Paper

PAPER, Papyrus. The Papyrus is a Plant or kind of Bulrush, which grows in Egypt upon the Banks of the Nile. The Egyptians applied it to several Uses, as to make Baskets, Shoes, Cloaths¹, little Boats to swim in upon the Nile², and Paper to write on. ‘Tis also said, that the Part of the Papyrus that is near the Root, is good to eat³. Isaiah⁴ speaks of a kind of Vessel or little Bark of Paper, made in Form of a Head, wherein the Egyptians put a Letter, by which they gave Notice to the People of Biblos of the Discovery of the God Adonis, whom they bewailed as dead. They put this Machine upon the Mediterranean, and made the People believe that it came of it self in the Space of seven Days to Biblos, upon the Coasts of Phœnicia, which was more than four Score Leagues from Egypt⁵. The Hebrew Word Gome, made Use of by Isaiah, signifies a Rush or Reed; and Moses makes Use of the same Word to denote the Materials of that little Ark, in which his Parents exposed him upon the Banks of the Nile⁶.

As to the Writing-paper made Use of by the Antients, it was very different from that in Use amongst us, and was composed of the Leaves of the Papyrus now mentioned, from whence it has the Name of Paper. This was their Manner of working it. The Trunk of the Papyrus is composed of several Leaves or Films, placed one over another, which were peeled off, and separated with a Needle. They were afterwards stretched out upon a wet Table, to the Length and Breadth of the intended Leaf of Paper. Over the first Layer of the Leaves of Paper they put some thin Past, or only some of the muddy Water of the Nile a little warmed, upon which they spread a second Layer of the Leaves of the Papyrus. Then they let it dry by the Sun. The Leaves that are nearest the Heart of the Plant are the finest, and make the most valuable Paper. Of this they made the finest Sort of Paper, called Papyrus Augusta, because of the Emperor Augustus. The Leaves that were next before these made a Paper not so fine as the former, which was called Papyrus Julia, because of the Empress Julia. Lastly, the Emperor Claudius having invented another Kind coarser than the former, this had the Name of Papyrus Claudia. This whole Matter may be seen fully treated of in Guillandinus.

Isai. viii. 1. Jerem. xxxvi. Exek. ii. 9. iii. 1, 2, 3. 2 Kings xxii. 11. Job. xxxi. 35, 36.There is great Probability that ‘tis this Paper of Egypt, which is expressed in several Passages of [the Vulgate] Scripture by the Words Charta and Liber; and that the antient Volumes were only Egyptian Paper. The Use of Vellum and Parchment was introduced very late⁷. ‘Twas the Kings of Pergamus that brought them first into Use, being constrained thereto by pure Necessity. For the Kings of Egypt having forbid the Transportation of Paper out of the Kingdom, those of Pergamus were compelled to make Use of the Skins of Beasts prepared to write upon, and to compose the Library they were collecting, in Imitation of that of the Ptolemys. Of this Egyptian Paper they made Books of two Sorts; some in Rolls made of several Skins sewed together End to End, and only written on one Side; others were several Leaves bound together one after another, and both Sides written upon, in the Manner of our ordinary Books. Yet I doubt much whether the Thing were so or no. I no where find that they made long Rolls of mere Paper. This Matter was not solid enough no firm enough to be sewed thus together from End to End. It is much more probable, that these Rolls were made of Skins or of Vellum, as they are now made. Diodorus Siculus⁸ relates, that the Persians formerly wrote their Registers upon Skins; and Herodotus⁹ speaks of the Skins of Sheep and Goats made Use of by the antient Ionians to write upon. The Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, expressly mention these Rolls. The Book of the Law that was found in the Time of Hilkiah was also very probably wrote upon Vellum; as also was that which is mentioned by Job in these Words. O that one would hear me! behold my Desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine Adversary had written a Book. Surely I would take it upon my Shoulder, and bind it as a Crown to me.

We must therefore admit, that the King of Pergamus only improved the dressing of Skins, and caused them to be prepared in so convenient a Manner, that he had no longer any Occasion for the Paper of Egypt. And indeed Vellum is of much better Use than the Egyptian Paper. All the most antient Manuscripts we have, whether Greek or Latin, are wrote upon Vellum, and there hardly remains any Thing of the Egyptian Paper in our Archives, but some old Titles, and they are almost worn out and gone to Decay. Vossius thinks the Use of Vellum was much more antient than the Kings of Pergamus¹⁰.

Lastly, as to the Paper that we make Use of at this Day, and which is composed of Linnen Rags, macerated and beaten to a Pulp, and then spread and reduced into thin Leaves, or Sheets; the Use of this is not very antient. It is not expressly mentioned by any that we know of, before the Time of Petrus Venerabilis, Abbot of Cluny, who lived about five Hundred Years ago¹¹. So that we cannot understand of this Kind of Paper, what is mentioned by the Scripture under the Name of Charta. Our Dissertation upon the antient Books may be seen, which is printed before our Commentary upon Genesis.

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