forty centuries of ink-第5章

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them　by　all　means　to　keep　them　sacred；　immediately

vanished。　Two　of　the　nobility　were　presently

after　chosen　to　be　the　keepers　of　these　oracles；

which　were　laid　up　with　all　imaginable　care　in　the

Capitol；　in　a　chest　under　ground。　They　could　not

be　consulted　without　a　special　order　of　the　Senate；

which　was　never　granted；　unless　upon　the　receiving

of　some　notable　defeat；　upon　the　rising　of　any

considerable　mutiny；　or　sedition　in　the　State；　or

upon　some　other　extraordinary　occasion；　several　of

which　we　meet　with　in　Livy。〃



Some　of　the　ancient　historians　even　sought　to　be

misleading　respecting　the　events　not　only　of　their　own

times；　but　of　epochs　which　preceded　them。　Richardson；

in　his　〃Dissertation　on　Ancient　History　and　Mythology；〃

published　in　1778；　remarks：



〃The　information　received　hitherto　has　been　almost

entirely　derived　through　the　medium　of　the

Grecian　writers；　whose　elegance　of　taste；　harmony

of　language；　and　fine　arrangement　of　ideas；　have

captivated　the　imagination；　misled　the　judgment；

and　stamped　with　the　dignified　title　of　history；　the

amusing　excursions　of　fanciful　romance。　Too

proud　to　consider　surrounding　nations；　（if　the　Eyptians

may　be　excepted）　in　any　light　but　that　of

barbarians；　they　despised　their　records；　they　altered

their　language；　and　framed　too　often　their

details；　more　to　the　prejudices　of　their　fellow　citizens；

than　to　the　standard　of　truth　or　probability。

We　have　names　of　Persian　kings；　which　a　Persian

could　not　pronounce；　we　have　facts　related　they

apparently　never　knew；　and　we　have　customs

ascribed　to　them；　which　contradict　every　distinguishing

characteristic　of　an　Eastern　people。　The

story　of　Lysimachus　and　one　Greek　historian　may

indeed；　with　justice；　be　applied　to　many　others。

This　prince；　in　the　partition　of　Alexander's　empire；

became　King　of　Thrace：　he　had　been　one　of　the

most　active　of　that　conqueror's　commanders；　and

was　present　at　every　event　which　deserved　the

attention　of　history。　A　Grecian　had　written　an

account　of　the　Persian　conquest；　and　be　wished　to

read　it　before　the　king。　The　monarch　listened

with　equal　attention　and　wonder：　'All　this　is　very

fine；'　says　he；　when　the　historian　had　finished；

'but　where　was　I　when　those　things　were　performed？'　〃







CHAPTER　II。



ANTIQUITY　OF　INK。



THE　INVENTION　OF　THE　ART　OF　WRITINGTO　WHOM

IT　BELONGSITS　UTILIZATION　BY　NATIONS　AND

INDIVIDUALSWHEN　IT　IS　FIRST　MENTIONED　IN　THE

BIBLECITATIONS　FROM　THE　ENCYCLOPaeDIA　BRITANNICA

AND　SMITHS　DICTIONARY　OF　THE　BIBLESOME

REMARKS　BY　HUMPHREYS　OF　THE　ORIGIN　AND　PROGRESS

OF　HANDWRITINGCOMMENTS　BY　PLATO　AND

THE　COLLOQUY　BETWEEN　KING　THAMUS　AND　THOTH；

THE　EGYPTIAN　GOD　OF　THE　LIBERAL　ARTSFIRST

APPEARANCE　OF　INK　WRITTEN　ROLLSDESTRUCTION

OF　THE　TEMPLES　WHICH　CONTAINED　THEMCOMMENTS

OF　THE　HISTORIAN　ROLLINSDESTRUCTION

OF　THE　MOST　ANCIENT　CHINESE　INK　WRITTEN　MSS。



THERE　is　a　difference　of　opinion　as　to　what　nation

belongs　the　honor　of　the　invention　of　the　art　of

handwriting。　Sir　Isaac　Newton　observes：



〃There　is　the　utmost　uncertainty　in　the　chronology

of　ancient　kingdoms；　arising　from　the　vanity

of　each　claiming　the　greatest　antiquity；　while　those

pretensions　were　favoured　by　their　having　no　exact

account　of　time。〃



Its　antiquity　has　been　exhaustively　treated　by　many

writers；　the　best　known　are　Massey；　1763；　The　Origin

and　Progress　of　Letters；〃　Astle；　1803；　〃The　Origin

and　Progress　of　Writing；〃　Silvestre；　〃Universal

Palaeography；〃　Paris；　1839…41　；　and　Humphreys；　1855；

〃The　Origin　and　Progress　of　the　Art　of　Writing。〃

They；　with　others；　have　sought　to　record　the　origin

and　gradual　development　of　the　art　of　writing　from

the　Egyptian　Hieroglyphics　of　4000　B。　C。；　the　Chinese

Figurative；　3000　B。　C。　；　Indian　Alphabetic；　2000　or

more　B。　C。　；　the　Babylonian　or　Cuneiform；　2000

years　B。　C。；　and　the　Phoenician　in　which　they　include

the　Hebrew　or　Samaritan　Alphabet；　2000　or　more

