THE EARLY GOLD AND SILVER MANUSCRIPTS

BY JOHN M. BURNAM

There exists a small group of manuscripts chiefly of the fifth

and sixth centuries written usually on purple parchment and in
gold letters, or in silver, sometimes employing these two metal tinc-
tures in combination. One is in the Gothic language, probably an
Italian production, two are Greek, and five are Latin and with
possibly one exception assignable to the Italian peninsula. They
form a special class in the larger group of very handsomely decorated
codices of the early Christian period. All of them are interesting
as monuments of Christian art and literature, and as such have
been the subject of numerous articles in magazines, besides treat-
ment in monographs and comprehensive treatises. The discussion
of them has been from the point of view of art, history, paleography,
and biblical criticism. The writer of the present paper believes they
deserve a place in the history of symbolism also.
Chrysography or writing with gold tinctures has been treated by
Ch. Graux in the Revue de Philologie V (1881), 117-21, and in the
Saglio Dictionnaire, art. "Chrysographie"; by W. Wattenbach in
his well-known Schriftwesen, 3d ed. (1896), 251-61, who made some
additions to the material gathered by his predecessors; and nomi-
nally by Mau in the Pauly-Wissowa Realencyclopadie under the
title XpvcTo7paok(a,where, however, the topic is merely mentioned.
Other mentions are found in Birt's Antikes Buchwesen (1882) 108
and 502, and once more in the same author's Buchrolle in der Kunst
(1907) 22 n. and 302 n. 2 with some corrections' to previous state-
ments. Some welcome contributions to the whole subject were
furnished in 1902 by L. Blau in his Studien zum althebrdischenBuch-
wesen. His ideas were partly utilized and partly opposed by L.
Traube in his epoch-making essay Nomina Sacra (1907) 21-24;
this work contains, too, on pp. 178-85 a valuable list of the earliest
IOn p. 22 n. he cites a papyrus of the third or fourth century which shows that
contrary to his earlier opinion, gold writing was possible on both parchment and
papyrus, ?irl Xdprov J &O6e'pas.
[CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY VI, April, 1911] 144
 THE EARLYGOLDAND SILVERMANUSCRIPTS 145

Latin manuscripts, biblical and patristic, and on pp. 56-87 a similar

catalogue for the Greek language.
Blau's treatise deserves special mention at this point, for besides
using whatever had been gathered by Graux and Wattenbach, he
first saw the prime importance of the sections 176-79 of the famous
Aristeas letter. This passage tells us how the high priest at Jeru-
salem sent to Ptolemy Philadelphus a series of handsome presents,
among which was (176) Tass &aco'potS &p9fepatq Ev aI' vo?o9Eooea
yeypape'vr} xpvuooypaicPt ToFS 'IovSalcois 7ypaoa-t 0vaiytao-twq.
Again, p. 80 and n. 3, we learn that in the Song of Songs (1:3) the
golden lines with silver points mean the Torah or Book of the Law
( zvop,o&eorain the aforesaid letter) written out in silver letters or
words. On pp. 143-44 he adduces another interpretation tradi-
tional among the Hebrew doctors according to which silver lines
should accompany golden letters.
This same scholar (pp. 157-62) brings up for discussion the
entire topic of chrysography, and shows that whereas Loew (Graphi-
sche Requisiten I, 161 ff.) and Wattenbach (op. cit. 112) were able
to cite no earlier authority for gold-lettered manuscripts than this
same narrative regarding the high priest and Ptolemy but depended
for proof onJosephus (Antiqq.Judaeorum XII, 2,11 [111,87,19 Niese]),
this extract is merely a reproduction of the words of Aristeas. And
on pp. 46 and 159 he emphasizes the combination of gold and silver
in the same codex or roll and claims with justice, as it seems to the
present writer, that there were some very early books entirely in
these metal tinctures; that is to say, that the doubts on this point
shared by Traube and others are groundless, and it was not merely
initial letters or lines or the TeTparypad,ukaTov,
TOop'opaTo ape/c7rpoo-
OVdwToV,the nomen Dei ineffabile, which was so honored. When
men once learned how to make a writing-fluid containing a solution
of either of the precious metals, why should it not be applied to
the entire compass of a venerable text?
In all this valuable treatise, there is nothing more interesting
than the discussion of the rule that if the nomen ineffabile be written
in gold, such writing must be hidden, that is, withdrawn from the
public gaze. That name had a miraculous and magic power
which rendered its use by the ignorant and uninitiated very dan-
146 JOHN M. BURNAM

