the　strange　phenomenon。　After　this；　we　hear　no
  more　of　these　cities；　but　the　portion　of　the　inhabitants
  who　escaped　built　or　occupied　suburbs　at　Nola　in
  Campania　and　at　Naples。　In　the　latter　city；　the　Regio
  Herculanensium；　or　Quarter　of　the　Herculaneans；　an
  inscription　marked　on　several　lapidary　monuments；
  indicates　the　part　devoted　to　the　population　driven
  from　the　doomed　city。
  The　ancient　inkstand　found　at　Herculaneum；　said
  to　contain　a　substance　resembling　a　thick　oil　or　paint
  characteristic　of　a　material　which　it　is　alleged；　〃some
  of　the　manuscripts　have　been　written　in　a　sort　of
  relievo；　visible　in　the　letters　when　a　'leaf'　is　held　to
  the　light　in　a　horizontal　direction；〃　it　is　not　impossible；
  indeed　it　is　quite　probable；　belonged　to　an　era　centuries
  later　than　the　period　to　which　it　has　been　assigned。
  〃No　perfect　papyri；　but　only　fragments；　have　been
  found　at　Pompeii。　At　Herculaneum；　up　to　the　year
  1825；　1；756　had　been　obtained；　besides　many　others
  destroyed　by　the　workmen；　who　imagined　them　to　be
  mere　sticks　of　charcoal。　Most　of　them　were　found
  in　a　suburban　villa；　in　a　room　of　small　dimensions；
  ranged　in　presses　round　the　sides　of　the　room；　in　the
  center　of　which　stood　a　sort　of　rectangular　bookcase。
  〃Sir　Humphry　Davy；　after　investigating　their
  chemical　nature；　arrived　at　the　conclusion　that　they
  had　not　been　carbonized　by　heat；　but　changed　by　the
  long　action　of　air　and　moisture；　and　he　visited　Naples
  in　hopes　of　rendering　the　resources　of　chemistry
  available　towards　deciphering　these　long…lost　literary
  treasures。　His　expectations；　however；　were　not　fully
  crowned　with　success；　although　the　partial　efficacy　of
  his　methods　was　established；　and　he　relinquished　the
  pursuit　at　the　end　of　six　months；　partly　from　disappointment；
  partly　from　a　belief　that　vexatious　obstacles
  were　thrown　in　his　way　by　the　jealousy　of　the
  persons　to　whom　the　task　of　unrolling　had　been　intrusted。
  About　five　hundred　volumes　have　been　well
  and　neatly　unrolled。　It　is　rather　remarkable　that；　as
  far　as　can　be　learned；　no　manuscript　of　any　known
  standard　work　has　been　found；　nor；　indeed；　any　production
  of　any　of　the　great　luminaries　of　the　ancient
  world。　The　most　celebrated　person　of　whom　any
  work　has　been　found　is　Epicurus；　whose　treatise；　De
  Natura；　has　been　successfully　unrolled。　This　and　a
  few　other　treatises　have　been　published。　The　library
  in　which　this　was　found　appears　to　have　been　rich　in
  treatises　on　the　Epicurean　philosophy。　The　only
  Latin　work　which　it　contained　was　a　poem；　attributed
  to　Rabirius；　on　the　war　of　Caesar　and　Antony。〃
  Beginning　with　A。　D。　200；　the　employment　of　inks
  became　more　and　more　constant　and　popular。　Rediscoveries
  of　ancient　formulas　belonging　to　a　more
  remote　antiquity　multiplied　in　number。　Silver　ink
  was　again　quite　common　in　most　countries。　Red　ink
  made　of　vermilion　（a　composition　of　mercury；　sulphur
  and　potash）　and　cinnabar　（native　mercuric　sulphide）
  were　employed　in　the　writing　of　the　titles　as　was　blue
  ink　made　of　indigo；　cobalt　or　oxide　of　copper。　Tyrian
  purple　was　used　for　coloring　the　parchment　or　vellum。
  The　〃Indian〃　inks　made　by　the　Chinese　were　imported
  and　used　in　preference　to　those　of　similar
  character　manufactured　at　home。　The　stylus　and
  waxed　tablets　though　still　used；　in　a　measure　gave　way
  to　the　reawakened　interest　in　ink　and　ink　writings。
  A　greater　facility　in　writing；　due　to　the　gradual
  reduction　in　size　of　the　uncial　（inch）　letters　was
  thereby　attained。
  There　were　〃writers　in　gold〃　and　〃writers　in
  silver〃　who　travelled　from　the　East　into　Greece　and
  who　bad　found　their　way　before　the　third　century
  into　the　very　heart　of　Rome。　Their　business　was　to
  embellish　the　manuscript　writings　of　those　times。　It
  was　considered　en　regale　for　authors　to　〃illuminate〃
  their　MSS。　and　those　who　failed　to　do　so　suffered　in
  popularity。
  These　authors　frequently　allude　to　their　use　of　red；
  black　and　secret　inks。
  Martial　in　his　first　epistle　points　out　the　bookseller's
  shop　opposite　the　Julian　Forum　where　his　works　may
  be　obtained　〃smoothed　with　pumice　stone　and　decorated
  with　purple。〃　Seneca　mentions　books　ornamented
  〃cum　imaginabus。〃　Varro　is　related　by　the
  younger　Pliny　to　have　illustrated　his　works　by　pictures
  of　more　than　seven　hundred　illustrious　persons。
  Martial　dwells　on　the　edition　of　Virgil；　with　his
  portrait　as　a　frontispiece。
  The　earliest　recorded　instance　of　the　richer　adornments