B。　C。；　down　to　the　writings　of　the　new　or　Western

world　of　the　Christian　era。



The　data　presented　and　the　arguments　set　forth；

deserve　profound　respect；　and　though　we　find　some

favoring　the　Egyptians；　or　the　Phoenicians；　the　Chaldeans；

the　Syrians；　the　Indians；　the　Persians　or　the

Arabians；　it　is　best　to　accept　the　concensus　of　their

opinion；　which　seems　to　divide　between　the　Phoenicians

and　the　Egyptians　as　being　the　inventors　of　the

foremost　of　all　the　arts。　〃For；　in　Phoenicia；　had

lived　Taaut　or　Thoth　the　first　Hermes；　its　inventor；

and　who　later　carried　his　art　into　Egypt　where　they

first　wrote　in　pictures；　some　2200　years　B。　C。〃



The　art　appears　to　have　been　first　exercised　in

Greece　and　the　West　about　1500　or　1800　B。　C。；　and

like　all　arts；　it　was　doubtless　slow　and　progressive。

The　Greeks　refer　the　invention　of　written　letters　to

Cadmus；　merely　because　he　introduced　them　from

Phoenicia；　then　only　sixteen　in　number。　To　these；

four　more　were　added　by　Simonides。　Evander　brought

letters　into　Latium　from　Greece；　the　Latin　letters　being

at　first　nearly　the　same　form　as　the　Greek。　The　Romans

employed　a　device　of　scattering　green　sand　upon　tables；

for　the　teaching　of　arithmetic　and　writing；　and　in　India

a　〃sand　box〃　consisting　of　a　surface　of　sand　laid　on　a

board　the　finger　being　utilized　to　trace　forms；　was　the

method　followed　by　the　natives　to　teach　their　children。

It　is　said　that　such　methods　still　obtain　even　in　this

age；　in　some　rural　districts　of　England。



After　the　invention　of　writing　well…informed　nations

and　individuals　kept　scribes　or　chroniclers　to　record　in

writing；　historical　and　other　events；　mingled　with　claims

of　antiquity　based　on　popular　legends。



These　individuals　were　not　always　held　in　the　highest

esteem。　Among　the　Hebrews　it　was　considered　an

honorable　vocation；　while　the　Greeks　for　a　long　time

treated　its　practitioners　as　outcasts。　It　was　an　accomplishment

possessed　by　the　few　even　down　to　the　fifteenth

century　of　the　Christian　era。　The　rulers　of

the　different　countries　were　deficient　in　the　art　and

depended　on　others　to　write　their　documents　and　letters

to　which　they　appended　their　monogram　or　the

sign　of　the　Cross　against　their　names　as　an　attestation。

So　late　as　A。　D。　1516　an　order　was　made　in　London　to

examine　all　persons　who　could　write　in　order　to　discover

the　authorship　of　a　seditious　document。



The　art　of　writing　is　not　mentioned　in　the　Bible

prior　to　the　time　of　Moses；　although　as　before　stated；

in　Egypt　and　the　countries　adjacent　thereto　it　was　not

only　known　but　practiced。



Its　first　mention　recorded　in　Scripture　will　be　found

in　Exodus　xvii。　v。　14；　〃And　the　Lord　said　unto

Moses；　Write　this；　for　a　memorial；　in　a　book；　and

rehearse　it　in　the　ear　of　Joshua；　for　I　will　utterly　put

out　the　remembrance　of　Amalek　from　under　heaven。〃

This　command　was　given　immediately　after　the　defeat

of　the　Amalekites　near　Horeb；　and　before　the　arrival

of　the　Israelites　at　Mount　Sinai。



It　is　observable；　that　there　is　not　the　least　hint　to

induce　us　to　believe　that　writing　was　then　newly　invented；

on　the　contrary；　we　may　conclude；　that　Moses

understood　what　was　meant　by　writing　in　a　book；

otherwise　God　would　have　instructed　him；　as　he　had

done　Noah　in　building　the　Ark；　for　he　would　not　have

been　commanded　to　write　in　a　book；　if　he　had　been

ignorant　of　the　art　of　writing；　but　Moses　expressed

no　difficulty　of　comprehension　when　he　received　this

command。　We　also　find　that　Moses　wrote　all　the

works　and　all　the　judgments　of　the　Lord；　contained

in　the　twenty…first　and　the　two　succeeding　chapters　of

the　book　of　Exodus；　before　the　two　written　tables　of

stone　were　even　so　much　as　promised。　The　delivery

of　the　tables　is　not　mentioned　till　the　eighteenth　verse

of　the　thirty…first　chapter；　after　God　had　made　an

end　of　communing　with　him　upon　the　mount；　though

the　ten　commandments　were　promulgated　immediately

after　his　third　descent。



Moses　makes