Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 4.djvu/28

16 the same objection. The papyrus, the common material for writing, was by no means proper for drawing designs at large, even if its size had been suitable, or its price such as to make it generally attainable.

The waxed tablet and metal plates might be useful for small drawings, but we can hardly conceive it practicable to have employed them of a sufficient size to make the working drawings for buildings yet remaining in Greece.

There remain therefore only the wooden boards or tablets, on which we may suppose that the Grecian architects drew their working designs, and it is obvious that this would be in most instances the means most easily available, as well as best adapted for such purposes of those at that time attainable. There are perhaps few parts of the globe in which something of the nature of chalk or bole may not be procured, and it is easy to conceive how in this mode the Grecian architects might manage their working drawings, for any erroneous marks made by a substance of that description would be easily effaceable merely by a wet cloth.

Whether the Roman architects employed similar means I know not that there is any distinct evidence; but the numerous discussions which have arisen concerning various passages in the writings of Vitruvius, from the want of drawings attached to his work, give us reason to suppose that the Romans had not adopted the delineation of plans and other drawings on the substances used for the composition of their books.

We may now turn to that period which more immediately concerns us, and consider the implements and materials which may be supposed to have been in use in the reigns of the three first Edwards. For writing a substance had been generally brought into use remarkably adapted for permanency, I mean the preparations of animal skin, such as vellum or parchment; but, though many manuscripts contain valuable illustrations of the costume of that time, and in some instances exhibit, so to speak, elevations of buildings, yet there is nothing that I have been able to find analogous to direct planning, or that description of drawing which can alone be useful in understanding the intentions of an architect, namely, the details of working drawings or even geometrical elevations.

It appears that in addition to vellum, a description of paper was introduced from the east soon after the commencement of