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took place six years later, in 1231, proves that there were still powerful malcontents around him. His son Otho succeeding, the hereditary line was continued. This prince is the first whom we find styled Pfalzgraf and Churfürst—a title derived from the old German word kuren, to choose, and fürst, a prince, and borne as a distinction by those reigning sovereigns who possessed the privilege of electing the emperors of Germany; we render it fitly by the term Elector. Otho united the Palatinate and Bavarian estates, purchased additional lands, and is supposed to have laid the foundation of the lower Castle, of which this account especially treats.

This splendid structure stands upon a platform of rock about three hundred feet above the river, originally called the Jettenbühl; from a tradition of one Jetta, a heathen prophetess who dwelt in a chapel upon this site, and to whom, being in high repute for her miracles and oracles, the people flocked from all countries. This personage was seldom visible, but the prophetic words emanated from a window of the chapel, and were caught by the crowd assembled beneath. One of her prophecies which have been handed down to the present generation, testifies that palaces in which kings should reside, should cover her lowly hill, and that numerous buildings should occupy the valley beneath. And truly, if all her peeps into futurity proved as clear-sighted, she duly earned her reputation. Further, the tale goes, that having wandered one day through the woods till she reached a certain fountain, and a cloud, we conclude, being drawn over her prophetic vision, she was surprised by a savage she-wolf, who quickly put an end to the prophetess of the Jettenbühl. The scene of this tragic event still bears the name of the Wolfsbrunnen, or Wolf's Fountain. It lies in a picturesque hollow about a mile from the town, and is to this day resorted to, without any apprehension of a similar fate, by the youth and beauty of Heidelberg.

But to return to the Pfalzgrafen. To Otho succeeded Louis the Severe, who, in his connubial transactions, somewhat resembled our Henry the Eighth, having married three wives, one of whom he beheaded. This count dying in 1295, was succeeded by his son Rudolph the First, whose administration is marked as a period of much suffering to the Castle and surrounding dominions. He was driven from his possessions by the Emperor Albert, and is supposed to have died in Austria. The succession, nevertheless, was bestowed upon his son, Adolphus the Simple, who, preferring a life of indolence to the government of broad lands, surrendered the sceptre to his brother Rudolph the Second, not, however, till he had restored the Castle to a habitable condition. Tenth on the line of succession now appears Rupert the First, brother of Rudolph, born 1309, whose name is conspicuous as the author of numerous benefits to the country, and especially as the founder of the Heidelberg university, whose flourishing schools still remain a monument of his enlightened liberality. He it was who first resided regularly at Heidelberg, and added largely to both town and Castle. He died without issue at the advanced age of eighty-one, and the government devolved upon Rupert the Second, son of Adolphus the Simple, who, however, seems to have inherited less of his father's than of his uncle's nature, for we find him seeking the advancement of his people, driving the Jews out of the town, an act considered meritorious in those times, and presenting thirteen of the deserted houses to the university. This Pfalzgraf was succeeded, after a reign of eight years, by his son Rupert the Third, elected, in 1400, King of Rome, and crowned as such at Cologne, in

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1401. He built that part of the Castle called to this day the Rupert building, and which forms one of the most ancient and picturesque portions still remaining. In his regal capacity he resided chiefly at Oppenheim, but was buried at Heidelberg, having equally divided the Palatinate lands among his four sons.

Louis the Third, the Bearded, or Pious, received, as eldest son, Heidelberg for his portion, and may be considered as the founder of the Heidelberg line. He married in 1402, Blanche, daughter of Henry the Fourth of England; the first connexion of this state with our country, to which it has subsequently been so vitally allied. In 1414 and 1417, Louis attended the church convocations at Constance, where John the Twenty-second, the deposed Pope, was committed to his charge, and confined for some time at Heidelberg, and ultimately at Manheim. This Prince contributed much to the progress of the university and improvement of the Castle and town. He completed the fine church of the Holy Ghost in the marketplace, which had been commenced under Rupert the First, and dying in his sixtieth year, was interred within its walls. To him succeeded his son Louis the Fourth, who becoming entangled in some petty wars, died, it is said, of chagrin, in his thirtieth year, leaving an only son, Philip, in the cradle. His brother, Frederic the First, surnamed the Conqueror, was appointed regent to the infant prince, and subsequently reigned conjointly with him. In those times the law of primogeniture was but partially enforced, and in several instances we find brothers wielding the Palatinate sceptre together, Frederic was an excellent Regent; he strengthened and enlarged the Castle, and although engaged in a succession of wars, contrived that they should all conduce to the prosperity and aggrandizement of his states. He was connected in a left-handed marriage with the beautiful Clara Dettin, of Augsburg, and dying in 1476, was buried by his own desire in the dress of a monk, in a Carmelite Cloister he had founded at Heidelberg; leaving Philip the First, or the Sincere, to govern alone. This prince united to a chivalrous nature, a great taste for the politer arts. By his summons, many of the literati of that period resorted to his court, and were detained in the service of the university.

