Forty Centuries of Ink / Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.

by David Nunes Carvalho

India purple from one Denarius, or 7 3/4 d. to 30
Denarii, 19 s. 4 1 2 d.

Pelagium, the juice of one sort fishes that dyed purple, 50 hs.=8 s. 0 7/8 d.

Buccinum the juice of the other fish that dyed purple, 100 hs.=16 s. 1 3/4 d.

Cinnabar 50 hs.=8 s. 0 7/8 d.

Tarentine red purple, price not mentioned.

Melinum, a sort of colour that came from Melos, one Nummus,=1 15/16 d.

Paretonium, a sort of colour that came from aegypt, very lasting, 6 Denarii,=3 s. 10 1/2 d.

Myrobalanus, 2 Denarii,=1 s. 3 1/2 d.

The last-named substance is the fruit of the Termi- nalia, a product of China and the East Indies, best known as Myrabolams and must have been utilized solely for the tannin they contain, which Loewe estimates to be identical with ellago-tannic acid, later discovered in the divi-divi, a fruit grown in South America, and bablah which is also a fruit of a species of Acacia, well known also for its gum.

No monuments are extant of the ancient Myrabolam ink.