DIPLOMATICS. 



it will be afterward ealy to explain the fyftem 

 of the icience itlelf. 



III. The word diploma fignifies, properly, a 

 letter or epiftle, that is folded in the middle, and 

 that is not open. But, in more modern times, 

 the title has been given to all ancient epiftles, 

 letters, literary monuments, and public docu- 

 ments, and to all thofe pieces of writing which 

 the ancients called Syngrapha, Chirographa, 

 Codicilli, &c. In the middle age, and in the 

 diplomas themfelves, thefe writings are called 

 Littene, Praecepta, Placita, Chartje indicula, 

 Sigilla, and Bullae , as alfo Panchartse, Panto- 

 chartae, Tradtorise, Defcriptiones, &c. The ori- 

 ginals of thefe pieces are named Examplaria, or 

 Autographa, Chanae authenticae, Originalia, 

 &c. and the copies, Apographa, Copias, Parti- 

 cular, and fo forth. The collections, that have 

 been made of them, are called Chartaria and 

 Chartulia. The place where thele papers and 

 documents were kept, the ancients named Scri- 

 nia, Tabularium, or /Erarium, words that were 

 derived from the tables of brafs, and according 

 to the Greek idiom, Archeium or Archivum. 



IV. In order to underftand the nature of thefe 

 ancient papers, diplomas and manufcripts, and 

 to diftinguifh the authentic from the counter- 

 feit, it is neceflary to know that the paper of 

 the ancients came from Egypt, and was form- 

 ed 