In the year 1484, a high tournament was held in the great court of the Castle, to which all the titled and gentle blood, far and near, were bidden. This period calls forth all our liveliest conceptions of chivalrous magnificence, and never, perhaps, was this lordly Castle worthier tenanted than in good Count Philip's time. Tradition still tells of the valour of the knights, the beauty of the dames, and the wine and wassail which flowed around; and, although the great tun was not then in being, there was, doubtless, as little lack of mouths to drain, as of vessels to contain the produce of the Neckar vineyards. A few years later, the Emperor Maximilian honoured this Pfalzgraf with a visit, and was received with all the pomp of the times. About this period, also, as the story goes, a pike was caught in the royal ponds at Kaiserslautern, weighing 350 lbs. From an inscription upon a ring round its neck, it appeared that it had been placed there in 1230, by the Emperor Frederic the Second; having thus enjoyed the good things of this life during an interval of 267 years and upwards. This is, fortunately, the only instance on record of a fresh-water fish of these majestic dimensions, otherwise a race of sharks weighing twenty-five stone, might have been rather an awkward addition to our annals of natural history.

See Saturday Magazine, Vol. III., p. 140.

In spite of the hospitality which had been shown | to the Emperor, Count Philip was not secured from hostilities; for a year later, on his claiming the Bavarian succession for his son, Maximilian declared him under the ban, and sent a numerous army against the Palatinate. Both the town and Castle, however, were so well manned and fortified, and the inhabitants so devoted to their count, that the enemy only caused a temporary annoyance, and soon evacuated the land. Philip died 1508, and was buried in the church of the Holy Ghost.

Louis the Fifth succeeded to the government, and pursued his father's plans of improvement. He encouraged learning, protected the university, and greatly added to the size and strength of the Castle. He it was who commenced that formidable bulwark round the entire building, part of which, towards the west, is still standing, a monument of strength. Besides this, the so called Thick-tower, overlooking the town, of which only a section now remains; the square-tower, still in good preservation, the bridge, the bridge-house, the Stückgarten, &c., &c., were all erections of his reign. In 1524, this Elector proclaimed a trial of cross-bow shooting, at which many German potentates attended. This, however, appears the pretext rather than the object of their meeting; which was, in reality, to concert some means of arresting the progress of those intestine or peasant wars, which at that time ravaged Germany. In 1537, we read of a tremendous thunderstorm which broke | over Heidelberg, when the lightning striking the older Castle above, which had been maintained merely as a fortress and magazine for powder, the whole structure was rent into the air, with an explosion audible for miles around. Nor did the damage end here, for the huge masses of masonry falling on the town and Castle beneath, crushed whole buildings, and occasioned much loss of life and property.

Louis the Fifth, dying 1544, was buried in the church of the Holy Ghost, and succeeded by his brother, Frederic the Second. This prince, although he had blamed his predecessor for his expensive love of building, continued, nevertheless, the improvements on a large scale; and among other additions, raised the octagon-tower, which still forms one of the most beautiful features of the ruin. He rendered great services to the Emperor, and was permitted in requital, to bear the Reich's Apfel or imperial crown in his arms, which, after this date, repeatedly occurs in the escutcheons about the Castle. Frederic appears to have been a gay bachelor; he always purposed marrying into some royal family, and for this end entered into successive negotiations with different courts, but did not finally take upon himself the yoke of matrimony till he had completed his 50th year, when his choice fell on Dorothea, daughter of the deposed king of Sweden, by whom he had no children. He died in 1556, and was buried with his forefathers. With him expired the Heidelberg line, and we can discover no connexion either immediate or collateral, with Otho Henry, of the house of Neuburg, who succeeded to the Palatinate states.