gerous. This is a primitive conception, well known in the history

of religion, current not merely among the Hebrews, but among early
Christians too, for whom the name of the Savior had the same
significance as the Tetragrammaton among the Jews. This fact
accounts satisfactorily for the concealment of the nomen ineffabile
and the loss of its true pronunciation even on the part of the priest-
hood. It became necessary to write out the skeleton of the word
on the page of the Scriptures, it is true, but before the invention of
the vowel points only a few persons were able to give the skeleton
its clothing of flesh. Even the use of gold was a concealment-but
we will presently return to this point. Readers of Traube's
Nomina Sacra remember how he has traced the filiation between
this Hebrew practice and the Christian system of abbreviation as
opposed to the pagan or classical.
Finally, Blau suggests that in view of all the evidence we may
refer the production of these costly gold and silver MSS of the
Bible and Psalters to a Jewish or oriental origin; he seems to hold
that the custom spread from the East to the Graeco-Roman world.
But may we not assign at least a part of the glory of the invention
to the Egyptians? If so, this is something to range alongside the
production of illustrated books, an invention which we now know
was due to the land of the Nile.
Whereas our authorities are able to quote a number of passages
mentioning gold writing, silver seems to be mentioned in the Hebrew
tradition regarding the Song of Songs, etc., and in the classical
languages just one single time. This is the oft-quoted text from
Jerome's preface to Job (cited from the edition of Vallarsius, Veronae
1734 and ss., Tom. X, 1099-1100): "Habeant qui volunt veteres libros
vel in membranis purpureis auro argentoque descriptos,l vel unciali-
bus, ut vulgo aiunt, litteris, onera magis exarata quam codices:
dum mihi meisque permittunt pauperes schedulas et non tam pul-
chros codices quam emendatos." This passage and another (Ep.
XXII, Tom. I, 115B) show the natural anxiety of the earnest preacher
and man of conviction lest his flock desert the essentials and
1The combination of purple parchmnentwith gold and silver letters, together with
the contrast of schedulae and codices, suggests that the spreading use of the codex form
of books on membrana may be partly due to the greater ease of producing handsomely
written and illustrated books in one way than in the other.
 THE EARLY GOLD AND SILVER MANUSCRIPTS 147

realities for the outward show and the frivolities of life; they also
reflect the scholar and translator, the critic who was more concerned
for the correctness of the biblical text than its external adornment.
These texts testify as well to the presence of a number of people
in the communion at an early age (Ep. XXII may be dated 384)
who were interested in caligraphy and book decoration for artistic
reasons. True, many of the Christians may have been members
of the congregation of Rev. Dr. Yellowplush, but even these repre-
sent the unworthy side of a praiseworthy impulse.
In general, this and the similar citations refer often with dis-
approval merely to the decorative effect of the purple and the precious
metals. And yet there are extracts from the writing of the Fathers
from which the disciples of Rev. Dr. Yellowplush could draw a
legitimate defense of their admiration for these unusually fine copies.
There was current a system of interpretation in the works of their
critics which they could employ when attacked, namely a resort to
allegory, mysticism, and symbolism. Let us devote a few lines to
the history of this movement.
The general problem of criticism and interpretation began at an
early moment to confront those Greeks who read and studied the
Homeric poems. The relevant questions became acute when reli-
gious opinions were involved, and as men found themselves drifting
away from a simple and unquestioning belief in the gods of Olympus
and the stories related about them in the two national epics, it was
natural to explain these stories in a way to suit the later ideas.
Many a statement in the text was evidently figurative; why not
others as well? If we find allegory of service in philosophy, why
not in poetry too? If Pythagoras arrives at a system of number-
symbolism, and if Zeus was originally the sky, by skilful interpreta-
tion one may find numerical harmonies and moral signification in
still other elements of ancient story.
The Stoics were the chief masters and champions of this mode
of exegesis. They found it a convenient way of presenting their
doctrines to the public and of defending the national religion. The
various occurrences in the national mythology out of harmony with
modern views became sometimes natural phenomena having no
moral content at all, at other times, by way of the allegory, became
148 JOHN M. BURNAM

