Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-10-24

course IL VIVA NOT aASHFE lOI podi lahtSiS
10 encourage the CROWN Of this Kind Ia pre-"
ference to Sea.Island.H
D'Israeli states, that the most antient
mode OF writing was on clnJeIs, on bricks,
aud on tables ofstone afterwards on plates
of various materials, on ivory, and similar
articles.
In the book of Job, mention is made Of
the custom OF writing on stone, and on
sheets Of lead. 1t 9as on tables OF toH
that Moses received the law written by the
finger Of God himself. The Gauls, in the
time of Cesar, wrote on tables; but Of
what they were composed is not known.
This manner of writing we still retain, in
respectto Inscriptions, e~pitaphs, and such
memorials as We are dcsirous should reach
posseritys
These early inventions led to the disco
very of tables Of wood and as cedar is
incorruptlble because Gifts bitterness, they
chose this wood for their most important
writings. From this custom ARISES the
celebrated expressions Of the!antienas, when
they mant 10 give the highest eulogium Of
an excellent work, that it was worthy to be
written en- cedar. These tablets were made
Of the trunk ~oftrees s; the use ofthem still
exists, but IN general they are made Of
other materials than wood. The same
reason which ley! 10 prefer the cedar to the
other trees induced vhento write on cedar
which is incompatible from its nature
Men generally used it to write their tesla
rnents, IN order the better TO preserve
them.
Saint Isidore of Seville testifes that the
Greeks and Tuscans were the first who
used wax to write oi, They wrote with
an iron bodkin, as they did on the other
substances which we have noticed. But
the Romans having forbidden the use Of
this instrument, they substituted a stylas
made Of the bone of a bird, or other ami
NAL SO that their writings resembled en-
cravings. They also employed reeds cut
in the form of pens.
In the progress Of time, the art of writ
ing consisted in painting with different
kinds-of ink. This novel mode of writing
OCC2Sl0neQ tneTn 70 invent OlneF MaLeFldlS
proper to receive their writing. They now
chose.the thin pslf Of certain trees, plants,
and ever skins of animals, which were pres
pared for this purpose. The first place
where they began to prepare these skin
was P~ergamos, in Africa. This is the orr
gin of the Latin name from whence we
have derived that of parchment. These
skins are, however, better known amongst
the authors of the purcst Latin, under the
name of membrane. They were SO called
because OF the remembrance of the animals,
of which they were composed. The an
clients had parchment OF three different CO.
lours white, yellow and purple. At Rome,
white parchment was disliked, because it
was more subject to be soiled than the o.
theirs and dazzled tie eye. They general
ly wrote in letters ofgold and silver on pur-
pie parchment. This custom continued in
The early ages Of the church; and there
are yet extant written copies of the evan
gelists of this kind Of which specimens
are preserved in the British Museum.
The Egyptians on their side employed
for. writing the bark or pith of a plant cal
led papyrus. Formerly there grew great
quantities of it on the sides of the Nile.
1t is this plant which has given the name
to our paper, although It'll composed of