This prince, although bound by no hereditary ties, proved an excellent parent to his newly acquired dominions, and by the height of architectural splendour to which he raised the Castle, has established a claim on the reverence of all artists and antiquarians. Having, during his youth, visited the Holy Land, and collected a number of Greek and Arabian manuscripts, he presented them to the university, and thereby founded the famous library which was subsequently nearly destroyed during the thirty years war. During his travels in Italy he also cultivated

his taste for architecture; and being furnished with designs from Raphael and Julio Romano, applied them in the erection of that splendid portion, called to this day, Otho Henry's building. This forms the west side of the Tournament Court, and contains the Ritter Saal, or Knight's Hall, and a princely suite of apartments, the façade of which, adorned with colossal figures from Scripture and Pagan history, offers a unique specimen of the florid and gorgeous architecture of those times. All these improvements were effected in the marvellously short space of three years, for we find the death of this spirited sovereign recorded in 1559, who dying without issue, the states devolved to Frederic the Third, of the house of Simmern, also connected by no consanguinity that we can discover, either with his immediate or more remote predecessors.

This Prince introduced the Calvinistic doctrines in opposition to those of Luther, which is the first mention we have obtained of religious disputes in the history of the Palatinate. His controversial occupations, probably left him no time for more secular pursuits,-at any rate we perceive no additions or alterations to the Castle recorded in this reign. He died in 1576, and was buried in the church of the Holy Ghost, succeeded by his son Louis the Sixth, who differing on doctrinal points from his father, revived the religion of Luther, and dismissed the entire Calvinistic court. This Elector also appears to have left the Castle as he found it, and dying in 1583, was gathered to his forefathers. He left a young son, but was succeeded by his brother, John Casimir, styled Pfalzgraf and Administrator, who officiated as Regent to the young prince. This former is celebrated as the founder of the first great tun, and of the building containing it. A small chapel in the upper part communicated with the cellar below, a circumstance which savours somewhat of the monkish habits of his predecessors. In this reign, the doctrines of these two reformers again changed places, John Casimir being a zealous disciple of Calvin, and again the court and state were cleared of all obnoxious dependants.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BIBLE FROM THE
MONUMENTS OF ANTIQUITY.
No. VI.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ISRAELITES IN
THE LAND OF GOSHEN.

THE Egyptians had long been exposed to the ravages of the wandering tribes, who possessed the Arabian peninsula, and who were sometimes robbers and sometimes merchants. Though commercial intercourse was maintained with these tribes, as we found exemplified in the history of Joseph, who was brought into Egypt by one of their mercantile caravans, yet they were always viewed with jealousy and suspicion. When the brethren of Joseph, therefore, came down to Egypt for the purchase of corn, it was by no means an improbable charge to accuse them of being spies, come " to see the nakedness of the land." Nakedness here does not allude to the barrenness produced by the seven years of famine, but to the want of natural or artificial defences on the eastern frontier of Egypt, through which most invaders have entered that land from the days of the Hycsos down to those of the Ayubite sultans. Though the sons of Israel denied the charge, we find that they did not deem it improbable or unnatural, for they refute it by showing that they did not belong to a wandering tribe, but to a stationary family. "Thy

servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan." (Gen. xLii. 13). And Joseph's proof of their integrity, "send one of you, and let him fetch your brother," manifestly shows that it was a means of determining whether they were wanderers, like the Hycsos, or settled, and, therefore, peaceful agriculturists.

Now the monuments abound with proofs that such suspicions were not unfounded, for they exhibit the Egyptians as engaged in constant war with the predatory tribes on their eastern frontier, and the cruelty with which the captives were treated, proves that the hostility engendered by these wars was more deep and deadly than was usual, even in the most savage feuds of other nations.

We find indeed that the Egyptians extended their hatred of the wandering races even to the innocent; when the honesty and amicable disposition of the children of Israel were so fully recognised, that they were invited to dine with the prime minister, we find it recorded that "the Egyptians would not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians." This passage serves to explain a circumstance which has been the cause of much controversy among the commentators,-the reason why the descendants of Abraham were named Hebrews. Some assert that they were thus called from Heber, one of their ancestors,-an untenable hypothesis, as there is no circumstance recorded respecting Heber, which would entitle him to give his name to a tribe; others, with more probability, derive the name from a Hebrew verb, which signifies "to pass over;" but they restrict the allusion to Abraham's having "passed over" the Euphrates, when he came from the land of his fathers to dwell in Canaan. But since the word Hebrew signifies" a passenger," it is evident that it may be received as a designation of the wandering and pastoral life of the early patriarch. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were "dwellers in tents," not inhabitants of cities; the Egyptians had no cause for hating the descendants of Heber, or the offspring of any one who had come from beyond the Euphrates, but they had every reason to detest nomades, or wanderers, and the very name of Hebrew intimated that those so called led a wandering life.

