forty centuries of ink-第74章

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The　face　and　internal　surfaces　of　the　orbits　had

been　painted　white；　which　pigment　I　ascertained

to　be　finely　powdered　chalk。〃



　〃I　am　a　scribbled　form；　drawn　with　a　Pen

　Upon　a　Parchment；　and　against　this　fire

　Do　I　shrink　up。〃

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　KING　JOHN；　v；　7。



　〃With　much　ado；　his　Book　before　him　laid；

　And　Parchment　with　the　smoother　side　display'd；

　He　takes　the　Papers；　lays　'em　down　agen；

　And　with　unwilling　fingers　tries　his　Pen；

　Some　peevish　quarrel　straight　he　tries　to　pick；

　His　Quill　writes　double；　or　his　Ink's　too　thick；

　Infuse　more　Water；　now　'tis　grown　too　thin；

　It　sinks；　nor　can　the　characters　be　seen。〃

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Persius；　translated　by　Dryden。



INKS　CALLED　SYMPATHETICAL　（Seventeenth　Century）。



〃These　operations　are　liquors　of　a　different　nature；

which　do　destroy　one　another；　the　first　is　an　infusion

of　quick…lime　and　orpin；　the　second　a　water　turn'd

black　by　means　of　burned　cork；　and　the　third　is　a

vinegar　impregnated　with　saturn。



〃Take　an　ounce　of　quick…lime；　and　half　an　ounce　of

orpin；　powder　and　mix　them；　put　your　mixture　into

a　matrass；　and　pour　upon　it　five　or　six　ounces　of　water；

that　the　water　may　be　three　fingers　breadth　above

the　powder；　stop　your　matrass　with　cork；　wax；　and　a

bladder；　set　it　in　digestion　in　a　mild　sand　heat　ten　or

twelve　hours；　shaking　the　matrass　from　time　to　time；

then　let　it　settle；　the　liquid　becomes　clear　like　common

water。



〃Burn　cork；　and　quench　it　in　aqua　vitae；　then　dissolve

it　in　a　sufficient　quantity　of　water；　wherein　you

shall　have　melted　a　little　gumm　arabick；　in　order　to

make　an　ink　as　black　as　common　ink。　You　must

separate　the　cork　that　can't　dissolve；　and　if　the　ink　be

not　black　enough；　add　more　cork　as　before。



〃Get　the　impregnation　of　saturn　made　with　vinegar；

distilled　as　I　have　shewn　before；　or　else　dissolve

so　much　salt　of　saturn　as　a　quantity　of　water

is　able　to　receive：　write　on　paper　with　a　new

pen　dipt　in　this　liquor；　take　notice　of　the　place

where　you　writ；　and　let　it　dry；　nothing　at　all　will

appear。



〃Write　upon　the　invisible　writing　with　the　ink

made　of　burnt　cork；　and　let　it　dry；　that　which　you

have　writ　will　appear　as　if　it　had　been　done　with　common

ink。



〃Dip　a　little　cotton　in　the　first　liquor　made　of　lime

and　orpin；　but　the　liquor　must　be　first　settled　and

clear；　rub　the　place　you　writ　upon　with　this　cotton

and　that　which　appeared　will　presently　disappear；　and

that　which　was　not　seen　will　appear。



ANOTHER　EXPERIMENT。



Take　a　book　four　fingers　breadth　in　bigness；　or

bigger　if　you　will：　write　on　the　first　leaf　with　your

impregnation　of　saturn；　or　else　put　a　paper　that　you

have　writ　upon　between　the　leaves；　turn　to　t'　other

side　of　the　Book；　and　having　observed　as　near　as　may

be　the　opposite　place　to　your　writing；　rub　the　last　leaf

of　the　book　with　cotton　dipt　in　liquor　made　of　quick…

lime　and　orpin；　nay　and　leave　the　cotton　on　the　place

clap　a　folded　paper　presently　upon　it；　and　shutting

the　book　quickly；　strike　upon　it　with　your　hand　four

or　five　good　strokes；　then　turn　the　book；　and　clap　it

into　a　press　for　half　a　quarter　of　an　hour；　take　it　out

and　open　it；　you'll　find　the　place　appear　black；　where

you　had　writ　with　the　invisible　ink。　The　same　thing

might　be　done　through　a　wall；　if　you　could　provide

something　to　lay　on　both　sides；　that　might　hinder　the

evaporation　of　the　spirits。



REMARKS。



〃These　operations　are　indeed　of　no　use；　but　because

they　are　somewhat　surprizing；　I　hope　the　curious　will

not　take　it　ill；　that　I　make　this　small　digression。



〃It　is　a　hard　matter　to　explicate　well　the　effects　I

have　now　related；　nevertheless　I　shall　endeavour　to

illustrate　them　a　little；　without　having　recourse　to

sympathy　and　antipathy；　which　are　general　terms；　and

do　not　explicate　nothing　at　all；　but　before　I　begin；　we

must　remark　several　things。



