forty centuries of ink- 第9部分

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；

　When　science　left　the　Athenian　city's　gate；

　To　seek　protection　from　a　nameless　fate？

　The　sluggish　sentry　sleptno　cry　was　heard

　No　hands　the　glimm'ring　watch…fire's　embers　stirr'd。

　Fair　science　unmolested　left　the　land；

　That　she　had　nurtured　with　maternal　hand；

　And　wandered　forth　some　genial　spot　to　find；

　Where　she　might　rear　her　altar　to　the　mind。

　〃Long　thro'　the　darken'd　ages　of　a　world；

　Back　to　primeval　chaos　rudely　hurled；

　She　journey'd　on　amid　the　gath'ring　gloom；

　A　spectre　form　emerging　from　the　tomb。

　Earth　had　no　resting　placeno　worshipper

　No　dove　returned　with　olive　branch　to　her：

　Her　lamp　burned　dimly；　yet　its　flick'ring　light；

　Guided　the　wanderer　thro'　the　lengthen'd　night。

　Oft　in　her　weary　search；　she　paused　the　while；

　To　catch　one　gleam　of　hopeone　favour'd　smile；

　But　the　dim　mists　of　ignorance　still　threw；

　Their　blighting　influence　o'er　the　famish'd　few；

　Who　deigned　to　look　upon　that　lustrous　eye；

　Which　pierced　the　ages　of　futurity。



　〃For　ten　long　centuries　she　groped　her　way；

　Through　gloom；　and　darkness；　ruin　and　decay；

　Yet　came　at　last　the　morning's　rosy　light；

　A　thousand　echoes　hail'd　the　glorious　sight

　Joy　thrill'd　the　universeone　iningled　cry

　Of　exultation；　pealed　along　the　sky！

　Science　came　forth　in　richer　robes　arrayed

　She　trod　a　pathway　ne'er　before　essayed；

　Up　the　steep　mount　of　fame　she　fleetly　pressed；

　And　hung　her　trophies　on　its　gilded　crest。〃







CHAPTER　IV。



CLASSICAL　INK　AND　ITS　EXODUS　（CONTINUED）。



DESTRUCTION　OF　THE　PERGAMUS　LIBRARY　OF　ALEXANDRIA

SOME　OBSERVATIONS　BY　SIR　THOMAS　ASTLE

COMPARISON　OF　HIS　STATEMENTS　WITH　THOSE　OF

PROFESSOR　ANTHON　RELATIVE　TO　FRAGMENTS　OF

ANTIQUITY　WHICH　REMAINAUTHENTICITY　OF

THEM　NOT　DISTURBED　IF　THEY　ARE　OF　PROPER　AGE

TAYLOR'S　VIEWS　ON　THIS　SUBJECT。



THE　storming　of　Alexandria　and　the　destruction　of

the　Pergamus　library；　composed　largely　of　ink…written

volumes；　by　the　Saracens；　A。　D。　642；　has　already　been

reverted　to。　Astle　observes：



〃Thus　perished　by　fanatical　madness；　the　inestimable

Alexandrian　library；　which　is　said　to　have

contained　at　that　time　upwards　of　five　hundred

thousand　volumes；　and　from　this　period；　barbarity

and　ignorance　prevailed　for　several　centuries。　In

Italy　and　all　over　the　west　of　Europe　learning　was

in　a　measure　extinguished；　except　some　small　remains

which　were　preserved　in　Constantinople。



〃Theodosious；　the　younger；　was　very　assiduous

in　augmenting　this　library；　by　whom；　in　the　latter

end　of　the　fourth　century；　it　was　enlarged　to　one

hundred　thousand　volumes；　above　one…half　of

which　were　burnt　in　the　fifth　century　by　the　Emperor

Leo　the　First；　so　famous　for　his　hatred　to

images。



〃The　inhabitants　of　Constantinople　had　not　lost

their　taste　for　literature　in　the　beginning　of　the

thirteenth　century；　when　this　city　was　sacked　by

the　Crusaders；　in　the　year　1205；　the　depredations

then　committed　are　related　in　Mr。　Harris's　posthumous

works；　vol。　ii；　p。　301；　from　Nicetas　the

Choniate；　who　was　present　at　the　sacking　of　this

place。　His　account　of　the　statues；　bustos；　bronzes；

manuscripts；　and　other　exquisite　remains

of　antiquity；　which　then　perished；　cannot　be　read

by　any　lover　of　arts　and　learning　without　emotion。



〃The　ravages　committed　by　the　Turks　who

plundered　Constantinople；　in　the　year　1453；　are

related　by　Philelphus；　who　was　a　man　of　learning；

and　was　tutor　to　aeneas　Sylvius　（afterwards　pope；

under　the　name　of　Pius　the　Second）　and　was　an

eye…witness　to　what　passed　at　that　time。　This

tutor　says；　that　the　persons　of　quality；　especially

the　women；　still　preserved　the　Greek　language

uncorrupted。　He　observes；　that　though　the　city

had　been　taken　before；　it　never　suffered　so　much

as　at　that　time；　and　adds；　that；　till　that　period；

the　remembrance　of　ancient　wisdom　remained　at

Constantinople；　and　that　no　one　among　the　Latins

was　deemed　sufficiently　learned；　who　had　riot

studied　for　some　time　at　that　place；　he　expressed

his　fear　that　all　the　works　of　the　ancients　would

be　destroyed。



〃Still；　however；　there　are　the　remains　of　three

libraries　at　Constantinople：　the　first　is　called　that

of　Constantine　the　Great；　the　second　is　for　all

ranks　of　people　without　distinction；　the　third　is　in

the　palace；　and　is　called　the　Ottoman　library；　but

a　fire　consumed　a　great　part　of　the　palace；　and

