Among the other events contributing to the deplorable losses which mankind has sustained in this respect, a sad one was when the most ancient ink writings of the Chinese were ordered to be destroyed by their emperor Chee-Whange-Tee, in the third century before Christ, with the avowed purpose that everything should begin anew as from his reign. The small portion of them which escaped destruction were recovered and preserved by his successors. CHAPTER III. CLASSICAL INK AND ITS EXODUS. THE MATERIALS AND METHODS EMPLOYED IN PREPARING THE INK MSS. OF ANTIQUITY--THE INTRODUCTION OF PARCHMENT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PAPYRUS--MODE OF WRITING ON PARCHMENT--HOW SEPARATE PIECES WERE FIRST JOINED INTO BOOK FORM--EVIDENCE OF THE CHARACTER OF WRITING UTENSILS TO BE FOUND IN ANCIENT PICTURES--SOME FORMULAS BY THE YOUNGER PLINY AND HIS CONTEMPORARY DIOSCORIDES--HOW THE GREEKS AND ROMANS KEPT THEIR PAPYRI FROM BREAKING--WHEN BLACK INK BEGAN TO FALL INTO DISUSE AND ITS CAUSE--THE ADOPTION OF THE STYLUS AND ITS ACCOMPANYING SHEETS OF LEAD, IVORY, METAL AND WOOD COATED WITH WAX--THE EFFORTS MADE TO RESUME THE USE OF SOME INK WHICH WOULD BIND TO PARCHMENT--WHY THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL MSS. EXTANT BELONGING TO THE TIME OF CHRIST--THE INVENTION OF THE VITRIOLIC INKS--HUMPHREY'S BLUNDER IN LOCATING DATES OF EARLY GREEK MSS.--THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITIES OF HERCULANEUM AND POMPEII--AWAKENING OF INTEREST AGAIN ABOUT THE EMPLOYMENT OF INKS--REDISCOVERIES OF SOME OF THE MORE REMOTE ANCIENT RECIPES--THE WRITERS IN GOLD AND SILVER--RECORDED INSTANCES OF ILLUMINATED MSS.--PASSAGE FROM THE BOOK OF JOB WRITTEN BY ST. JEROME--DENIAL OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF TANNO- GALLATE OF IRON INK IN THE FOURTH CENTURY-- DESTRUCTION OF THE INSPIRED WRITINGS BY ORDER OF THE ROMAN SENATE--THE ECLIPSE OF CLASSICAL LITERATURE AND DISMEMBERMENT OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE--POEM ON THE THOUSAND YEARS KNOWN AS THE DARK AGES WHICH FOLLOWED.