesofhisownabouthim;hisobservationshaveaddednothingofvaluetothechemistryofinks。

JohannKunckel,anotedGermanchemistandwriterin1657,republishedintheGermanlanguageNeri’sworkwithMerret’snotes,andhisownobservationsonboth。Healsoinsertedmanyotherprocessesastheresultofconsiderableresearchandseemstohavebeenthoroughlyconversantwiththechemistryofinks,advocatingespeciallythevalueandemploymentofatanno-gallateofironinkforrecordpurposes。

Salmon,A。D。1665,inhisPolygraphics,proceedstogiveinstructionsrelativetoinkswhichnotwithstandingtheirmeritareconfoundedwithsomanyabsurditiesastolessentheirvalueforthosewhowereunabletoseparatetruthfromfalsehood;butheneverthelessdwellsonthevirtuesofthe“gall“inks。

JacquesLemort,aDutchchemistofsomenote,issuedatreatise,A。D。1669,on“InkFormulasandColors。”seeminglyselectedfromthebooksofthosewhohadprecededhim。Heexpressestheopinionthatthe“gall“inksifproperlycompoundedwouldgivebeneficialresults。

Formulasformakinginksarefoundtuckedawayinsomeoftheveryoldliteraturetreatingof“curious“

things。Oneofthemwhichappearedin1669directs:

“tostrainoutthebestqualityofironemployoldandrustynails;“anotheronesays,thattheinkwhenmadeistoremaininanopenvessel“forthirtydaysandthirtynights,beforeputtingitinaparchmentbag。”

AnEnglishcompendiumofinkformulas,publishedin1693,callsattentiontomanyformulasforblackinksaswellasgold,silver,andthecoloredones;nocomment,however,ismadeinrespecttoanyparticularonebeingbetterthananotherastopermanency,andtheseconditionswouldseemtohavecontinuedfornearlyacenturylater,thoughtheartofhandwritingwasmakinggiantstrides。

Itisaremarkablefactthatnotwithstandingthenumerousdevoteestothatartwhichincludedmanyofthegentlersex,reproductionsofwhoseskillin“Indian“

inkaretobefoundengravedinmagnificentpublications,bothinbookandotherforms,thereisnomentioninthemorinanyothersincludedwithinthisperiodaboutthenecessityofusinganyotherDURABLE

inkforrecordorcommercialpurposes。

Asindicativeinsomedegreeoftheprogressoftheartofhandwritingandhandwritingmaterials,commencingA。D。1525andendingA。D。1814,Ipresentherewithacompilationofthenamesofoveronehundredofthebestknowncalligraphersandauthorsoftheworld,andnottobefoundasawholeinanypublicorprivatelibrary。Itisarrangedinchronologicalorder。

1525。

ThefirstEnglishessayonthesubjectof“CuriousCalligraphy“wasbyawomanwhofromallaccountspossessedmostremarkablefacilityintheuseofthepenaswellasaknowledgeoflanguages。HernamewasElizabethLucar;asshewasborninLondonin1510anddied1537,herworkmusthavebeenaccomplishedwhenonlyfifteenyearsofage。

1540。

RogerAscham,bestknownasthetutorofQueenElizabeth。

1570。

PeterBales,authorofmanyworks,“TheWritingSchoolmaster。”whichhepublishedinthreeparts,beingthebestknown。Hewasalsoamicroscopicwriter。Hisroomswereatthesignof“TheHandandGoldenPen。”

London。

1571。

JohndeBeauchesne,teacherofthePrincessElizabeth,daughterofKingJamesI。Authorofmanycopybooks。

1588。

JohnMellis,“MerchantsAccounts。”etc。

1600。

ElizabethJaneWeston,ofLondonandPrague,wrotemanypoemsinoldLatin。

1600。

HesterInglis,“ThePsalmsofDavid。”

1601。

JohnDavies,“TheWritingSchoolmaster,orAnatomyofFairWriting。”

1616。

RichardGething,“TheHandandPen;

1645,“Chirographia“andmanyothers。

1618。

MartinBillingsley,“TheWritingSchoolmaster,ortheAnatomieofFairWriting。”ThisauthorwaswritingmastertoKingCharlesI。

1622。

DavidBrown,whowasscribetoKingJamesI。

“Calligraphia。”

1622。

WilliamComley,“Copy-BookofallthemostusualEnglishHands。”etc。

1646。

JosiahRicrafte,“ThePeculiarCharacteroftheOrientalLanguages。”

1650。

LouisHughes,“PlainandEasyDirectionstoFairWriting。”