quite moral. It was soon found that this method of explanation

made it easy to read into an ancient text a modern meaning which
could then be read out again. Next it appeared that this process,
besides its purely practical side in teaching philosophy and bolstering
up a declining faith in the old religion, might become an intellectual
exercise. Some of the explanations found in the later Christian
champions of this method are startling examples of ingenuity, not
infrequently farfetched and misplaced.
From Athens and the narrower Hellas the method passes over
to Alexandria and the wider Hellas. In Alexandria the Hel-
lenizing Jews made its acquaintance, and having to some degree
lost their faith in the traditional meaning attached to the ideas
and practices of the Mosaic Law, they readily adopted the new
resource. How deeply it took root we know from the writings of
Philo.
From the Jews and the Greeks the system reaches the Christians.
One needs only to think of the parables of the Savior, references
to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, to the Lamb that was slain,
and to the entire books of John's Gospel and the Apocalypse to
see how naturally the nascent church seized on this mode of
interpretation.
From the canonical texts it passes over to devotional and
exegetical works; for instance, the Pastor of Hermas is hardly any-
thing but a long allegory. Origen resorts to forced explanations to
drive home an argument, and henceforth in the writings, e.g., of
Augustine and Jerome, allegory is a well-organized system. It
applies everywhere and at all times. Every name, number, person,
place, scene, or incident in the Old Testament must be prophetic
of an occurrence or doctrine of the New. Hannah and her child
were the prototypes of Mary and hers; Adam and Eve foreshadow
the Savior and the Church.
Wherever in the Hebrew Scriptures you find the number 300,
that means the crucifixion, because that number in the Greek sys-
tem of notation is symbolized by the letter T, itself a form of the
cross. The fact that the word and interpretation were in different
languages did not, in the opinion of these investigators, invalidate
the results. Thus Adam, a Hebrew word, means the world, because
 THE EARLYGOLDAND SILVERMANUSCRIPTS 149

the component letters are the initials of ,

'Apicroipos, AV60T?,'AvaroX
Men-/R3pia, or North, West, East, and South. These examples might
be multiplied indefinitely by anyone who will take the trouble to
turn the pages of Augustine and Jerome. The reader must admit
that the contemporaries of those Doctors, and particularly the later
generations accustomed to regard their words as inspired, were
naturally inclined to find a hidden meaning in anything and every-
thing connected with the Scriptures.
The doctrine of the time may be found in the following quota-
tions:
St. Augustine (editio Benedictina, 11 vols., folio, Parisiis, 1679-
1700) In Johann. Evang. 7, no. 9 Tractat. XXVIII (Tom. III, 2,
511C): "Omnia quae dicta sunt antiquo populo Israel in multi-
plici Scriptura Sanctae Legis, quae agerent, sive in sacrificiis, sive
in sacerdotiis, sive in diebus festis, et omnino in quibuslibet rebus qui-
bus Deum colebant quacumque illis dicta et praecepta sunt, umbrae
fuerunt futurorum. Quorum futurorum? quae implentur in
Christo." Enarratio in Psalmum CXXXI. 2 (Tom. IV, 1472D):
"Sed solemus in Psalmis non ad litteram adtendere, sicut in omni
propheta, sed per litteram scrutari mysteria." Sermo CXLIX de
Verbis Act. 10, etc. (Tom. V, 705B): "Omnia enim animalia quae
Judaeis prohibita sunt manducare signa sunt rerum, et sicut dictum
est, umbrae futurorum" (some examples which we omit). Same
page, no. 5E: "Sic cetera quae ad hunc modum praecepta sunt
Judaeis, umbraticae sunt significationes futurorum" (with exam-
ples). This mode of interpretation is called tropologia in Jerome's
works; besides two passages cited below, we here note Ep. CXX
ad Hedibiam (Tom. I, 842BCD) : "Triplex in corde nostro descriptio,
et regula Scripturarum est. Prima, ut intellegamus eas juxta his-
toriam. Secunda, juxta tropologiam. Tertia juxta intellegentiam
spiritualium. In historia, eorum quae scripta sunt ordo servatur.
In tropologia, de littera ad majora consurgimus, et quicquid in priori
populo carnaliter factum est, juxta moralem interpretamus locum,
et ad animae nostrae emolumenta convertimus. In spirituali OcEpla
ad sublimiora transimus, terrena dimittimus, de futurorum beati-
tudine, et caelestibus disputamus: ut praesentis vitae meditatio,
umbra futurae beatitudinis sit."
150 JOHN M. BURNAM

