The invention of letters, for spelling words, was of later date; and the writing of them was later still. The first writing was probably upon stone, and was used, doubtless, to record great events upon national monuments, as pyramids, obelisks, temples, and other structures. As the art grew more familiar, it was practised upon wood, ivory, metals, and leaves. The leaves of the _papyrus_, from which paper takes its name, afterwards came into use, and for a long time were employed for books, letters, &c., as we use paper. The papyrus is a water plant, the root being always immersed in water. It grows eight or ten feet high, with a stout naked stalk: the leaves are eight in number, sword-shaped, and two feet long. They grow abundantly along the marshy borders of the Nile, and in some parts of Sicily. It is still used in the countries where it grows, for sail-cloth and cordage, and sometimes for wearing apparel. Of the stems, closely woven together, basket-fashion, boats are made. The manufacture of the papyrus into paper appears to have been of ancient date. The skin of the leaves, only, was used. This, which was usually a foot wide, was taken off, by some process, and several layers were pressed together, having been dampened by the water of the Nile. Thus a texture as thick as parchment was formed. It was made into rolls, for books. The city of Alexandria, in Egypt, carried on a large manufacture of this kind of paper, and derived great wealth from it. The making of paper, from cotton and linen rags, did not supersede the papyrus paper till the eleventh century. Writing was the chief means by which knowledge could be recorded and diffused. Tradition could carry down events for a few generations, but these soon became blended with fictions; and with the destruction of a nation, its traditional records vanished. The art of writing, therefore, was clearly of the utmost importance; and the means of making it cheap and easy were cultivated with care. In the time of our Savior it had become very common, and well educated persons, throughout the vast extent of the Roman empire, were so far acquainted with it as to be able to write letters. Still, nine persons in ten could not write, and consequently, a class of persons, called scribes, made it their profession to write. These scribes were constantly applied to, to write letters and documents of various kinds. If a lover wished to address his mistress, he applied to the professed writers. This trade is still followed in countries where education is confined to a few persons.