The circumstances of the entertainment given by Joseph to his brethren, can only be understood by a reference to the oriental customs at feasts, which have varied very little since the days of the Pharaohs. The guests did not, as with us, sit down to the same table, but a separate tray or table was provided for every two, or at most every three guests, from

AN ALTAR-TABLE, WITH FOWLS, BREAD, FRUITS, &c.

which they furnished themselves, without paying any attention to their neighbours. It was a distinguished

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mark of honour to give some eminent guest a tray or table to himself. There are even now no removes or changes of courses at these entertainments; all the viands are piled together on the tray or table, and the number, variety, and delicacy of the dishes are usually proportioned to the rank of the guest.

Hereafter we shall have occasion to notice, that a similar plan was followed in making offerings to the gods; indeed, it is exceedingly probable, that the Egyptians derived their first notion of an altar from the banquetting tables of their kings and princes.

This custom of ranging separate trays or tables for groups of guests, greatly facilitated the arrangement of the company according to rank, a circumstance to which the orientals have ever attributed considerable importance. In the narrative of the entertainment given by Joseph to his brethren, we are told " they sat before him, the first-born according to his birth-right, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled one at another." (Gen. xLiii. 33). Their surprise was occasioned not by the circumstance of seeing a distinction made, but by the accuracy with which they were arranged in their proper order, as they supposed there were no means of determining their relative seniority. A similar circumstance occurs in an ancient Chinese tale, where the order in which an apparent stranger salutes the members of his family, leads to the discovery of his identity. Benjamin's portion was probably served on a separate tray or table; we are told that "his mess was five times so much as that of any of his brethren;" whence some persons have very absurdly inferred, that he ate five times so much as they did, which, of course, would be impossible, unless they were very niggardly supplied; but from what we have already said, the meaning is clear, the expression simply indicates that a greater variety of delicacies were offered for his selection.

The monuments show us that, in the very earliest ages, Egyptian luxury had led to the invention of countless forms of pastry and confectionary, as we had occasion to remark in noticing the history of Pharaoh's baker.

When his brethren were about to depart, Joseph directed his steward to conceal his silver-cup in the sack of Benjamin. We have more than once noticed the early use of ornaments formed from the precious metals among the Egyptians; extraordinary attention was paid to the form and decorations of their drinking cups, and we find that some of the richest tributes which the Pharaohs received from the southern provinces, especially Meroe and Nubia, were gold and siver vases. Joseph's steward declares that this cup was not only used for drinking, but also for divination. "Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth?" (Genesis XLIV. 5.) Divination by the cup is only one form of the divina. tion by a fluid mirror, which, from the earliest ages, has prevailed in the East, and which, after the Crusades, became a popular form of witchcraft in modern Europe. Indeed, the credulous and ignorant in some of the remoter districts of England, still believe that fortune-tellers can predict future events by inspecting the accidental arrangement of the grounds in a teacup or a coffee-cup. We cannot identify this form of divination on the monuments, but the most ancient traditions bear testimony to its prevalence; one of these intimates that those who conjure indiscreetly with the magic cup expose themselves to great danger, and it is possible that the circumstance was mentioned in order to terrify the sons of Jacob. It must be recollected, too, that it is Joseph's steward, not Joseph himself, who speaks of conjuring with the cup..

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After Joseph made himself known to his brethren, he sent "wagons" to bring his father and family down into Egypt; it appears that such vehicles were unknown, or, at least, uncommon, for the moment that Jacob saw them, he recognised the land from which they came. On the monuments, the only wheelcarriages usually seen, are the war-chariots; but it is manifest that the use of these conveyances must have led to the employment of wagons and similar vehicles for the transport not only of goods, but of women, children, and sick persons. Indeed, Joseph expressly intimates that such was the use for which these vehicles were intended. "Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt, for your little ones and for your wives." (Gen. XLV. 19.) Within a very recent period the representation of a four-wheel vehicle, extremely like a farming wagon, or wain, has been discovered among the paintings in a tomb, at Thebes, wherein the mummy of a person of high rank was found.