Recalling now what has already been said about the concealment
of the Ineffable Name, let us consider what St. Augustine says
(Quaestiones in Exod. II: 120, Tom. III, 458EF): he begins by
quoting Exod. XXVIII:36: "Et facies laminam auream puram, et
formabis in eadem formationem signi, sanctitatem Domini: et
impones illud super hyacinthum duplicem tortam: et erit super
mitram; secundum adspectum mitrae erit: et erit super frontem Aaron.
Et auferet Aaron peccata sanctorum eorum." These words are
thus explained: "Quomodo formetur in lamina sanctitas Domini,
non video, nisi aliquibus litteris, quas quidam quattuor esse dicunt
Hebraeas, quod, ut Graeci appellant, rErpaypad'tkarov nomen Dei
ineffabile credunt fuisse vel esse adhuc usque. Sed quaelibet sint
vel quomodolibet se habeant illae litterae, ut dixi, sanctitatem
Domini vel sanctificationem, si hoc magis credundum est, quod
Graecus habet itytao-,a non nisi litteris in auro formari potuisse
crediderim."
Here, then, we find a mystic signification attributed to the gold
on which, only, the hidden name of God was to be incised. This
passage alone might have served as the starting-point for symbolism
of the metal in those old Bibles and Gospels. But the lovers of
handsome books with mystical tendencies were not limited to these
words only, for there were four verses in the canonical Scriptures
dealing with gold and silver which recur in the Fathers with alle-
gorical or mystic comment. For instance, St. Augustine after
saying (Enarratio in Psalmum LXXII: 17, Tom. 14, 751E): "intel-
legimus per aurum sapientiam, quae ita excellit inter omnes doctrinas,
ut aurum inter metalla," cites as his proof Prov. VIII:10: "Accipite
prudentiam sicut argentum, et sapientiam sicut aurum probatum."
(Vulgate text ed. Fillion runs: "Accipite disciplinam meam et non
pecuniam; doctrinam magis quam aurum eligite.")
The remaining verses in their Vulgate rendering are: Ps. XI:7:
"Eloquia Domini, eloquia casta; argentum igne examinatum, pro-
batum terrae, purgatum septuplum"; Ps. LXVII :14: "Si dormiatis
inter medios cleros, pennae columbae deargentatae, et posteriora
dorsi eius in pallore auri"; ibid., vs. 31: "ut excludant eos qui
probati sunt argento." Our patristic citations ring the changes on
these extracts in a series of mystic interpretations. They are:
 THE EARLYGOLDAND SILVERMANUSCRIPTS 151

ORIGENES

(Cited from the edition of Delarue, Parisiis, 1723)

In Exod. Homelia XXIII (Tom. II, 175F), after citing Ps. XI: 7,
says: "Si ergo quae scripta sunt corde conceperis, erit sensus tuus
probus, et argentum tuum, qui est sermo tuus, probatum." In
Lucam Hom. XXVII (Tom. III, 965A): "Si dormieritis inter medios
cleros, pennae columbae deargentatae et posteriora dorsi eius in
virore auri."
HIERONYMVS

Epp. CXX (Tom. I, 816AB): "Quod si deponamus gravissimam

sarcinam, et assumamus nobis pennas columbae, et volabimus, et
dicetur nobis, Si dormiatis inter medios cleros etc. Dorsum nos-
trum quod prius informe erat, et gravi sarcina premebatur, habeat
nitorem auri, quod interpretatur in sensu, et alas deargentatas, quae
intelleguntur eloquia Scripturarum, et regnum Dei intrare poterimus."
In Ecclesiasten II: 8 (Tom. III, 400A): "Argentum et aurum semper
Scriptura divina super sermone ponit et sensu. Unde et in sexagesimo
septimo Psalmo, columba quae interpretatur in spiritu, manifes-
tiores et visui expositas alas deargentatas habet, occultiorem vero
intrinsecus sensum in auri pallore operit." In Isaiam I: 2, 19 seqq.
(Tom. IV, 42DE): "Saepe diximus argentum et aurum pro ser-
mone et sensu accipi, quae cum a Deo hominibus data sint, ut vel
loquantur vel sentiant Deum, et laudent creatorem suum, illi abu-
tuntur hoc munere in idolorum simulationem: juxta illud quod
scriptum est (Hos. II:8) Dedi illis argentum et aurum; ipsi vero de
argento et auro meo operati sunt Baal." Ibid. XL: 20 (Tom. IV,
489C): "Juxta tropologiam possumus dicere, quod increpentur prin-
cipes haereticorum, diversa idola de suo corde fingentes; vel eloquii
venustate quod interpretatur argentum; vel splendore auri quod
refertur ad sensum." In Ezechielem II: 7, 20 (Tom. V, 750):
"Facilis autem sensus est juxta tropologiam, quod aurum et argen-
tum, sensus et eloquia Scripturarum." Ibid. VII: 22, 19 (Tom. V,
257AB): "Aurumque in sensu atque sapientia, et argentum in
sermone atque eloquio susceperunt, ut quod mente conceperint,
verbis explicent. De argento legimus," etc. (citing Ps. XI:7 and
LXVII: 14). In Joel II: 4-6 (Tom. VI, 209E): " Et argentum
illius et aurum, eloquia videlicet Scripturarum, et vo jjtara id est
152 JOIIN M. BURNAM

