AGESOBSERVATIONS　ABOUT　THEM　AND　SOME　DISCOVERIES
  OF　THE　MORE　FAMOUS　ONESUSE　OF　PAPYRUS；
  PARCHMENT　AND　VELLUM　TOGETHER　IN　MSS。
  BOOKSOBSERVATIONS　BY　THOMPSONCHARACTER
  OF　THE　ROLLS　AND　RECORDS　BELONGING　TO　EARLY
  PARLIAMENTARY　TIMES　IN　ENGLANDCOMPARATIVE
  METHODS　OF　THEIR　PREPARATIONMODES　OF　DEPOSITING
  AND　CARRYING　ANCIENT　ENGLISH　RECORDS
  METHOD　OF　FINDING　PARTICULAR　DOCUMENTS
  THE　INDIVIDUALS　WHO　HANDLED　THE　BOOKS　OF　THOSE
  EPOCHSCITATIONS　FROM　KNIGHT'S　〃LIFE　OF
  CAXTON〃REMARKS　BY　WARTONEXPENSE　ACCOUNT　OF
  SIR　JOHN　HOWARDMETHODS　OF　THE　TRANSCRIBERS
  AND　LIMNERS　OF　THOSE　TIMESMODERN　METHODS
  OF　PREPARING　PARCHMENT　AND　VELLUMCITATION
  FROM　THE　PENNY　CYCLOPaeDIAPASSAGE　FROM　A
  SERMON　OF　THE　ARCHBISHOP　OF　TOURSANECDOTE
  ABOUT　THE　COUNT　OF　NEVERS。
  THE　great　abundance　of　papyrus　in　Egypt；　the
  chief　source　of　its　supply；　the　genius　and　magnificence
  of　the　rulers　of　that　country；　and　the　army　of
  learned　men　who　resorted　thither；　caused　it　to　become
  the　principal　home　of　those　immense　libraries　of　antiquity
  already　mentioned　as　having　perished　by　fire
  and　tumults　included　in　periods　between　B。　C。　48　and
  A。　D。　640。
  The　Pergamus　library　which　was　deposited　by
  Cleopatra；　B。　C。　32；　in　the　city　of　Alexandria；　is　said
  to　have　been　composed　almost　wholly　of　parchment
  written　volumes。　The　reason　or　cause　of　such　employment；
  of　parchment　in　preference　to　papyrus　is
  attributed　to　jealousies　existing　between　Eumenes；
  King　of　Pergamus；　and　Ptolemy　Philadelphus；　the
  ruler　of　Egypt；　contemporaries　of　each　other。
  This　Ptolemy；　B。　C。　202；　issued　an　edict　prohibiting
  the　exportation　of　papyrus　from　Egypt；　and　hoped
  thereby　to　rid　himself　of　foreign　rivals　in　the　formation
  of　libraries；　also　that　he　might　never　be　subject
  to　the　inconvenience　of　wanting　paper　for　the　multitude
  of　scribes　whom　he　kept　constantly　employed；
  both　to　write　original　manuscripts　as　well　as　to　multiply
  them　by　duplication。
  Before　this　period　the　exportation　of　papyrus　had
  been　a　very　considerable　article　of　Egyptian　commerce；
  but　thereafter　it　became　much　curtailed；　and
  about　A。　D。　950　had　ceased　altogether。
  Eumenes；　it　appears；　was　not　to　be　deterred　from
  his　favorite　study　and　pastime；　so　lie　contrived　a　peculiar
  mode　of　dressing　skins；　which　seems　to　have
  answered　very　fully　the　requirements　of　fluid…ink
  writing　methods　and　thus　avoiding　the　necessity　of
  employing　paints；　the　only　material　which　would
  〃bind〃　to　undressed　parchment　（skins）。
  That　the　refined　and　luxurious　Romans；　after　the
  introduction　of　parchment；　vellum；　and　paper；　insisted
  on　an　improvement　in　quality　and　appearance　is　certain。
  This　appears　from　various　passages　in　their　best　authors。
  Ovid；　writing　to　Rome　from　his　place　of　exile；
  complains　bitterly　that　his　letter　must　be　sent　plain；
  simple；　and　without　the　customary　embellishments。
  We　can　safely　date　the　first　step　towards　the　modern
  form　of　books　to　the　introduction　of　dressed　skins