1650。

JohnJohnson,“TheUsualPracticesofFairandSpeedyWriting。”

1651。

JohnClithers,“ThePensParadise。”dedicatedtoPrinceCharles。

1652。

JamesSeamer,“ACompendiumofAlltheUsualHandsWritteninEngland。”

1657。

EdwardCocker,penmanandengraver,famousinhistimeforthenumberandvarietyofhisproductions。Authorof“ThePen’sTriumph。”

“TheArtist’sGlory。”“England’sPenman。”

andmanymore。

1659。

JamesHodder,“ThePenman’sRecreation。”

etc。

1660。

JohnFisher,“ThePen’sTreasury。”

1663。

RichardDaniel,“ACompendiumofmanyhandsofVariousCountries。”

1669。

PeterStoryorStent,“FairWritingofSeveralHandsinUse。”

1678。

WilliamRaven,“AnExactCopyoftheCourtHand。”

1680。

PeterIvers,famousforhisengrossinganddrawings。

1680。

ThomasWatson,“Copy-BookofAlphabets。”

1681。

JohnPardie,“AnEssayontheGermanTextandOldPrintAlphabets。”

1681。

ThomasWeston,“AncillaCalligraphiae。”

1681。

PeterGery,“CopybookofalltheHandsinuse,PerformedaccordingtotheNaturalFreenessofthePen。”

1681。

WilliamElder,“Copy-bookofthemostusefulandnecessaryHandsnowusedinEngland。”

1683。

JohnAyers,“TutortoPenmanship。”andmanyothers。

1684。

CalebWilliams,“NunciusOris。”writtenandengravedbyhimself。

1693。

CharlesSnell,“ThePenman’sTreasuryOpened;“1712,“ArtofWritinginTheoryandPractice;“1714,“StandardRules。”etc。

1695。

RichardAlleine,writingmaster。

1695。

EleazerWigin,“TheHandandPen。”

1695。

JohnSedden,“ThePenman’sParadise。”

1696。

JohnEade,writingmaster。

1699。

JosephAlleine,publishedseveralbooksaboutwritingandaccounts。

1699。

RobertMore,“TheWritingMastersAssistant。”

1725。“TheGeneralPenman。”

1700。

JohnBeckham,fatherofthecelebratedGeorgeBeckham,wroteandengravedseveralpiecesfor“TheUniversalPenman。”

1700。

EdwardSmith,“TheMysteriesofthePeninfifteenHands,Unfolded。”etc。

1700。

HenryLegg,“WritingandArithmetic。”

1702。

WilliamBanson,“TheMerchantsPenman。”

1703。

JohnDundas,microscopicwriter。

1705。

GeorgeShelley,“ThePenmansMagazine。”

In1730hewroteseveralpagesfor“Bickman’sUniversalPenman。”

1708。

JohnClark,“ThePenmansDiversion。”

1709。

JamesHeacock,writingmaster。

1709。

GeorgeShelley,“Naturalwritinginallhands。”

1711。

GeorgeBickham,oneofthemostfamousofwritersofhistime,born1684,died1758,authorof“TheUniversalPenman。”Hepublishedmanyworks。1711,“TheBritishPenman;“

1731,“PenmanshipinitsutmostBeautyandExtent“and“TheUniversalPenman“

arethebestknown。

1709。

JohnRayner,“Paul’sScholarsCopy-Book。”

1711。

HumphreyJohnson,“Youth’sRecreation:aCopy-BookofWritingdonebyCommandofHand。”

1712。

WilliamWebster,writingandmathematics。

1730,wroteseveralpagesfor“TheUniversalPenman。”

1713。

ThomasOllyffe,“TheHandandPen。”1714,“ThePracticalPenman。”

1717。

WilliamBrooks,“DelightfulRecreationfortheIndustrious。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1717。

AbrahamNicholas,“VariousExamplesofPenmanship。”

1722,“TheCompleatWritingMaster。”Wrotealsofor“TheUniversalPenman。”

1719。

RalphSnow,“YouthsIntroductiontoHandwriting。”

1720。

WilliamRichards,“TheCompletePenman。”

1723。

JohnJarman,“ASystemofCourtHands。”

1724。

HenryLune,“RoundHandComplete。”

1725。

JohnShortland,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1725。

EdwardDawson,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1726。

MosesGratwick,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1727。

JohnLangton,“TheItalienHand。”

1728。

JohnDay,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1729。

GabrielBrooks,writingmasterandcontributorto,“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

WilliamKeppax,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

JohnBland,“EssayinWriting。”Alsocontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

SolomonCook,“TheModishRoundHand。”

