DIPLOMATICS. 263 



tie, by the length of time, that it was impofllblc 

 to unrol them, and confequently to make any 

 ufe of them, for on the firft touch they fell 

 into (hatters. \Yc (hall fpeak hcrcattcr or thofe 

 books they call codn 



V. \Ve are ignorant of the precifc >.en 



our modern paper was invented, and when they 

 begun to make ufe of pens in writing, inftead 

 of the italks of reeds. The ink, thai 

 cients ufed, was not made of vitriol and galls, 

 like the modern, but of foot. Sometimes alfo, 

 they wrote with red ink, mad-: of vermilion, 

 or in letters of gold, on purple or violet parJi- 

 ment. It is not difficult for thofe, who apply 

 themtelves to this ftudy to diiVmguifh the 

 parchment of the ancients from that of the 

 moderns, as well as their ink and various cxc 

 characters : but that, which bed diilinguiihes 

 the original from the counterfeit, is the 

 writing or character itfelf, which is fo distinctly 

 different from one century to another, that we 

 may tell with certainty, within about 40 or 50 



;, when any diploma was written. M 

 are two works which furniih the cleared \'. 

 on this matter, and which may ferve as lure 

 guides in the judgments we may have occafion 

 to make on what arc called ancient diplomas. 

 The one is the . fc on tl 



matic, by F. Mabillon , and the oiher, 

 volume of the Chronicon Gotvicenic. We there 

 fprrimens of all the * :1our- 