  （parchment　and　vellum）；　as　surfaces　to　receive　ink
  writing。　These　materials　could　be　formed　into　leaves；
  instead　of　metal；　wood；　ivory；　or　wax　tablets；　a　use　to
  which　papyrus　could　not　be　put　on　account　of　its　brittleness。
  Thus　originated　the　libri　quadrali；　or　square
  books；　which　eventually　superseded　the　ancient　volumina
  （rolls）。
  Parchment　and　vellum　gradually　superseded　all
  other　substances　in　Europe　as　a　general　material
  for　writing　upon；　after　the　third　or　fourth　century。
  The　employment　of　papyrus；　however；　in　ecclesiastical
  centers　continued　even　as　late　as　the　eleventh
  century。
  A　kind　of　bark　paper　was　manufactured　in　Europe
  previous　to　the　introduction　of　linen　（〃cotton；〃
  〃Bombycina〃）　paper　from　the　East。　The　ancient　Chinese
  made　various　kinds　of　paper　and　had　a　method　of　producing
  pieces　sometimes　forty　feet　in　length。　The
  Chinese　record；　called　〃Sou　kien　tchi　pou；〃　states
  that　a　kind　of　paper　was　made　from　hemp；　and　another
  authority　（Du　Halde）　observes；　〃that　old　pieces
  of　woven　hemp　were　first　made　into　paper　in　that
  country　about　A。　D。　95；　by　a　great　mandarin　of　the
  palace。〃　Linen　rags　were　afterwards　employed　by
  the　Chinese。
  The　introduction　of　〃linen〃　paper　into　Europe
  did　not　materially　affect　or　interfere　with　the　use　of
  parchment　or　vellum　until　after　the　invention　of
  printing　in　the　fifteenth　century。
  The　class　of　substances　to　which　parchment　and
  vellum　belong　has　already　received　some　consideration
  but　is　a　subject　well　worth　some　further　discussion。
  Allusions　are　found　in　some　of　the　classical　writers
  to　inscriptions　written　on　the　skins　of　goats　and
  sheep；　it　has；　indeed；　been　asserted　by　some　scholars
  that　the　Books　of　Moses　were　written　on　such　skins。
  Dr。　Buchanan　many　years　ago　discovered；　in　the
  record　chest　of　some　Hebrews　at　Malabar；　a　manuscript
  copy　of　the　greater　part　of　the　Pentateuch；
  written　in　Hebrew　on　goat's　skins。　The　goat　skins
  were　thirty…seven　in　number；　dyed　red；　and　were
  sewn　together；　so　as　to　form　a　roll　forty…eight　feet　in
  length　by　twenty…two　inches　in　width。　At　what　date
  this　was　written　cannot　be　now　determined；　but　it　is
  supposed　to　be　extremely　ancient。
  The　Hebrews　began；　early　after　the　invention　of
  parchment；　to　write　their　scriptures　on　this　material；
  of　which　the　rolls　of　the　law　used　in　their　synagogues
  are　still　composed。
  Scriptural；　like　many　other　classes　of　MSS。　originating
  previous　to　the　eighth　century　and　ink　written
  either　on　parchment　or　vellum；　or　both；　are　in
  capital　letters　without　spaces　between　words　and
  exceedingly　rare。　The　more　important　and　valuable　of
  them　which　apply　to　the　New　Testament　are　respectively
  known　as　the　Sinaitic；　the　Vatican　and　the
  Alexandrian；　many　of　whose　various　translations　and
  readings　are　incorporated　by　Tischendorf　in　his
  Leipzig　edition　of　the　English　New　Testament。　The
  stories　relating　to　the　discovery　and　obtaining　of
  these　relics　of　the　first　centuries　of　our　era　are