almost　the　whole　library；　when　as　is　supposed；

Livy　and　a　great　many　valuable　works　of　the　ancients

perished。　Father　Possevius　has　given　an

account　of　the　libraries　at　Constantinople；　and　in

other　parts　of　the　Turkish　dominions；　in　his　excellent

work　entitled；　Apparatus　Sacer。　（He　calls

attention　to　no　less　than　six　thousand　authors。）



Many　other　losses　of　the　writings　of　the　ancients

have　been　attributed　to　the　zeal　of　the　Christians；

who　at　different　periods　made　great　havock

amongst　the　Heathen　authors。　Not　a　single　copy

of　the　work　of　Celsus　is　now　to　be　found；　and

what　we　know　of　that　work　is　from　Origen；　his

opponent。　The　venerable　fathers；　who　employed

themselves　in　erasing　the　best　works　of　the　most

eminent　Greek　or　Latin　authors；　in　order　to　transcribe

the　lives　of　saints　or　legendary　tales　upon　the

obliterated　vellum；　possible　mistook　these　lamentable

depredations　for　works　of　piety。　The　ancient

fragment　of　the　91st　book　of　Livy；　discovered　by

Mr。　Bruns；　in　the　Vatican；　in　1772；　was　much　defaced

by　the　pious　labours　of　some　well…intentioned

divine。　The　Monks　made　war　on　books　as　the

Goths　had　done　before　them。　Great　numbers　of

manuscripts　have　also　been　destroyed　in　this　kingdom

（Great　Britain）　by　its　invaders；　the　Pagan

Danes；　and　the　Normans；　by　the　civil　commotions

raised　by　the　barons；　by　the　bloody　contests　between

the　houses　of　York　and　Lancaster；　and　especially

by　the　general　plunder　and　devastations　of　monasteries

and　religious　houses　in　the　reign　of　Henry

the　Eighth；　by　the　ravages　committed　in　the　civil

war　in　the　time　of　Charles　the　First；　and　by　the

fire　that　happened　in　the　Cottonian　library；　October

23；　1731。〃



Mr。　Astle's　comments　on　the　volumes　or　remnants

of　volumes　which　remain　to　us；　becomes　most　interesting

in　the　lights　thrown　on　them　by　Professor

Anthon　in　his　〃Classical　Dictionary；〃　1841；　which　are

quoted　in　part　following　those　of　Mr。　Astle。



Mr。　Astle　remarks：



〃The　history　of　Phoenicia　by　Sanconiatho；　who

was　a　contemporary　with　Solomon；　would　have

been　entirely　lost　to　us；　had　it　not　been　for　the

valuable　fragments　preserved　by　Eusebius。〃



Says　Prof。　Anthon：



〃Sanchoniathon；　a　Phoenician　author；　who　if　the

fragments　of　his　works　that　have　reached　us　be

genuine；　and　if　such　a　person　ever　existed；　must

be　regarded　as　the　most　ancient　writer　of　whom　we

have　any　knowledge　after　Moses。　As　to　the　period

when　be　flourished；　all　is　uncertain。　He　is　the

author　of　three　principal　works；　which　were　written

in　Phoenician。　They　were　translated　into　the　Greek

language　by　Herennius　Philo；　who　lived　in　the

second　century　of　our　era。　It　is　from　this　translation

which　we　obtain　all　the　fragments　of　Sanchoniathon

that　have　reached　our　times。　Philo　had

divided　his　translation　into　nine　books；　of　which

Porphyry　made　use　in　his　diatribe　against　the　Christians。

It　is　from　the　fourth　book　of　this　lost　work

that　Eusebius　took；　for　an　end　directly　opposite　to

this；　the　passages　which　have　come　down　to　us。

And　thus　we　have　those　documents　relating　to　the

mythology　and　history　of　the　Phoenicians　from　the

fourth　hand。〃



Mr。　Astle　continues：



〃Manetho's　History　of　Egypt；　and　the　History

of　Chaldea；　by　Berosus；　have　nearly　met　with　the

same　fate。〃



From　Anthon：



〃Berosus；　a　Babylonian　historian。　He　was　a

priest　of　the　temple　of　Belus　in　the　time　of　Alexander。

The　ancients　mention　three　books　of　his

of　which　Josephus　and　Eusebius　have　preserved

fragments。　Annius　of　Viterbo　published　a　work

under　the　name　of　Berosus；　which　was　soon　discovered

to　be　a　forgery。〃



By　Astle：



〃The　Historical　Library　of　Diodorus　Siculus　consisted

likewise　of　forty　books；　but　only　fifteen　are

now　extant；　that　is；　five　between　the　fifth　and　the

eleventh；　and　the　last　ten；　with　some　fragments

collected　out　of　Photius　and　others。〃



By　Anthon：



〃Diodorus；　surnamed　Siculus；　a　contemporary

of　Julius　Caesar　and　Agustus。　He　published　a

general　history　in　forty　books；　under　the　title

'Historical　Library；'　which　covered　a　period　of

1138　years。　We　have　only　a　small　part　remaining

of　this　vast　compilation。　These　rescued　portions

we　owe　to　Eusebius；　to　John　Malala　and　other

writers　of　the　lower　empire；　who　have　cited　them

in　the　course　of　their　works。　He　is　the　reputed

author　of　the　famous　sophism　against　motion。　'If

any　body　be　moved；　it　is　moved　in　t