〃The　first　is；　that　it　is　an　essential　point　to　quench

the　coal　of　cork　in　aqua　vitae；　that　the　visible　ink　may

become　black　with　it。



〃Secondly；　that　the　blackness　of　this　ink　does

proceed　from　the　fuliginosity　or　sooty　part　of　the　coal

of　the　cork　which　is　exceeding　porous　and　light；　and

that　this　fuliginosity　is　nothing　but　an　oil　very　much

rarefied。



〃Thirdly；　that　the　impregnation　of　saturn；　which

makes　the　invisible　ink；　is　only　a　lead　dissolved；　and

held　up　imperceptibly　in　an　acid　liquor；　as　I　have　said；

when　I　spoke　of　this　metal。



〃Fourthly；　that　the　first　of　these　liquors　in　a　mixture

of　the　alkali　and　igneous　parts　of　quick…lime　with

the　sulphureous　substance　of　arsenick；　for　the　orpin

is　a　sort　of　arsenick；　as　I　said　before。



〃All　this　being　granted；　as　no　body　can　reasonably

think　otherwise；　I　now　affirm；　that　the　reason　why　the

visible　ink　does　disappear；　when　the　defacing　liquor　is

rubbed　upon　it；　is　that　this　liquor　consisting　of　an

alkali　salt；　and　parts　that　are　oily　and　penetrating；

this　mixture　does　make　a　kind　of　soap；　which　is　able

to　dissolve　any　fuliginous　substance；　such　as　burnt

cork；　especially　when　it　has　been　already　rarefied　and

disposed　for　dissolution　by　aqua　vitae；　after　the　same

manner　as　common　soap；　which　is　compounded　of　oil；

and　an　alkali　salt；　is　able　to　take　away　any　spots　made

by　grease。



〃But　it　may　be　demanded；　why　after　the　dissolution

the　blackness　does　disappear。



〃I　answer；　that　the　fuliginous　parts　have　been　so

divided；　and　locked　up　in　the　sulphureous　alkali　of

the　liquor；　that　they　are　become　invisible；　and　we　see

every　day　that　very　exact　solutions　do　render　the　thing

dissolved　imperceptible；　and　without　colour。



〃The　little　alkali　salt　which　is　in　the　burnt　cork

may　also　the　better　serve　to　joyn　with　the　alkali　of

the　quick…lime；　and　to　help　the　dissolution。



〃As　for　the　invisible　ink；　it　is　easy　to　apprehend

how　that　appears　black；　when　the　same　liquor；　which

serves　to　deface　the　other；　is　used　upon　it。　For　whereas

the　impregnation　of　saturn　is　only　a　lead　suspended　by

the　edges；　of　the　acid　liquor；　this　lead　must　needs　revive；

and　resume　its　black　colour；　when　that　which　held　it

rarefied　is　entirely　destroyed；　so　the　alkali　of　quick…

lime　being　filled　with　the　sulphurs　of　arsenick　becomes

very　proper　to　break　and　destroy　the　acids；　and　to

agglutinate　together　the　particles　of　lead。



It　happens　that　the　visible　ink　does　disappear　by

reason　that　the　parts　which　did　render　it　black　have

been　dissolved；　and　the　invisible　ink　does　also　appear

because　the　dissolved　parts　have　been　revived。



〃Quick…lime　and；　orpiment　being　mixed　and　digested

together　in　water；　do　yield　a　smell　much　like

that　which　happens　when　common　sulphur　is　boiled　in

a　lixivium；　of　tartar。　This　here　is　the　stronger；　because

the　sulphur　of　arsenick　is　loaded　with　certain　salts

that　make　a　stronger　impression　on　the　smell。　Quick…

lime　is　an　alkali　that　operates　in　this　much　like　the

salt　of　tartar　in　the　other　operation；　you　must　not

leave　the　matrass　open；　because　the　force　of　this

water　doth　consist　in　a　volatile。



〃The　lime　retains　the　more　fixt　part　of　the　arsenick

and　the　sulphurs　that　come　forth　are　so　much　the

more　subtile；　as　they　are　separated　from　what　did　fix

them　before；　and　this　appears　to　be　so；　because　the

sulphurs　must　of　necessity　pass　through　all　the　book　to

make　a　writing　of　a　clear　and　invisible　liquor　appear

black　and　visible：　and　to　facilitate　this　penetration　the

book　is　strook；　and　then　turned　about；　because　the　spirit

or　volatile　sulphurs　do　always　tend　upwards；　you　must

likewise　clap　it　into　a　press；　that　these　sulphurs　may

not　be　dispersed　in　the　air。　I　have　found；　if　that　these

circumstances　are　not　observed；　the　business　fails。

Furthermore　that　which　persuades　me　that　the　sulphurs

do　pass　through　the　book；　and　not　take　a　circuit

to　slip　in　by　the　sides；　as　many　do　imagine；　is

that　after　the　book　is　taken　out　of　th