Fresh Batch #115: The Ancient Alchemy of Paper & Ink

The Origin and Progress of Writing Part 8

Continuing with my notes on Thomas Astle’s Origin and Progress of Writing.

Ch. VIII

Of Writers, Ornaments, and Materials for Writing

Librarii

According to Astle (Ib. pp. 190-91), “The Librarii, or writers of books among the Romans, were generally of a servile condition, and every man of rank who was a lover of literature, had some of these Librarii in his house. These Librarii afterwards formed into a particular company who had several immunities: their business was a trade, and they were regulated by certain laws. The Roman Emperors appointed Librarii to write for the Consuls, the Judges, and the Magistrates, as appears in the Theodosian Code, Lib. I. De Decurialibus urbis Romæ, et de Lucris officiariorum. The Librarii Horreorum were officers who kept the accounts of the corn received into, and delivered out of, the public granaries.”

Notarii

The Romans employed the Notarii to take trials and pleadings, or dictation from an author in short-hand notæ or marks. They were also of a servile condition. Astle wrote (Ib. pp. 191-92), “Under the reign of Justinian, they were formed into a college or corporate body. Notarii, were also appointed to attend the prefects, to transcribe for them. There were likewise Notarii Domestici, who were employed in keeping the accounts of the Roman nobility, concerning whom see the Theodosian Code, Lib. II. and III. De Primiceri et Notariis. They were afterwards versed in the laws of the Empire, and were considered as lawyers; so early as in the seventh century, they acted as notaries public in civil affairs.

“There were also Notaries for ecclesiastical affairs, who attested the acts of Archbishops, Bishops, and other spiritual dignitaries. We find ecclesiastical notaries at Rome, under Pope Julius IV. and in the church of Antioch, about the year 370. From these Notaries, are derived the office of Chancellor to the Bishops; afterwards almost every Advocate was admitted a Notary.”

Antiquarii

I cannot say whether any of this is legitimate. It relies on accounts from other authors, and there is no evidence presented to support these ideas, so take them with a grain of salt. But herein lies the problem. There is a claim that civilization in Europe was invested in learning, followed by a period where it wasn’t. Perhaps most of the ideas asserted about this period are correct, but should they not be, this era is likely one that has been lied about to distract from something else that took place. Astle wrote (Ib. p. 192), “After the decline of learning amongst the Romans, and when many religious houses were erected, learning was chiefly in the hands of the clergy; the greatest number of which were Regulars, and lived in monasteries: in these houses were many industrious men, who were continually employed in making new copies of old books, either for the use of the monastery or for their own emolument: these writing Monks were distinguished by the name of Antiquarii; they deprived the poor Librarii or common Scriptores of great part of their business, so that they found it difficult to gain a subsistence for themselves and their families. This put them upon finding out more expeditious methods of transcribing books; they formed the letters smaller, and made use of more jugations and abbreviations than had been usual, they proceeded in this manner till the letters became exceedingly small; the abbreviations were very numerous, and extremely difficult to be read: this in some measure accounts for the great variety of hands in the species of writing called Modern Gothic. When a number of copies were to be made of the same work, it was usual to employ several persons at the same time in writing it; each person, except him who wrote the first skin, began where his fellow was to leave off.”

Astle enucleated the Monkish monopoly on these skills, but did not address anything of a conspiratorial nature. However, I suspect this sort of transition was not merely due to a “decline of learning” amongst the Romans. I suspect something much more sinister occurred during these times, and the basis of these suspicions is found in the industry of forgery that occurred as well, either during this period, or during a subsequent period, but without doubt works from this era were grabbled.

Illuminators

Not to be confused with Illuminati or Mystae, the illuminators (better described as illustrators) were those who ornamented letters and paintings. Astle wrote (Ib. p. 197), “The Romans deposited their most valuable works in cases or chests made of cedar wood; they also used an oil expressed from the cedar tree, to preserve them from the worms, as appears by the following passages:

—Speramus carmina fingi Posse linenda cedro. (Horace Ars Poetica, v. 331.)

“—Let us hope that the poems of imagination can be lined with cedar.”

Cedro nunc licet ambules perunctus. (Martial, lib. iii. epigr. 2.)

“The cedar is now allowed to walk.”

The context of which is, “Whose present do you wish to be, little book? Hurry to find yourself a protector, lest hustled off to a sooty kitchen you wrap sprats in your sodden papyrus or become a cowl for incense or pepper. Do you fly to Faustinus’ bosom? You are wise. Now you may walk oiled with cedar, your twin brows handsomely adorned, luxuriating in your painted bosses, clothed in dainty purple, your proud title blushing scarlet. With him to protect you, have no fear of Probus himself.”

Hujus in arbitrio est seu te juvenescere cedro, Seu jubeat duris vermibus esse cibum. (Ausonius, ad libellum fuum.)

Translated as, “It is at his discretion whether the cedar will make you young, or whether he will command you to be food for hard worms.”

Astle continued (Ib. p. 198), “The best method of preserving records, is by keeping them dry, free from dust, and in close presses from the air.”

In other words, the last place anyone would store a manuscript is in a cave or the like. If scrolls from Pompeii turn to dust when unraveled, why wouldn’t scrolls in caves from the same century? The cognitive dissonance is astounding. For reference, this was printed by The NY Times in an article (Wade, Oct. 2023), “From deep within a papyrus scroll that has not been read in almost 2,000 years and would crumble to pieces if unrolled, researchers have retrieved a handful of letters and a single word: “porphyras,” ancient Greek for “purple.”

If you’d like to learn more about the Monkish takeover of the Common Era and how it impacts you today, dive into the Spirit Whirled series.

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