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The policy which induced the reigning Pharaoh to give the land of Goshen to the colony of the Israelites, may readily be understood by a reference to the map of Egypt, and to what we have already said respecting the inveterate hostility between the Egyptians and the wandering tribes of Arabia and Syria. Goshen was the name of the rich pasturage districts between the eastern bank of the Nile, and the upper shores of the Red Sea. It was a frontier province exposed to the ravages of the Arabians and Syrians, and was almost useless to the Egyptians, whose habits and customs were utterly at variance with the usages of a nomade life. When we read that every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians," (Gen. XLVI. 34,) we must not imagine with many commentators that they had any religious objection to the mere occupation of tending flocks and herds; indeed, so far was this from being the case, that we find an entire caste of herdsmen among the Egyptians, and flocks of sheep and goats, droves of black cattle, and herds of other tamed animals are frequently depicted on the monuments. The prejudice was against those restless tribes, from whose incursions they suffered so severely, and they probably feared that, if any native Egyptians settled in Goshen, they might gradually acquire a taste for a wandering life, and, perhaps, in the end, favour an invasion.

This enmity between agricultural and pastoral populations brought into close contact, is still exemplified on the north-eastern frontiers of Persia. Nothing can exceed the mutual contempt and rancorous hatred between the Turcomans and Tartars, who lead a nomadic life in the steppes and deserts north of the Oxus, and the settled agriculturists of Persia. They

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speak of each other with a virulence and affected contempt which could only have been engendered by centuries of mutual hatred and mutual injury. But with the Egyptians this natural enmity was systematized by the exertions of the priestly caste, who sanctified policy by religion, and forbade their followers even to partake of a social meal with the objects of their jealousy and their animosity.

The defenceless land of Goshen was, therefore, worse than useless to the Egyptians; it was the high road for the invasion of the pastoral tribes with whom, then, as now, a foray was esteemed an honourable enterprize, and it could not well be used as pasture, for the Egyptians employed to tend cattle in that region must have, in some degree, adopted the usages of their enemies. This sufficiently appears from the words which Pharaoh addressed to Joseph, "if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle." (Gen. xLvii. 6.) The Hebrew words translated "men of activity," more properly signify "men of military habits," such as the Israelites were likely to acquire by a nomade life, and of which they were certain to need the exercise in guarding the royal herds of a frontier province.

The policy of Pharaoh is now intelligible; as Dr. Hales very properly remarks, "Goshen formed the eastern barrier of Egypt towards Syria and Palestine the quarters from which they most dreaded invasion-whose nakedness was now covered in a short time, by a numerous, a brave, and an industrious people: amply repaying, by the additional security. and resources which they gave to Egypt, their hospitable reception and naturalization.' And thus Joseph, while he provided for the comfort of his family, conferred an inestimable advantage on the monarch whom he served.

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Two years of the famine alone had expired when Jacob and his posterity came down to colonize the land of Goshen. Five years yet remained during which the Egyptians had no resources but the royal granaries, which had been amply stored by the provident care of Joseph during the seven years of plenty. Nor is there any difficulty in supposing that the granaries could contain a sufficient supply for the entire population of Egypt during the space of seven years. The monuments contain ample proofs of the care that the Egyptians bestowed on the storing and preservation of corn, and the great extent of their granaries.

Some persons, indeed, have insinuated rather than expressed a doubt, of the possibility of preserving corn for so long a time; but in a climate so remarkably dry as that of Egypt, there is no limit to the period during which grain may be kept sound We

have seen some grains and seeds taken out of the sepulchres, which were so far from being injured by being kept for three thousand years, that they still retained their germinating power, and we have actually seen a plant grown from one of them.

It was Joseph's policy to make the sovereign lord of the soil of Egypt, with the single exception of the land belonging to the priests. Hence the rental of Egypt was identical with its taxation; the sum paid for the support of the government being twenty per cent, or one-fifth of the entire produce. The existence of this singular system is confirmed by the monuments, for we find a superintending secretary present at the winnowing and measuring of the corn, as was shown in an earlier part of this series.

