day, those of books are called leaves. Next they writ on the fine bark of trees, and particularly on that sort which slips off easiest; such as the elder, the plane, the ash, and the elm; and these were the inward films, which grow between the bark and the wood, which, being curiously taken off, were joined together, and books made of them; and, because this film in Latin is called liber, thence the same name was given to a book, though now they are not made of that substance. The wit of man, which still improved, after this found out a way of writing on the thinnest sheets of lead, of which private people made books and pillars. Next, the ancients found the way of writing on linnen-cloths slicked and waxed, on which they writ, not with a pen, but with a small cane or reed, as some write to this day. And, as Pliny tells us, we find in Homer, that these waxed cloths were used before the time of the Trojans ; and Mutianus, who, as he writes himself, was thrice consul, that, when he was president in Lycia, he read there, in a temple, a letter writ on one of these cloths by Sarpedon, king of Lycia, then at Troy, where he assisted Priam in his war against the Greeks, and was at last killed by Patroclus. In process of time, the method was found out of writing on parchment made of sheep-skins, mentioned by Herodotus, lib. vii. the invention whereof Varro assigns to the people of Pergamus, a city in Asia, on the banks of the river Caicus, whereof Eumenes was king, and from that city it was called Pergamenum, which we have corrupted to parchment. Pliny says, this Eumenes first sent it to Rome; but Elianus says it was Attalus, king of the same country, who first sent it. Josephus, the Jew, makes the writing on parchment ancienter, and says, the books of the Jews, 80 much ancienter than Eumenes, and the rest of that sort, were writ upon skins; and relates, that when Eleazer, the high priest, sent the books of the holy scripture to Ptolemy by the Septuagint, to be translated out of Hebrew into Greek, king Ptolemy Philadelphus was much amazed at the fineness of those skins or parchment; so that writing on them was easier and more lasting than the ancienter use of barks and leaves of trees; and it is to be believed, this invention was not yet in Egypt, since Ptolemy wondered at it. After this, there was found a sort of paper made of a rush, or plant, called Papyrus, growing in the marshes, about the river Nile, though Pliny says there are some of them in Syria, near the river Euphrates. These rushes bear small leaves betwixt the outward rhind and the pith, which, being neatly opened with the point of a needle, and then prepared with fine flour and other ingredients, served to write on and made paper, the innermost part making the finest, and, according to the several sorts, it had several names, and was put to sundry uses; being from this rush called Papyrus, which name has continued to our days, and is given to our paper, though made of rags, because this serves for the same uses as that did. I saw one of these rushes at Rome, which was shewed me by that worthy gentleman Castor Durante, of happy memory, my master in the college, who told me it came from Egypt; and he had it from Padua, sent him by Signior Cortuso, a man excellently learned in simples, of whom he had got other more strange and rare things, as I have several times seen myself, and particularly a sheet of this papyrus, or paper, made of that rush. The first invention of making paper of this rush, Varro affirms, was in the days of Alexander the Great, when Alexandria was founded; but Pliny proves it was ancienter, by the books which Gn. Tarentinus found in his vineyard in a marble chest on the hill Janiculus, in which were also the bones of Numa Pompilius. These books were of the papyrus, and it is certain that Numa Pompilius was long before Alexander. The Romans had several sorts of this paper; one of them was called hieratica, as Pliny writes, and only dedicated to religious books, which afterwards, through flattery, took Augustus's name, and was called Augustana, as the second sort from his, wife Livia was called Liviana, as among us there is now imperial and royal paper. There was another sort called Amphitheatrica, from the place where it was made, being about the amphitheatre; and the first that began to make this paper in Rome was one Fannius, who brought it to such fineness, that, whereas before it was for common use, it became equal with the best and took his name, being called Fanniana, whereas that, which was not so curiously prepared, kept its old name of Amphitheatrica; and these were the best sorts of paper in those days. Afterwards came the Saitica, so named from a city where it was made, where there was great abundance of the papyrus, and this was made of the worst part of it. There was still another sort made of the outward part next the rhind, and called Teniotica, from the place where it was made, which was sold rather by weight than by choice. Lastly, there was the Emporetica, answerable to our brown or wrapping-paper, unfit for writing, and only used to make covers for the other