§391. Writing the Letters.--The extensive correspondence carried on by every Roman of position (§379) made it impossible for him to write any but the most important of his letters or those to his dearest friends with his own hand. The place of the stenographer and writing machine of to-day was taken by slaves or freedmen, often highly educated (§154), who wrote at his dictation. Such slaves were called in general terms _librāriī_, more accurately _servī ab epistolīs_, _servī ā manū_, or _āmanuēnsēs_. Notes and short letters were written on tablets (_tabellae_, Fig. 24, §110) of firwood or ivory of various sizes, often fastened together in sets of two or more by wire hinges (_codicillī_, _pugillārēs_, Fig. 186). The inner faces were slightly hollowed out and the depression was nearly filled with wax, so as to leave merely a raised rim about the edges, much like the frame of an old-fashioned slate. Upon the wax the letters were traced with an ivory or metal tool (_stilus_, _graphium_) with one end pointed, like a pencil, for writing, and the other made broad and flat, like a paper cutter, for smoothing the wax (Fig. 187). With the flat end mistakes could be corrected or the whole letter erased and the tablets used again, often for the reply to the letter itself. For longer communications the Romans used a coarse paper (_papyrus_), the making of which will be described below. Upon it they wrote with pens made of split reeds and with a thick ink made of soot (lampblack) mixed with resinous gums. Paper, pens, and ink were so poor that the bulky and awkward tablets were used by preference for all but the longest letters. Parchment did not come into general use until the fourth or fifth century of our era. §392. Sealing and Opening the Letters.--For sealing the letter thread (_līnum_), wax (_cēra_), and a seal (_sīgnum_) were necessary. The seal (§255) not only secured the letter against improper inspection, but also attested the genuineness of those written by the _librariī_, as autograph signatures seem not to have been thought of. The tablets having been put together face to face with the writing on the inside, the thread was passed around them and through small holes bored through them, and was then securely tied. Upon the knot softened wax was dropped and to this the seal was applied. Letters written on sheets of paper (_schedae_) were rolled longitudinally and then secured in the same way. On the outside was written the name of the person addressed with perhaps the place where he was to be found if the letter was not sent by a special messenger. When the letter was opened care was taken not to break the seal, the cutting of the thread giving access to the contents. If the letter was preserved the seal was kept attached to it in order to attest its authenticity. Cicero describes the opening of a letter in the tenth paragraph of the Third Oration against Catiline. [Illustration: FIGURE 188. FRAGMENT OF PAPYRUS ROLL FROM HERCULANEUM]