The first discovery of Greek papyri was made at Herculaneum in 1752. Papyrus, however, in the most ancient, periods was not the only pliable material used to write on which could be rolled on cylinders. Linen or cloth, which had been first treated with substances which filled the interstices and characteristic of our oil-cloth, the inner bark of certain trees, or in fact any material which would receive ink and roll around a cylinder was in vogue. This form of manuscript was later termed by the Romans rolles, to roll round, or more commonly volvere, to roll over. It is not certain, however, that this character of manuscript immediately superseded the tablet form of records inscribed on wood or metal. Noel Humphreys is one of several to suggest: "The reference to the 'pen of a ready writer,' mentioned in the Psalms of David (B. C. 1086- 1016) could scarcely be the sharp point, or stilus, by means of which characters were engraved upon wood or metal, but rather the calamus or juncas, used for writing with a dark fluid upon bark or linen. The word volume indeed occurs in Psalms xxxix., and these volumina or volumes must have been either rolls of leaves, or bark, or Egyptian papyrus." Some writers like Casley, Purcelli, Haygen, Calmet, and others, who also more or less discuss this subject, do not view it entirely the same. CHAPTER XXIX. ANCIENT INK BACKGROUNDS (PARCHMENT AND VELLUM). THE PERGAMUS LIBRARY COMPOSED PRINCIPALLY OF PARCHMENT VOLUMES--CAUSES WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUBSTITUTION OF PARCHMENT FOR PAPYRUS --ANECDOTE ABOUT EUMENES AND PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS-- INVENTION OF METHOD WHICH MADE SKINS AVAILABLE FOR FLUID INK WRITING--INTRODUCTION OF DRESSED SKINS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE MODERN FORM OF BOOKS--WHEN PARCHMENT AND VELLUM SUPERSEDED OTHER SUBSTANCES AS A GENERAL MATERIAL FOR WRITING UPON--MANUFACTURE OF BARK PAPER PREVIOUS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LINEN PAPER OF THE EAST--SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT CHINESE PAPER--ALLUSIONS OF CLASSICAL WRITERS TO INSCRIPTIONS ON SKINS AND DISCOVERY OF SPECIMENS--EMPLOYMENT OF PARCHMENT BY THE HEBREWS--OLD SCRIPTURAL MSS. DISCOVERED ON PARCHMENT--NAMES OF THE MOST VALUABLE NEW TESTAMENT CODICES--STORY OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE SINAITIC CODEX AS TOLD BY MADAN--ASSERTION OF SIMONIDES THAT HE FORGED IT--PAMLIMPSESTS THE LINK BETWEEN CLASSICAL TIMES AND THE MIDDLE AGES--OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THEM AND SOME DISCOVERIES OF THE MORE FAMOUS ONES--USE OF PAPYRUS, PARCHMENT AND VELLUM TOGETHER IN MSS. BOOKS--OBSERVATIONS BY THOMPSON--CHARACTER OF THE ROLLS AND RECORDS BELONGING TO EARLY PARLIAMENTARY TIMES IN ENGLAND--COMPARATIVE METHODS OF THEIR PREPARATION--MODES OF DEPOSITING AND CARRYING ANCIENT ENGLISH RECORDS --METHOD OF FINDING PARTICULAR DOCUMENTS-- THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HANDLED THE BOOKS OF THOSE EPOCHS--CITATIONS FROM KNIGHT'S "LIFE OF CAXTON"--REMARKS BY WARTON--EXPENSE ACCOUNT OF SIR JOHN HOWARD--METHODS OF THE TRANSCRIBERS AND LIMNERS OF THOSE TIMES--MODERN METHODS