We may indeed hope that even now some priceless lost work of early Greece may be recovered by the discovery of similar lead rolls to those which Cesnola found in Cyprus. _Gold amulets._ Some very beautiful little Greek manuscripts, written on thin plates of gold, have also been discovered at various places. The most remarkable of these were intended for amulets, and were rolled up in little gold or silver cylinders and worn round the neck during life. After death they were placed with the body in the tomb. Several of these, discovered in tombs in the district of Sybaris in Magna Graecia, are inscribed with fragments from the mystic Orphic hymns, and give directions to the soul as to what he will find and what he must do in the spirit-world. _Petelia tablet._ The most complete of these little gold manuscripts, usually known as the Petelia tablet, is preserved in the gem-room in the British Museum. The manuscript consists of thirteen hexameter lines written on a thin plate of pure gold measuring 1½ inches by 2-5/8 inches in width; it dates from the third century B.C.[2] In classical times, manuscripts were of two different forms; first, the _book_ form, [Greek: pinax], [Greek: pinakion] or [Greek: deltion], in Latin _codex_ (older spelling _caudex_); and secondly the roll, [Greek: kylindros], [Greek: biblos] or [Greek: biblion], Latin _volumen_[3]. _Waxed tablets._ _Manuscripts on tablets._ Both the Greeks and the Romans used very largely tablets ([Greek: pinakes], Lat. _tabulae_ or _cerae_) of wood covered with a thin coating of coloured wax, on which the writing was formed with a sharp-pointed _stilus_ ([Greek: graphis]) of wood, ivory or bronze. The wax was coloured either black or red in order that the writing scratched upon it might be clearly visible. The reverse end of the stilus was made flat or in the shape of a small ball so that it could be used to make corrections by smoothing out words or letters which had been erroneously scratched in the soft wax. _Waxed diptychs._ These tablets were commonly about ten to fourteen inches in length by about half that in width. The main surface of each tablet was sunk from 1/8 to 1/10 of an inch in depth to receive the wax layer, leaving a rim all round about the size of that round a modern school-boy's slate. The object of this was that two of these tablets might be placed together face to face without danger of rubbing and obliterating the writing on the wax, which was applied in a very thin coat, not more than 1/16 of an inch in thickness. As a rule these tablets were fastened together in pairs by stout loops of leather or cord. These double tablets were called by the Greeks [Greek: pinakes ptyktoi] or [Greek: diptycha] (from [Greek: dis] and [Greek: ptyssô]) and by the Romans _pugillares_ or _codicilli_. Homer (_Il._ VI. 168) mentions a letter written on folding tablets-- [Greek: poren d' ho ge sêmata lygra] [Greek: Grapsas en pinaki ptyktô.]