"The ostrych fether pen and all sylver ys the
Prynces.
"The ostrych fether sylver, pen ermyn is the
Duke of Lancesters.
"The ostrych fether sylver and pen gobone is
the Duke of Somersets."
"What's great Goliath's spear, the sevenfold shield,
Scanderbeg's sword, to one who cannot wield
Such weapons? Or, what means a well cut quill,
In th' untaught hand of him that's void of skill?"
—COCKER, A. D. 1650.
The oldest ink (Russian) documents that exist in Russia are two treaties with the Greek emperors, made by Oleg, A. D. 912, and Igor, A. D. 943. Christianity, introduced into Russia at the beginning of the eleventh century by Vladimir the Great, brought with it many words of Greek origin. Printing was introduced there about the middle of the sixteenth century. The oldest printed book which has been discovered is a Sclavonic psalter, the date Kiev, 1551, two years after a press was established in Moscow.
It is said that the skins of 300 sheep were used in every copy of the first printed Bible. Hence the old saying, "It takes a flock of sheep to write a book."
What would have been the comment in olden times, to learn that it takes almost a forest of trees to print the Sunday edition of some of our great newspapers?
Wax (shoemakers') was first employed on documents A. D. 1213, although it was white wax which was used to seal the magna charta, granted to the English barons by King John, A. D. 1215. In 1445 red wax was much employed in England, but the earliest specimen of red sealing wax extant is found on a letter dated August 3, 1554.
Pliny enumerates and describes eight different kinds of papyrus paper:
1. Charter hieratica—sacred paper, used only for books on religion. From adulation of Augustus it was also called charta augusta and charta livia.
2. Charta amphitheatrica—from the place where it was fabricated.