sententias . . .. suis erroribus manciparunt." In Zachariam

I: 4, 2 (Tom. VI, 809B): "Quod autem in sensu aurum accipiatur
posteriora et humeri columbae in sexagesimo septimo Psalmo osten-
dunt: quae dicuntur auri virore sive fulgore radiare."

AVGVSTINVS

Quaestiones in Evang. I:41 (Tom. III, 2, 247D): "Eloquium

Domini argentum est." Enarratio in Psalmum LXVII: 14 (Tom.
IV, 673D): "Nullam quippe aliam melius hic intellegi puto colum-
bam deargentatam, quam illam de qua dictum est, Una est columba
mea (Cant. VI: 8). Deargentata est autem, quia divinis eloquiis est
erudita: eloquia namque Domini alio loco dicuntur argentum igne
examinatum terrae purgatum septuplum."

EVCHERIVS

(Cited from the Maxima Bibliotheca Veterum Patrum ed. De la Bigne,

Lugduni 1677)
Formularum Spiritalium cap. 7. 9 (Tom. VI, 836E): "Aurum
interior Scripturarum intellectus. In Psalmo: Et posteriora dorsi
eius in specie auri." Ibid. E: "Argentum, eloquia divina, sive
intellectus litterae vel historiae. In Psalmo" (XI: 7).

ANASTASIVS SINAITA

(Works in the same Bibliotheca)

Anagogicarum contemplationum in Hexaemeron VIII (Tom. IX,
897H): "Aurum . . . . hoc est divinitas, quae in terra Ecclesiae
resplendet, et adoratur... . In multis autem locis divinae Scrip-
turae, ipse quoque perscrutatus invenies aurum sumi pro figura
divinitatis Verbii."
GREGORIVS MAGNVS

(Benedictine edition, Parisiis, 1705)

Lib. IV in Reges 4, 27 (Tom. III, 206D): "Sed quia argenti
nomine divina eloquia designantur, argentum in manu pueri est
sermo divinus in virtute sciendi." Super Cantica CanticorumExposi-
tionis, cap. III, 10 (Tom. III, 426B): "Praedicatores . . . . nitore
eloquii quasi splendore argenti decoravit." Cf. I:30: "Per aurum
quippe sapientia." Moralia in Job IV: 3,61 (Tom. I, 131B): "Quid
 THE EARLY GOLD AND SILVER MANUSCRIPTS 153

vero aurum nisi sapientiam appellat ? de qua per Salamonem dicitur

(Prov. XXI: 20): Thesaurus desiderabilis requiescit in ore sapientis
(C) Quid etiam per argenti, nisi eloquia divina figurantur ? "
XVI: 23. 23 (p. 509C): "Argenti autem nomine sacra eloquia
designari testatur Psalmista (XI:7)." XVIII:27, 24 (p. 566C):
"Argentum intellegi eloquii claritas solet, sicut alias dicitur: Eloquia
Domini," etc. XVIII:28, 39 (p. 573A): "In argento eloquium, in
auro vitae vel sapientiae claritas designari solet." XVIII:28, 73
(p. 591C): "Quia enim argento saepe eloquia divina designantur,
possunt argenti vocabulo etiam eiusdem eloquii scriptores intellegi."
XVIII:38, 17 (p. 901C): "In argento enim quid aliud quam claritas
divini sermonis accipitur ?"
In this series of citations there is an ever-recurring pair of equa-
tions: gold means perception, knowledge, wisdom, the power to
comprehend the works and words of God; whereas silver uniformly
means speech, the ability to give expression to the words of the
Supreme Being. Now, as God is himself Supreme Wisdom and
Knowledge, and as it was for various reasons customary to use gold
and gold only to reproduce his name when appearing in writing,
and yet concealed from the eyes of the ignorant, what was easier
than to make the gold letters in and of themselves symbolize God?
And does not the thought at once suggest itself that as silver is God's
word, the canonical texts as being God's word should be reproduced
in silver letters ?
Now let us examine the state of the handsomest of the early
MSS. Here we find a series of Bibles, Gospels, sometimes Psalters
and Evangeliaries, whose writing is uniformly uncial; the parchment
is frequently stained in some one of the purple hues, the book
provided with paintings or drawings, or at any rate with some kind
of decoration. On other occasions we find the precious tinctures so
often referred to. One need not expect to find a surviving MS
showing all these features at the same time; such a book, especially
if inclosed in a worthy jeweled case like the "cumdachs" of the
finest Irish Bibles, would be a "livre de grand luxe" indeed.
The gold and silver MSS have been best discussed by Traube in
his Nomina Sacra; by St. Beissel (Geschichteder Evangelienbucher
in der ersten Halfte des Mittelalters, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1906);
154 JOHN M. BURNAM