1730。

WilliamLeckey,“ADiscourseontheUseofthePen。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

PeterNorman,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

WellingtonClark,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1730。

ZacharyChambers,“VivelaPlume。”Contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1733。

BrightWhilton,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1734。

TimothyTreadway,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1738。

GeorgeJ。Bickham,writingmaster;alsowrotefor“Bickham’sUniversalPenman。”

1739。

EmanuelAustin,writingmaster;hewrote22

pagesin“TheUniversalPenman。”

1739。

SamuelVaux,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1740。

JeremiahAndrews,writingmasterandtutortoKingGeorgeIII。

1740。

NathanielDove,“TheProgressofTime。”andcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1741。

JohnBlande,“EssayinWriting;1730,contributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1741。

RichardMorris,writingmasterandcontributorto“TheUniversalPenman。”

1747。

MaryJohns,microscopicwriterandauthor。

1749。

CharlesWoodham,“ASpecimenofWriting,inthemostUsefulHandsnowPractisedinEngland。”

1750。

JohnOldfield,“Honesty。”Hewroteonepiecein“TheUniversalPenman。”

1750。

JosephChampion,“TheParallelorComparativePenmanship。”1762,“TheLivingHands。”

1751。

EdwardLloyd,“YoungMerchantsAssistant。”

1758。

RichardClark,“PracticalandOrnamentalPenmanship。”

1760。

BenjaminWebb,writerofcopybooks,etc。

1762。

WilliamChinnery,“TheCompendiousEmblematist。”

1763。

WilliamMassey,“TheOriginandProgressofLetters。”containingvaluableinformationabouttheart。

1769。

JohnGardner,“IntroductiontotheCountingHouse。”

1780。

EdwardPowell,writingmasteranddesigner。

1784。

E。Butterworth,“TheUniversalPenman“intwoparts,publishedinEdinburgh。

1795。

WilliamMilns,“ThePenman’sRepository。”

1799。

WilliamG。Wheatcroft,“TheModernPenman。”

1814。

JohnCarstairs,“Tachygraphy,ortheFlyingPen。”2。“Writingmadeeasy,etc。”

IllustratedworksonthesubjectofpenmanshipofcontemporaneoustimesandnotofEnglishoriginarebutfew。Thebestknownare:

1543。

LuduvicoVicentino,“ACopybook“publishedinRome,seemstohavebeenthefirst。

1570。

IlperfettoScrittore(ThePerfectWriter)byFrancescoCresci,publishedinRome。

1605。

SpieghelderSchrijkfkonste(orMirrorofPenmanship)writtenbyVandenVelde,publishedinAmsterdam。

1612。

“WritingandInkRecipes。”byPeterCaniparius,VeniceandLondon。

1700。

DerGetreueSchreibemeister(orTrueWritingMaster),byJohannFriedrVicum,publishedinDresden。

From1602to1709many“Indian“inkspecimenswereextantandarestillofthedifferentschoolsofpenmanship。TheproductionsofPhrysius,MaterotandBarbedorillustratingtheFrenchstyle,Vignon,Selleryandothers,fortheItalianhand,andOverbiqueandSmythersfortheGermantext,andAmbrosiusPerlenghandHugo,withafewmore,completethelist。

CHAPTERXII。

STUDYOFINK。

LACKOFINTERESTASTOTHECOMPOSITIONOFINKDURING

PARTOFTHEEIGHTEENTHCENTURY——THECONDITIONS

WHICHTHENPREVAILEDNEARLYTHESAMEAS

THEPRESENTTIME——CHEMISTRYOFINKNOTUNDERSTOOD——

THISLACKOFINFORMATIONNOTCONFINEDTO

ANYPARTICULARCOUNTRY——LEWIS,IN1765,BEGINS

ASCIENTIFICINVESTIGATIONONTHESUBJECTOFINKS——

THERESULTSANDHISCONCLUSIONSPUBLISHEDIN

1797——THEROYALSOCIETYOFENGLANDIN1787RECEIVES

COMPLAINTSABOUTTHEINFERIORITYOFINKS——

ITSSECRETARYREADSAPAPERTHESAMEYEAR——THE

PAPERCITEDINFULL——DR。BOSTOCKIN1830COMMUNICATES

TOTHESOCIETYOFARTSWHATHEESTIMATES

TOBETHECAUSESOFIMPERFECTIONSININK——

ACTIONOFTHEFRENCHACADEMYOFSCIENCES——

COMPLICATIONSSURROUNDINGTHEMANUFACTUREOFINK

ONLYTHIRTY-FIVEYEARSAGO。

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