paper, and to wrap up goods, therefore called shop-paper. All these sorts of paper were different from one another, for the best was thirteen inches broad, the hieratica two inches less, the fanniana of ten, and the amphitheatrica two narrower; the saitica still less, and the coarse emporetica not above six. Besides, Augustus's paper was in great esteem for its whiteness, as well as its smoothness, but was so thin, it would scarce bear the pen; besides that, it sunk, and the letters appeared through it; and therefore, in the reign of Claudius Cæsar, it lost the first place, and another sort was made, from him called Claudia, which was preferred before all the others, and the Augusta was reserved for writing of imperial letters. The Livian paper kept its rank, having nothing of the first, but, in all respects, like the second. This sort of paper, made of papyrus, the Romans used a long time, on which many books were writ; and, as Pliny informs us, there were, in his times, abundance of volumes of Caius, and Tiberius Gracchus, of Cicero, of Augustus, and of Virgil. That this paper was good and lasting, appears by what was said above of Numa's books, found in the consulship of P. Cornelius, L. F. Cethegus, M. Balbius, and Q. F. Pamphilius; and, from the reign of Numa till their time, we find there passed five-hundred and thirty-five years, it being wonderful they should last so long without rotting, especially having been all that while buried under ground. Authors dif fer very much about the number of these books, for some, as Livy, say, they were two, and found by Lucius Petilius; of which opinion are Lactantius and Plutarch, in the Life of Numa. Others say they were fourteen, seven of the pontifical laws, and the other seven of the precepts of Pythagorean philosophy; others say they were twelve, as Varro in his book of Antiquities. Tuditanus, lib. ii. writes, they were thirteen of Numa's decretals, yet Antia affirms, there were two Latin, one of the pontifical rites, and as many Greek of Pythagorean philoso phy, and were therefore burnt by Q. Petulius the pretor. Certain it is, that the invention of paper, made of the rush papyrus, continued long among the Romans, and very many books were writ on it by several authors, as has been said above. In the last place was found out the paper of our days, a most noblę invention, which has afforded the opportunity of writing and publishing a vast quantity of books. It is made of linnen rags beaten to atoms; and it is wonderful that so mean a thing should perpetuate and immortalise the memorable actions of men. It is made in all parts of the world, and of several sorts great and small, and so white and curi, ous, that nothing can exceed it. On this, as the most perfect, are printed so many volumes as are daily seen, laying aside the papyrus, the parchment, and all others, which gave occasion to the finding out of this in our forefathers days. THE CHARACTER OF A CERTAIN GREAT DUCHESS DECEASED, By a certain great Poet lately deceased, MS. UT what are these to great Atossa's mind? BUT Scarce once herself, by turns all womankind. Who with herself, or others, from her birth, No thought advances, but her eddy brain. The following should have been prefixed to the Declaration of Francis Throckmorton's Treasons, in Vol. i. p. 522, and is here presenced. A DISCOUERIE OF THE TREASONS PRACTISED AND ATTEMPTED AGAINST THE QUEENES MAIESTIE AND THE REALME, By Francis Throckmorton, Who was for the same arraigned and condemned in Guyld-hall, in the citie of London, the one and twentie day of May last past. 1584. Quarto, contain ing twenty-eight pages. The following narration has in part been copied both by Hollingshead and Camden, yet not without the omission of several useful and necessary particulars to illustrate this part of the English history; which may be supplied by preserving this true and genuine account, as there is sufficient reason to suppose was published by authority. When this traytor was brought upon his tryal, he denied what he had confessed at his examination, affirming, as Stow relates, that he had invented it on purpose to avoid the rack. But, says Camden, after his condemnation, upon the evidence of his own letters to the queen of Scots, and the papers found in his coffers, he owned all, and even made a more circumstantial declaration than at first; and yet, in favour to the queen of Scots, lest such a confession should influence the people against her liberty, he again retracted and denied whatever he had confessed; to discover which prevarication, and to prevent any misapprehensions of the justice of his tryal and exe cution, this following true and faithful account was published. To the Reader. There is in this short discourse deliuered vnto thee, gentle reader, a true report of the treasons and practises of Francis Throckmorton, and his complices against the queenes maiestie and the realme; which comming to my handes by chance from a gentleman, to whom it was sent into the countrey, I haue presumed to commit the same to the print, to the ende that such as in opinion and conceite are not satisfied, |