Both Jacob and Joseph were embalmed after their death, the body of the former was immediately removed to the land of Canaan, but Joseph's remains were not borne to the sepulchre of his fathers, until the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, after their departure from Egypt and wanderings in the desert. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the care with which the Egyptians preserved their dead; the mummies are too well known to require description. There are, however, one or two circumstances mentioned in the Scripture narrative which require a few brief observations. When the Israelites had brought Jacob's body over the river Jordan, they made a halt for seven days to indulge their sorrow," and when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians; wherefore the name of it was called Abel-mizraim, (sorrow of the Egyptians,) which is beyond Jordan." (Gen. L. 11.)

In confirmation of this narrative, we find that no nation, ancient or modern, carried their lamentations for the dead to such an extravagant length as the Egyptians. We see the mourners at funerals depicted on the monuments rending their garments, casting dust upon their heads, beating their breasts, and using gestures that seem to belong to almost hopeless despair. Historians assure us, that during the period of mourning, which varied with the rank of the deceased, the relatives and dependents abstained from the use of meat and wine, neglected their persons, and went about singing plaintive songs in honour of the departed. The Israelites adopted this custom, and it was retained by the Jews for many centuries after it had been disused in Egypt. But such a practice was looked upon as unmanly by warlike and nomade races, and hence arose the surprise of the Canaanites, who regarded such grief as novelty, that they perpetuated its memory by giving a new name to the place in which it occurred.

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It is particularly mentioned that Joseph was put in a coffin ;" among the Egyptians, coffins were used only in the burial of people of distinction; but when they were used, great care was taken in ornamenting and decorating them. The wood from which they were formed is of so lasting a nature, that some of those Egyptian coffins now to be seen in the British Museum, and other collections of antiquities, seem as fresh as if they had just come from the hand of the maker. Hence we see, that there was no very great difficulty in the children of Israel bearing with them the body of Joseph at the time of the Exodus, and carrying it about with them during their wanderings in the desert. It was not until the conquest of Canaan was completed, indeed, that the body of the patriarch was committed to its final resting place; for we read in the book of Joshua, "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of

ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver; and it became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph." (Josh. xxiv. 32.)

We have now gone minutely through the entire history of Joseph and his family, and have shown how fully every particular is confirmed by existing testimony, brought to light within our own day. We have next to investigate the history of the Israelites under altered circumstances, when "another king arose who knew not Joseph."

HISTORY OF WRITING MATERIALS. THERE are few subjects capable of affording more interesting details than the history of the origin, progress, manufacture, and use of those articles or substances with which we are most familiar; and yet it happens that these are precisely the very subjects about which least is known. Whether the old adage that "too much familiarity breeds contempt," applies to a contempt for the knowledge of things familiar to us, we know not; but we certainly cannot understand the feeling which seeks for information respecting objects new and strange, and disdains to inquire into the many curious properties and useful facts concerning familiar things. The very circumstance of familiarity and utility ought, we think, to afford an additional reason for acquiring information concerning such articles. We propose, therefore, to lay before our readers the history of those familiar and useful articles-Writing Materials. Having already introduced cursory notices concerning some of them,

more especially those of the ancients, our chief business will now be with those of the moderns.

I. THE HISTORY OF A QUILL PEN.

IT has been said, quaintly enough, that he who first introduced the use of goose-quills for pens, borrowed from the emblem of folly the instruments of wisdom. Without discussing the justice or injustice of this satire upon a poor goose, we cannot deny that quill pens have been the messengers of vast benefit to mankind, insomuch that it has been sarcastically remarked, that "had the ancients been acquainted with the art of employing quills as a material for pens, they would, probably, have dedicated to Minerva, -not the owl, but the goose." But some men have made the mistake of honouring the pen as the cause, instead of the mere instrument, of good. Thus, we have been told of one writer who had the

pen with which he wrote one of his works, framed and glazed, and hung up over his mantel-piece; another pen was put into a golden casket by the over-zealous admirer of a celebrated writer; and no doubt it was with a feeling of much complacency and self-satisfaction that Holland, a physician of Coventry, who translated Pliny's Natural History into English, wrote the following lines:

With one sole pen I wrote this book,
Made of a gray goose quill.
A pen it was when it I took-
A pen I leave it still.

It appears from the best testimony, that the mode of writing in the earliest times was not by the use of a fluid like ink, but by marking with a blunt point on tablets covered with a surface of wax; but when the Egyptian papyrus was devised, and a coloured liquid found, which could be used as ink, a new mode of procedure was devised, more likely to leave permanent traces of the writing. The instrument employed was a reed, the nature of which is not precisely

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