Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 



A ms not for to write in, onely it ferved as waft Paper for farplcrs to wrap and packc up wares in : 

 alfo for coffins or cornets to lap fpice andfruitsin, and therupon merchants and occupiers gave 

 it that name. And with thisj the very cane it felfe is to be feene clad outwardly rand the iitmofi 

 coat thereof isliketoareedorbukufhjfitfornopurpofebuttomakecardageof: and not very 

 good for that ufe neitherjUnlefTe itbefor the water onely jwhich it will abide very well. Now thfe 

 making of all thefe PaperSjwas in this fortjnamely,upon a broad bord vict with the cleare water 

 of Nilus. For the fattie and mtiddie liquor thereof ferveth in ftead of glew, wherewith at the firft 

 the thin leafe of the cane Papyrus, flived from thereft, and laid upon the bord to the full length 

 (in manner of the warpe)according as the trunk will give leavCgbeing cut oflF at both endsjname- 

 lyjtoward the top andtheroot, is wet and befineared: then is there another laid overthwart it^ 



B after the order of the woofcjwith a crofle graine to the other : and fo is the w^b(as it were)of the 

 Paper performed.Prefred afterward it is in certaine prefles^that both leaves may ftick together 

 and then the whole (beets are dried in the Sunne. Which done, they bee fo couched together^ 

 that the beft and largeftliefirftjandfo coniequcntly in order as thty be worfe and of lefle fize^un- 

 till you come to;:he worft. And one fcape or trunke lightly of the cane Papyrus^yecldeth not a* 

 bove twentie fuch fheets. Great difference there is in them for the breadth^jnotwithftandingthc 

 length be all one.The beft^namely which were taken out of the heart of the cane^beare thirteen 

 fingers in breadth.TheHieraticaPaperwantethtwoof thatnumbcr.TheFaiinianis but tenne 

 fingersbroad. The common Paper Amphitheatricaj but nine. Saitica yet fewer, and will not 

 bearetheftrokeof the hammer. And a^ for the merchants Paper, it wasfbfhoi;tandnarr.ows 



Q that it went not above fixe fingers. Moreover, in Paper thefe foure things muft bee confidered, 

 thatit befine^well compa6t3white3and fmooth. Howbeit,c7<«»^i//^ Cdfir the Empero\ir abated 

 thccrediteof thePaper Augufta, that it was no more accounted the beft iforindeed fo thin it 

 waSjthat it would not abide the dent of the pen : befidesjit would not hold inke ^but fbew the let- 

 ters on the other fide , and was evermore in daunger of blurring and blotting, efpeciaUy on the 

 backe part : and otherwifcjunfightly it was to the eieior that a man might fo eafiiy fee thjough it« 

 And therefore hee deviled tofortifie and ftrengthen the faid Paper, md laid another courle or 

 coat(as it were)over the former,in manner of a double woofe. Hee enlarged alfo the breadth of 

 ^he Paper : for he caufed'ic to be a foot broadjyea^and (bme a foot and an halfe,! meane that kind 

 which was called Macrocolajor large Roiall Paper. But herein was a fault,&realon found it outs 



D forif one leafe of this large Paper were plucked oEPjthe more pages tooke harme thereby^S/ were 

 loft. And therfore the former Claudian Paper, which had but three leaves of Papyrus, was pre- 

 ferred before all the rel^ . Howbeit_, that which was named Auguftane bare the name for letters 

 miffivCjand the Liviane continued ftill in the ownecredite, having no propertieof thefirft and 

 principalljbut all in a fecond de gree.Theroughnefie of Paper is pollillied and fmoothed either 

 with fome tooth,6r els with aPorceliane (hell : byt the letters in fuch flicke Paper, willfoon fade 

 and decav.For by the polliiliing, it will not receive the inke fo deepe as whenit is not ffnoothedj 

 although otherwife itwill fhine die better.Morcoverjitfalleth out many times,that if the humor 

 be not artificially laid, the Paper is very ftubborne :but this fault is foone found at the very firft 

 ftroke of the hanimer,or els difcovered by the fiwell,eipecially if good heed were not taken in the 



.JE tempering tliereof.As for the fpots & fpecklesjthc eie will quickly fpie them: but the long ftreaks 

 and veines lying clofe couched becweene the pafted places jCan hardly be difcetned before that 

 thelettcr runneth abroad, and ilieweth how in the fpongeous fubftance of the Paper wanting 

 that paft, the inke will fin ke through, and make blots 5 fo deceitfull is the making of this Paper* 

 What remedie then ? but to be at a lecond labour to paft it new againe another way,to wit, with 

 the common paft that we ufe, made with the fineff flower of wheat,and tempered with hotefcal- 

 ding waee«,and a little vinegre mingled therewith. For.the joiners glue and that made of gum% 

 is brittle,and will not abide the rolling up of thefe fheets into quiets. But they that will go more 

 flirely to worke, and makean exquifitepaft indecdy boile the loft and tender crums of leavened 

 bread in feethingwater,& then let it mn through a foainer,which they ufe t be- 

 ^ fides that f hePaper hereby will be more firmCjandhave lefte flawes, it furmounteth alio in fwcet- 



• neffe the^water of Nilus, Moreover,aU kind of paft whatfoevet,for this effed,Qught neither to be 

 ftaler than a day old, nor yet frcfher anid under that age. After that ii is thus pafted, they beat it 

 thin with the hammer : and a fecond liit^runne lightly over with new paft : and then being thus 

 knit and bound faft againe^it is made fmooth and void of wrinckles,and finally beaten even with 