by H. Omont in Notices et Extraits XXXVI, 2 (1899), 599-675:

"Notice sur un tres ancien manuscrit grec de Saint Mathieu en
onciales d'or sur parchemin pourpre et orn6 de miniatures, conserv6
a la Bibliotheque Nationale." The reader is referred to these
papers for additional facts and bibliography.
GOTHIC: A famous codex argenteus now at Upsala, ultimately
of Italian origin; holy names apparently in silver along with the
rest of the text.
GREEK: The codex purpureus Petropolitanus saec. VI contracts
the genuine nomina sacra, i.e. God and the members of the Holy
Trinity, and writes them in gold, whereas man, heaven, Israel, David,
and Jerusalem are done in silver, as is the remainder of the text.
The Psalterium Turicense, probably saec. VI, has a silver text, but
the captions to the Psalms and their initials are golden; and a con-
tract form of JEO; or KTPIO; occurring at the beginning of a
psalm is golden.
LATIN: Here there are no less than five surviving MSS that con-
cern us.
1. Codex Brixianus, of the gospels: purple, silver text; as for
the adornment of the holy names Traube speaks doubtfully.
2. The so-called Sarrezano MS of John's Gospel, now in the
archives of Monte-Cassino: silver purple, holy names in gold.
3. Psalterium Sancti Germani, partly in Paris (no. 11947 du
fonds latin), partly in the Imperial Library of St. Petersburg: silver
purple, holy names in gold.
4. Verona VI (3T0): a gospel MS on purple, and like so many
others just described, with silver text and holy names in gold.
5. Vindobonensis 1235, gospels: silver purple, holy names in gold.
The predominance of this combination of parchment stained in
some purple hue with text in silver letters and the holy names in
the royal metal, is remarkable in the region where the influence of
Augustine and Jerome was always the greatest. It is, too, the
region where Jerome's angry comment on the devotion to super-
abundance of ornament to the exclusion of true piety was most
noticeable. The occurrence of a few surviving MSS of the character
under consideration in the East might mean a widening of the influ-
ence of the Western Doctors in the other half of the Empire. It
 THE EARLY GOLD AND SILVER MANUSCRIPTS 155

seems that from those oft-quoted biblical verses and the doctrinal
comment on them a mystical conclusion was drawn, in accordance
with which the name of divine wisdom was done in contract, and
thereby concealed form, and the divine word in silver.
It is well known that at a later period the tradition of gold writing
revived or perhaps survived: but the writer has no evidence to
show a continuance of the mystical tradition. S. Berger in his
Histoire de la Vulgate has a whole chapter devoted to an kcole chry-
sographique and shows that there still exist no less than nineteen
specimens of such workmanship, all produced within the confines
of the Carolingian empire, between the years 780 and 880. Gold
MSS continue sporadically for over two hundred years longer and
actually reappear during the humanistic epoch. All that time silver
was not absolutely forgotten. As for the gold or silver, we will
content ourselves with citing from M. Prou (Manuel de la pal&o-
graphie latine et franmaise, 3me 6d., 1910, p. 38): "Dans un certain
nombre de manuscrits carolingiens 6crits 'a 1'encre noire, les titres,
les initiales, les noms du Christ, de Dieu, du Saint-Esprit, sont seuls
trac6s en lettres d'or ou d'argent."
In conclusion, it may be observed that this use of handsome adorn-
ment, especially with the help of gold, is frequent in the finest early
Christian mosaics. For information and details the reader is referred
to the first volume of the Histoire de l'art now in process of publica-
tion under the editorship of Andr6 Michel.
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI