Forty Centuries of Ink Part 9

CHAPTER X.

RENAISSANCE INK.

INK OF GRAY COLOR BELONGING TO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY AND ITS CAUSES--INFLUENCE OF THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH RESPECTING INK DURING THE DARK AGES--THE REFORMATION AND HOW IT AFFECTED MEDIAEVAL MSS.--REMARKS OF BALE ABOUT THEIR DESTRUCTION-- QUAINT INK RECEIPT OF 1602--SELECTION FROM THE TWELFTH NIGHT RELATING TO PEN AND INK--GENERAL CONDITIONS WHICH OBTAINED UNTIL 1626--THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AWARDS AN INK CONTRACT IN THAT YEAR--OTHER GOVERNMENTS ADOPT THE FRENCH FORMULA--INKS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ALMOST PERFECT IN THEIR COLOR PHENOMENA-- NO ADDED COLOR EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE.

THE gray color of most of the inks found on doc.u.ments written in the sixteenth century is a noteworthy fact. Whence its cause is a matter for considerable speculation. The majority of these inks unquestionably belong to the "gall" cla.s.s and if prepared after the formulas utilized in preceding centuries should indicate like color phenomena. As these same peculiarities exist on both paper, vellum and parchment, it cannot be attributed to their use.

Investigations in many instances of the writings indicate the exercise of a more rapid pen movement and a consequent employment of inks of greater fluidity than those of an earlier history. Such fluidity could only be obtained by a reduction of the quant.i.ty of gummy vehicles together with an increase of ink acidity. The acids which had theretofore been more or less introduced into inks, except oxalic acid, could not effect such results. Consequently, as the monuments of this gray ink phenomena are to be found belonging to all the portions of the Christian world, with a uniformity that is certainly remarkable, it becomes a fair deduction to a.s.sume that the making of inks bad pa.s.sed into the hands of regular manufacturers who adulterated them with "added" color.

We can well believe that the influences which the fathers of the Church exerted during the thousand years known as the "Dark Ages," in respect to ink and kindred subjects, must have been very great.

That they endeavored to perpetuate for the benefit of succeeding generations in book and other forms, this kind of information, which they distributed throughout the world we know to be true. Most of these sources of ink information, however, gradually disappeared as const.i.tuting a series of sad events in the unhappy war which followed their preparation.

The Reformation began in Germany in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, and with it the eighty years of continual religious warfare which followed. During this period the priceless MSS. books of information, historical, literary and otherwise, contained in the monastic libraries outside of Italy were burnt.

We are told:

"In England cupidity and intolerance destroyed recklessly. Thus, after the dissolution of monastic establishments, persons were appointed to search out all missals, books of legends, and such 'superst.i.tious books' and to destroy or sell them for waste paper; reserving only their bindings, when, as was frequently the case, they were ornamented with ma.s.sive gold and silver, curiously chased, and often further enriched with precious stones; and so industriously had these men done their work, destroying all books in which they considered popish tendencies to be shown by illumination, the use of red letters, or of the Cross, or even by the--to them --mysterious diagrams of mathematical problems-- that when, some years later, Leland was appointed to examine the monastic libraries, with a view to the preservation of what was valuable in them, he found that those who had preceded him had left little to reward his search."

Bale, himself an advocate for the dissolution of monasteries, says:

"Never had we bene offended for the losse of our lybraryes beyng so many in nombre and in so desolute places for the moste parte, yf the chief monuments and moste notable workes of our excellent wryters had bene reserved, yf there had bene in every shyre of Englande but one solemyne lybrary for the preservacyon of those n.o.ble workes, and preferrments of good learnyuges in our posteryte it had bene yet somewhat. But to destroye all without consyderacyon is and wyll be unto Englande for ever a most horryble infamy amonge the grave senyours of other natyons. A grete nombre of them wych purchased of those superstycyose mansyons reserved of those lybrarye bokes, some to serve theyr jaks, some to scoure theyr candelstyckes, and some to rubb theyr bootes . some they solde to the grossers and sope sellers, and some they sent over see to the bokebynders, not in small nombre, but at tymes whole shippesful. I knowa merchant man, whyche shall at thys tyme be namelesse, that boughte the content-, of two n.o.ble lybraryes for xl shyllyngs pryce, a shame it is to be spoken. Thys stuffe hathe he occupyed in the stide of greve paper for the s.p.a.ce of more than these ten years, and yet hathe store ynough for as many years to come. A prodyguous example is thys, and to be abhorred of all men who love theyr n atyon as they shoulde do."

Pa.s.sing to later epochs, A. D. 1602, the following quaint receipt proves interesting as showing that the "gall" inks were well known at that time:

"To make common Ink, of Wine take a quart, Two ounces of Gumme, let that be a part; Five ounces of Galls, of Cop'res take three, Long standing doth make it the better to be; If Wine ye do want, raine water is best, And then as much stuffe as above at the least, If the Ink be too thick, put Vinegar in, For water doth make the colour more dimme."

Shakespeare in his Twelfth Night III, 2, has also referred to them in the following amusing strain:

"Go write it in a martial hand; be curst and brief; it is no matter how witty, so it be eloquent, and full of invention; taunt him with the license of ink; if thou thou'st him thrice, it shall nor be amiss; and as many lies as will lie on a sheet of paper, although the sheet were big enough for the bed of Ware in England, set 'em down; go, about it. Let there be gall enough in thy ink, though thou write with a goose pen, no matter: about it."

The general black ink conditions for a period of at least three hundred years, if we exclude the sixteenth century, had been but repet.i.tions of each other.

They so remained until the year 1626, when the French government concluded an arrangement with a chemist by the name of Guyot, for the manufacture of a "gall" ink WITHOUT added color and which thereby guaranteed and insured more sameness in respect to desirable ink qualities. That government with a few modifications relative to the proportions of ingredients continued its employment, which was followed by the contemporaneous writers. Other governments later partially adopted the French formulas while some of them gave the matter no attention, although their records and those of the cities or towns not only of Europe but early America, the United States and Canada are found in most instances to have been written with an ink of this character.

Where prior to 1850, inks containing a different base (with the single exception of indigo) were used, they have either disappeared or nearly so and it is not an infrequent occurrence among those who are accustomed to examine old records to find that signatures or dates to valuable instruments, pages of writings and indeed sometimes the writings in an entire book are more or less obliterated.

The black inks of a large portion of the seventeenth century, on doc.u.ments of every kind, are found to be nearly perfect as to color conditions, which is evidence of the extreme care used in their preparation and the exclusion of "added" color in ink manufacture.

CHAPTER XI.

ANCIENT INK TREATISES.

INK TREATISES OF THE FIFTEENTH, SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES--JOHN BAPTISTA PORTA AUTHOR OF THE FIRST--SECRET INKS---NERI, CANEPARIUS, BOREL, MERRET, KUNCKEL AND OTHER AUTHORS WHO REFER TO INK MANUFACTURE--PROGRESS OF THE ART OF HANDWRITING ILl.u.s.tRATED IN THE NAMES OF OVER A HUNDRED CALLIGRAPHERS CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.

THE literature of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries on the subject of black and colored ink formulas, secret inks, etc., is both diversified and of considerable importance. The following authors and citations are deemed the most noteworthy:

John Baptista Porta, of Naples, born A. D. 1445 and died A. D. 1515, is best known as the inventor of the "camera obscuro;" was also the author of many MSS. books compiled; he says,

"As the results of discussions of long years held at my own house which is known as de Secreti, and into which none can enter unless he claim to be an inventor of new discoveries."

Two of these treatises which were extant in the first half of the seventeenth century, dated respectively 1481 and 1483, dwell at great length on SECRET inks and specifically mention as translated into the English of the time "sowre galls in white wine," and "vitriol;" repeating Italian formulas pertaining to the "Secreta" of the twelfth century.

About secret ink he tells us:

"There are many and almost infinite ways to write things of necessity, that the Characters shall not be seen, unless you dip them into waters, or put them near the fire, or rub them with dust, or smeer them over.

"Let Vitriol soak in Boyling water: when it is dissolved, strain it so long till the water grow clear: with that liquor write upon paper: when they are dry they are not seen. Moreover, grinde burnt straw and Vinegar: and what you will write in the s.p.a.ces between the former lines, describe at large.

Then boyl sowre Galls in white Wine, wet a spunge in the liquor: and when you have need, wipe it upon the paper gently, and wet the letters so long until the native black colour disappear, but the former colour, that was not seen, will be made apparent. Now I will show in what liquors paper must be soaked to make letters to be seen. As I said, Dissolve Vitriol in water: then powder Galls finely, and soak them in water: let them stay there twenty-four hours: filtre them through a linen cloth, or something else, that may make the water clear, and make letters upon the paper that you desire to have concealed: send it to your Friend absent: when you would have them appear, dip them in the first liquor, and the letters will presently be seen.

If you write with the juice of Citrons, Oranges, Onyons, or almost any sharp things, if you make it hot at the fire, their acrimony is presently discovered: for they are undigested juices, whereas they are detected by the heat of the fire, and then they show forth those colours that they would show if they were ripe. If you write with a sowre Grape that would be black, or with Cervices; when you hold them to the fire they are concocted, and will give the same colour they would in due time give upon the tree, when they were ripe. Juice of Cherries, added to Calamus, will make a green: to sow- bread a red: so divers juices of Fruits will show divers colours by the fire. By these means Maids sending and receiving love-letters, escape from those that have charge of them. There is also a kind of Salt called Ammoniac: this powdered and mingled with water, will write white letters, and can hardly be distinguished from the paper, but hold them to the fire, and they will shew black."

With respect to the preparation of black and colored inks and also colors: Antonio Neri, an Italian author and chemist who lived in the sixteenth century, in his treatise seems not only to have laid the foundation for most of the receipts called attention to by later writers during the two hundred years which followed, but to have been the very first to specify a proper "gall" ink and its formula, as the most worthy of notice.

Pietro Caneparius, a physician and writer of Venice, A. D. 1612, in his work De Atrametis, gives a more extensive view about the preparation and composition of inks and adopts all that Neri had given, though he never quotes his name, and adds--"hitherto published by no one." He does however mention many valuable particulars which were omitted by Neri. Most of his receipts are about gold, silver and nondescript inks, with directions for making a great variety for secret writing and defacing. This book revised and enlarged was republished in London, 1660.

In 1653 Peter Borel, who was physician to Louis XIV, King, of France published his "Bibliotheca Chemica," which contains a large number of ink receipts, two of which may be characterized as "iron and gall" ones. They possess value on account of the relative proportions indicated between the two chemicals. The colored ones, including gold, silver and sympathetic inks are mostly repet.i.tions of those of Neri and Caneparius. The French writers, though, speak of his researches in chemistry as "somewhat credulous."

Christopher Merret, an English physician and naturalist, born A. D. 1614, translated Neri into our language in 1654, with many notes of his own about him; his observations have added nothing of value to the chemistry of inks.

Johann Kunckel, a noted German chemist and writer in 1657, republished in the German language Neri's work with Merret's notes, and his own observations on both. He also inserted many other processes as the result of considerable research and seems to have been thoroughly conversant with the chemistry of inks, advocating especially the value and employment of a tanno-gallate of iron ink for record purposes.

Salmon, A. D. 1665, in his Polygraphics, proceeds to give instructions relative to inks which notwithstanding their merit are confounded with so many absurdities as to lessen their value for those who were unable to separate truth from falsehood; but he nevertheless dwells on the virtues of the "gall" inks.

Jacques Lemort, a Dutch chemist of some note, issued a treatise, A. D. 1669, on "Ink Formulas and Colors," seemingly selected from the books of those who had preceded him. He expresses the opinion that the "gall" inks if properly compounded would give beneficial results.

Formulas for making inks are found tucked away in some of the very old literature treating of "curious"

things. One of them which appeared in 1669 directs: "to strain out the best quality of iron employ old and rusty nails;" another one says, that the ink when made is to remain in an open vessel "for thirty days and thirty nights, before putting it in a parchment bag."

An English compendium of ink formulas, published in 1693, calls attention to many formulas for black inks as well as gold, silver, and the colored ones; no comment, however, is made in respect to any particular one being better than another as to permanency, and these conditions would seem to have continued for nearly a century later, though the art of handwriting was making giant strides.

It is a remarkable fact that notwithstanding the numerous devotees to that art which included many of the gentler s.e.x, reproductions of whose skill in "Indian"

ink are to be found engraved in magnificent publications, both in book and other forms, there is no mention in them or in any others included within this period about the necessity of using any other DURABLE ink for record or commercial purposes.

As indicative in some degree of the progress of the art of handwriting and handwriting materials, commencing A. D. 1525 and ending A. D. 1814, I present herewith a compilation of the names of over one hundred of the best known calligraphers and authors of the world, and not to be found as a whole in any public or private library. It is arranged in chronological order.

1525.

The first English essay on the subject of "Curious Calligraphy" was by a woman who from all accounts possessed most remarkable facility in the use of the pen as well as a knowledge of languages. Her name was Elizabeth Lucar; as she was born in London in 1510 and died 1537, her work must have been accomplished when only fifteen years of age.

1540.

Roger Ascham, best known as the tutor of Queen Elizabeth.

1570.

Peter Bales, author of many works, "The Writing Schoolmaster," which he published in three parts, being the best known. He was also a microscopic writer. His rooms were at the sign of "The Hand and Golden Pen,"