Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.Carvalho, David Nunes
History
Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.
Carvalho, David Nunes
Ink
"There are besides in Sir Gore Ouseley's collection
1,100 most beautiful books of Persian and
Indian paintings, portraits of the Emperors of
Hindustan from Sultan Baber down to Bahudur
Shah, finely colored drawings of natural history,
and curious designs of fancy, with specimens of
fine penmanship in the different kinds of Arabic
and Persian characters. Several Sanscrit manuscripts,
highly ornamented and richly illumined,
some of them written in letters of gold and silver
on a black ground. Many of them illustrated with
the neatest miniature paintings of the Hindu gods
and saints. Two Korans, the letters entirely of
gold, with the vowel points in black. The two
versions of Pilpais or Bedpai's fables, by Hussein
Vaiz and Abulfazl, illustrated with upwards of 700
highly finished miniatures; the best historical
works in the Persian language, finely written, and
in high preservation."
The high regard with which the writers of MSS. in
ancient Persia were viewed may be learned among
other things from the following anecdote:
One of the most eminent among them was in his
walks solicited by a beggar for alms. "Money," he
replied, "I have none," but taking his pen and ink
from his girdle, which are the insignia of the profession
(without which they never went abroad), he took
a piece of paper, and wrote some word or other upon
it. The poor man received it with gratitude, and sold
it to the first wealthy person he met for a golden
mohur, in value about $2.50.
"Is not this a lamentable thing, that of the skin of
an innocent lamb should be made Parchment?
that Parchment being scribbled o'er should
undo a man?"
--2 King Henry VI, iv, 2.
The Boston News Letter, 1769, announces:
"The belleart will go through Boston before the
end of next month, to collect rags for the paper
mill at Milton, when all people that will encourage
the paper manufactory may dispose of them."
"Rags are as beauties, which concealed lie,
But when in paper how it charms the eye;
Pray save your rags, new beauties it discover,
For paper truly every one's a lover:
By the pen and press such knowledge is displayed,
As wouldn't exist, if paper was not made.
Wisdom of things, mysterious, divine,
Illustriously doth on paper shine."
Gen. Walter Martin, proprietor of the township of
Martinsburg, Lewis county, N. Y., erected a paper-mill,
which was run by John Clark & Co. This was
in 1807. They gave notice that rags would be received
at the principal stores in Upper Canada and
the Black river country, which (like many of the
advertisements of the early papermakers, both in
England and America), was accompanied by a poetic
address to the ladies, one stanza of which ran thus:
Sweet ladies pray be not offended,
Nor mind the jests of sneering wags;
No harm, believe us, is intended,
When humbly we request your rags."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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