Stray Thoughts About Books.

STRAY THOUGHTS ABOUT BOOKS .

Br DlAGOEAS . The inks used by the ancients consisted chiefly of soot , lamp-black , & c , in combination with various gums . This ink had a deep black shade , and was very durable , remaining fresh as long as the material written upon

endured ; but as it did not penetrate the substance of the paper or parchment , it was capable of easy and entire removal by erasure , and even by the application of a wet sponge . An immense number of manuscripts have been lost through the effects of damp or wet . Ink has deteriorated much in point of colour in modern

times , so that the colour of the ink forms a- poor guide to the age of any manuscript ; for some of the Saxon MSS . iu the British Museum , written about the 6 th century , are in a more perfect state of preservation and legibility than those of the 17 th and 18 th centuries . Yarious coloured inks were used by the ancients for

ornamental purposes . Some of the books in the 4 th century were written with golden ink , on purple parchment . The ancient manuscripts in form were different to our modern books . The sheets upon which the production was written were fastened end to end , and wound like our maps around a wooden cylinder , forming

a polumen or roll . The adaptation of the square form 'is traditionally ascribed to one of the Kings of Pergamos . Caesar folded his letters to the Senate like , a pocket-book , with distinct pages ; but before his time « uch documents had always been transmitted in the form of the colwnen . The paper was usualltoo thin

y to admit of being written on on both sides . Juvenal , ridiculing the authors of tedious productions , cites a traged }* - , which , although unfinished , occupied both sides and the margins of the paper . In some countries , as . among the Orientals , the writing proceeded from right to

left ; while amongst the northern and western nations a contrary practice prevailed . The Greeks followed both directions , writing the first line from right to left , and returning from left to right in the next line . The writing on a volumcn or roll was at first only divided into lines , and it was not until a long time after that

they were parcelled into words , while punctuation is a comparatively modern invention . Great care was , therefore , required to guard against errors ; and the Rabbis were so anxious to secure and perpetuate the purity of the sacred text , that they knew how many letters a book should contain . Certain formulas were fixed to

the beginning or end of a manuscript- —thus , at the end of Leviticus , Numbers , and other books , were the words " Be courageous . " Their falsification was attempted to be prevented by imprecations , as in the Apocalypse ; and the Mahomedans placed the sacred name of God as a protection at the beginning of all their books .

When bookbinding , as a distinct art , was first practised is unknown ; but its utility was appreciated at an early period . After the various skins or rolls were attached to each other , by artisans solely employed in pasting them together , they were given into the hands of a superior class of workmenfor the

pur-, pose of binding . A piece of strong parchment , sufficiently long to envelope the whole volumen when closed , was attached to the first skin ; the roll , when closed , being fastened with ribbons . This outer covering was usually coloured . Purple was the favourite colour , although the colour sometimes was adapted to the subject ; as a red

colour for the Iliad , as relating to war , and a blue for the Odgsseg , as relating to travels . The title , written sometimes in golden letters , on a finer piece of parchment , was affixed to the corner ; a knob or button terminated the

roll or cylinder , and on this much ornament was lavished . It was occasionally made of ivory , silver , or gold , and adorned with precious stones . This knob , shining prominently from the centre of the roll , gave the volumes an exceedingly brilliant appearance ; but ornaments like these were only found in the libraries of the wealthy .

From the end of the cylinders of the common volumes depended a piece of parchment , on which the title of the book aud the name of the author was inscribed . In the middle ages , bookbinding was a common employment amongst the monks , although there were also persons who specially employed themselves thus , and others who sold

only the covers . The most common binding was a piece of rough , whitesheepskin , pastedupon boards , and frequently overlapping the edges of the book . Books were sometimes bound by means of two or three fly-leaves of older , and not unfreqtiently more valuable manuscriiits . Several instances of this have been discovered . A gradual

improvement in binding took place , more care being taken in covering the boards with leather ; various devices being stamped upon it . Yelvet bindings do not occur till about the 14 th century ; the bindings of books about this time sometimes were of a highly ornamental and expensive descriptionbeing decorated with silvergold

, , , relies , and precious stones . The monks were frequently reproached for their extravagance in this respect . Some of the ornaments , such as crucifixes , were placed in a recess within the covers , which only opened on touching a spring . About the beginning of the 16 th century , the sides of books were lavishly ornamented , while the backs

were left plain and even unlettered . The practice of ornamenting manuscripts with drawings of figures , portraits , & c ., is veiy ancient ; Pliny says that it was a prevalent- custom amongst the Romans and Greeks during the first and second centuries . Illuminated manuscripts constitute some of the most valuable treasures of European librariesnot only an account of their own

, beauty , but from the information they afford concerning many manners and customs often otherwise buried in oblivion . The occupation of transcribing manuscripts , before the invention of printing , was of paramount importance , and gave employment to vast number of copyists . The scribes employed amongst the Jews , in

keeping the national records and transcribing the law , held a very honourable office , and it is questionable if they ever copied manuscripts for sale . The Jewish copyists were remarkable for regular and beautiful writing , but their labours have been chiefly confined to their own reliious books and genealogies . The Roman

g authors seldom wrote their own works , or even private letters , but dictated them to an educated slave or freedman . The copiyist , therefore , amongst the Romans was originally a servile officer , but many of them rose to wealth and power , especially under the emperors , when the librariias they were calledwere enrolled into a

, , company , with numerous privileges . They were employed at a fixed rate in the transcription of new works , or old ones whose reputation was established . A great trade in manuscripts was carried on at Alexandria , but Strabo complains of the errors and interpolations of the copyists .

GJSU . UA :. ' PKECEPT . —Honour the fathers of the state ; love thy country ; be religiously scrupulous in fulfilling '' all the duties of a good citizen ; consider that they are become peculiarly sacred by thy voluntary Masonic vow ; and that tbe violation of them , which ir . one not under such obligations would be weakness , would in thee be hypocrisy and criminality .