  of　golden　lettering　on　purple　or　rose…stained
  vellum　is　given　by　Julius　Capitolinus　in　his　life　of　the
  Emperor　Maximinus　the　younger。　He　therein　mentions
  that　the　mother　of　the　emperor　presented　to　him
  on　his　return　to　his　tutor　（early　in　the　third　century）；
  a　copy　of　the　works　of　Homer；　written　in　gold　upon
  purple　vellum。
  The　fugitive　character；　as　before　stated；　of　a　great
  many　of　the　colored　inks；　and　indeed　most　of　the
  black　ones　which　were　undoubtedly　employed；　is　the
  principal　reason　why　so　few　specimens　of　them　remain
  to　us。　Those　which　have　proved　themselves　so　lasting
  in　character　as　to　be　still　extant；　bear　evidence
  of　extreme　care　in　the　preparation　of　both　the　inks
  and　the　materials　on　which　the　writings　appear。　Perhaps
  one　of　the　finest　illustrations　of　this　practice　is
  to　be　found　in　a　book　of　the　Four　Gospels　of　Italian
  origin；　discovered　in　the　tenth　century　（a　work　of　the
  fourth　century）　and　deposited　in　the　Harlein　Library。
  This　book　is　written　in　〃Indian〃　ink　and　possesses
  magnificently　embellished　and　illuminated　letters　at
  the　beginning　of　each　Gospel；　which　are　on　vellum
  stained　in　different　colors。
  St。　Jerome　calls　attention　to　this　class　of　books　in
  a　well…known　passage　of　his　preface　to　the　Book　of
  Job；　also　written　in　the　fourth　century；　where　he　explains
  as　translated：
  〃Let　those　who　will　have　old　books　written　in
  gold　and　silver　on　purple　parchment；　or；　as　they
  are　commonly　called；　in　uncial…letters；rather　ponderous
  loads　than　books；so　long　as　they　permit
  me　and　mine　to　have　copies；　and　rather　correct　than
  beautiful　books。〃
  It　has　been　said　that　the　Tanno…gallate　of　Iron　Inks
  （iron　salts；　nut…galls　and　gum）　were　first　used　in　the
  fourth　century。　There　is　positively　no　credible　authority
  for　such　a　statement；　nor　is　there　a　single
  monument　in　the　shape　of　a　documentary　specimen
  of　ink　writing　of　that　one　or　an　earlier　century　made
  with　such　an　ink　in　any　public　or　private　library　and
  as　far　as　known　in　existence。
  About　A。　D。　390　the　inspired　writings　（often　termed
  pagan）　of　the　classical　countries；　or　at　least　the　copies
  or　extracts　of　them；　upon　a　special　search　made　by　order
  of　the　Roman　Senate；　including　those　already　mentioned
  as　of　the　time　of　Tarquin　（some　nine　hundred
  years　earlier）；　were　gathered　up　in　Greece；　Italy　and
  other　parts　and　destroyed；　because；　as　we　are　informed；
  this　Roman　Senate　had　embraced　the　Christian
  faith　and　furthermore　〃such　vanities　began　to　grow
  out　of　fashion；　till　at　last　Stilicho　burnt　them　all
  under　Honorius　（a　son　of　Theodosius　the　Great）；　for
  which　he　is　so　severely　censured　by　the　noble　poet
  Rutilius；　in　his　ingenious　itinerary。〃
  Not　only　Roman　Arms　the　Wretch　betrayed
  To　barbarous　Foes；　before　that　cursed　Deed；
  He　burnt　the　Writings　of　the　sacred　Maid；
  We　hate　Althaea　for　the　fatal　Brand；
  When　Nisius　fell；　the　weeping　Birds　complained：
  More　cruel　he　than　the　revengeful　Fair；
  More　cruel　heth　at　Nisius'　Murderer。
  Whose　impious　Hands　into　the　Flames　have　thrown
  The　Heavenly　Pledges　of　the　Roman　Crown；
  Unrav'lling　all　the　Doom　that　careful　Fate　had　spun。〃
  The　destruction　of　Rome　by　Alaric；　King　of　the
  Western　Goths；　A。　D。　410；　and　the　subsequent
  dismemberment　of　the　entire　Roman　Empire　by　the
  barbarians　of　the　North　who　followed　in　his　wake；
  announced　that　ancient　history　had　come　to　an　end。
  It　may　be　truly　said　as　well　that　the　ending　of　the
  ancient　history　of　the　black　and　colored　writing　inks
  which　began　in　the　obscurity　of　tradition　between
  2000　and　1800　B。　C。；　a　period　of　some　2200　years；
  was　also　contemporaneous　with　these　events。
  The　eclipse　of　ink…written　literature　for　at　least
  500　of　the　1000　years　which　followed；　and　known　as
  the　Middle　or　〃Dark〃　Ages；　except　in　the　Church
  alone；　who　seem　to　have　kept　up　the　production　of
  manuscript　books　principally　for　ecclesiastical　and
  medical　purposes　was　complete。　Hence；　any　information
  pertaining　to　those　epochs　about　ink；　writing
  materials　and　ink　writings；　must　be　sought　for　in　the
  undestroyed　records　and　the　ink　writings　themselves
  left　by　the　fathers　of　the　Church。　All　else　is　tainted
  and　of　doubtful　authority。
  *　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*　　　　*
  〃When　waned　the　star　of　Greece　was　there　no　cry；
  To　rouse　her　people　from　their　lethargy？
  Was　there　no　sentry　on　the　Parthenon
  No　watch…fire　on　the　field　of　Marathon；