The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1841-01-06

I and goat skins, and the latter Of the skins
\ Of young calves. There is preserved al
| Upsal, in Sweden, manuscript copy ol
the Gospels, in the Gothic translation Of
Ulphilas, first Bishop Of the Goths. OIL
violet-colored vcllum, lettered in sarea
and gold and bound in massy silver. .
Most of the ancient manuscripts extanl
are on parchment.
Paper made of cotton was introduced
by the Arabs into Spain. How long il
had been used in the East is unknown
About the middle of the fourteenth centu-
ry, linen paper was substituted, which al
so was introduced into Europe from the
East, where it had been used for cenlu-
ries. Most. Of the old Oriental manu-.
scripts are upon such paper. The oldes:
English manuscript OH linen paper is da
ted 1910. -as ''s* .
The chisel was used 10 engrave on
stone. TO write on bark, soft wood, or
waxed tablets, the stylus was used; whence
our word style. This was made Of iron,
sharp at one end, to mark with, and Hat
al the other, TO rub out or erase. They
were employed sometimes as daggers.-
Caesar, when attacked by his murderers,
defended himself with one Of them. The
Eboys at school sometimes rose on their
masters with them. Some persons derive
the Italion word Stiletto from the stylus.
Reeds or canes were used 10 softer sub
stances, the Egyptian calamus being pre-
ferred. Ii was pointed out and split like
a pen, and left the writing rough and un-
even. Pens made of quilts came next,
their use originated in Europe, and FIRST
mentioned in the seventh century. Reeds
and canes are still used by some writers
in the East, but the goosequills is the pre-
eminent instrument of modem times.
The ancient inks were superior to the
modern, in heauty and variety of col"r.
Besides inks ofall colors, the eancient used
gold and silver inks, in which capitals,
titles, and emphatic words were written,
in most manuscripts Of the middle ages.
Most old manuscripts are without points,
or spaces between the words; but there
are many exceptions, and sometimes there
is period after every word. .,
Originally, they wrote from right to
left, instead of the present way, wbich:is
called the Ionic method. Afterwards.
they wrote backward and forward; bostro.
phendon, as the OK ploughs. The Chinese
write perpendicularly down, in. columns
OF single words.
The forms of. letters varied in different
centuries. At first, all the. letters were
capitals. Small letters were introduced
in the fourth, but we're not in general use
before the tenth century. BY the pecu.
liar form of the letters, The age Of manu-
scripts is distinguished with great accura-
cy, from century to century.
The parchment paper, or other fexi-
BILE material Of ancient wiring, was rolled
up into scroll, or volumen; whence The
word volume. The sheets, written only
on one size, were united at the edges, so
as TO form one long strip, rolled up on a
stick, like a map. OF every work, only
one book was included in each volume;
and, in general, one Of our modern vo.
lumes would include many ancient ones.
Hence the great number of volumes in the
ancient libarics.
The present form of books is also very
ancient. 1t is tracked back TO Pergamus,
who first used parchment extensively, and
was generally adopted after the time Of
Augustus, except among the OIientals..-
Only a small number Of extant old manu-.
scripts are in rolls, which is called the
Egyptian mode Of binding.
Julius Cesar introduced the method Of
folding letters and dividing them into pa
ges, in the style of modern books.
The Romans preserved their more pre-
cious books in cedar boxes. Hence the
praise, "worthy of the CEDAR" The oil
of cedar was rubbed over books, to pre-.
serve them.
Transcrbing was the only ancient pro-
cess of multiplying books.
The ancient literature would have been
wholly lost, had it not been for the Chris
tian religion, and The institution Of the
monasteries. In the dark ages, the
monks were the only transcrbers. Few
laymen could write even their own names;
they made their mark, Charlemagne,
and several other European monarchs oil
those times, could not write. The monas-
teries, being respected in war, were also
safe repositories for books. Besides cop
pying, the art Of cmbellishing, or illumi-
mating, was practised by the monks.
The monks, however, destroyed many
valuable writings. by oblileraling them,
and using the same parchment for writing
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