  startling　ones。　The　reputation　and　standing；　however；
  of　the　discoverers；　and　the　investigations
  subsequently　made　by　known　scholars　of　their　time；
  serves　to　invest　them　with　a　certain　degree　of　truthfulness。
  The　most　interesting　is　the　story　about　the
  Sinaitic　codex；　the　oldest　of　any　extant　and　which　is
  best　told　by　Madan：
  〃The　story　of　the　discovery　of　this　famous
  manuscript　of　the　Bible　in　Greek；　the　oldest　existing
  of　all　the　New　Testament　codexes；　and　in
  several　points　the　most　interesting；　reads　like　a
  romance。　Constantine　Tischendorf；　the　well…
  known　editor　of　the　Greek　Testament；　started　on
  his　first　mission　litteraire　in　April；　1844；　and　in
  the　next　month　found　himself　at　the　Convent　of
  St。　Catherine；　at　the　foot　of　Mount　Sinai。　There；
  in　the　middle　of　the　hall；　as　he　crossed　it；　he　saw
  a　basket　full　of　old　parchment　leaves　on　their　way
  to　the　burning；　and　was　told　that　two　baskets　had
  already　gone！　Looking　at　the　leaves　more　closely；
  he　perceived　that　they　were　parts　of　the　Old　Testament
  in　Greek；　written　in　an　extremely　old　handwriting。
  He　was　allowed　to　take　away　forty…three
  leaves；　but　the　interest　of　the　monks　was　aroused；
  and　they　both　stopped　the　burning；　and　also　refused
  to　part　with　any　more　of　the　precious　fragments。
  Tischendorf　departed；　deposited　the　forty…
  three　leaves　in　the　Leipsig　Library；　and　edited
  them　under　the　title　of　the　Codex　Friderico…Au…
  gustanus；　in　compliment　to　the　King　of　Saxony；　in
  1846。　But　he　wisely　kept　the　secret　of　their　provenance；
  and　no　one　followed　in　his　track　until　he
  himself　went　on　a　second　quest　to　the　monastery　in
  1853。　In　that　year　he　could　find　no　traces　whatever
  of　the　remains　of　the　MSS。　except　a　few　fragments
  of　Genesis；　and　returned　unsuccessful　and　disheartened。
  At　last；　he　once　more　took　a　journey
  to　the　monastery；　under　the　patronage　of　the
  Russian　Emperor；　who　was　popular　throughout　the
  East　as　the　protector　of　the　Oriental　Churches。
  Nothing　could　he　find；　however；　and　he　had
  ordered　his　Bedouins　to　get　ready　for　departure；
  when；　happening　to　have　taken　a　walk　with　the
  steward　of　the　house；　and　to　be　invited　into　his
  room；　in　the　course　of　conversation　the　steward
  said：　'I；　too；　have　read　a　Septuagint；'　and　produced
  out　of　a　wrapper　of　red　cloth；　'a　bulky
  kind　of　volume；'　which　turned　out　to　be　the　whole
  of　the　New　Testament；　with　the　Greek　text　of　the
  Epistle　of　Barnabas；　much　of　which　was　hitherto
  unknown；　and　the　greater　part　of　the　Old　Testament；
  all　parts　of　the　very　MSS。　which　had　so　long
  been　sought！　In　a　careless　tone　Tischendorf
  asked　if　he　might　have　it　in　his　room　for　further
  inspection；　and　that　night　（February　4…5；　1859）
  it　'seemed　impiety　to　sleep。'　By　the　next　morning
  the　Epistle　of　Barnabas　was　copied　out；　and　a
  course　of　action　was　settled。　Might　he　carry　the
  volume　to　Cairo　to　transcribe？　Yes；　if　the　Prior's
  leave　was　obtained；　but；　unluckily　the　Prior　had