Ossian Collection > Thoughts on the origin and descent of the Gael

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shows, from the authority of Greek authors, that
the papyrus was known to the Greeks before the
time of Alexander the Great, but was not then
used as paper.
The Egyptian paper was so scarce, even at the
time of Tiberius, that its use was dispensed with
by a decree of the senate.* " Factumq. jam
" Tiberio principe inopia charts', ut e senatu da-
" renlur arbitri dispensandi."
There can be no doubt, then, that when Phny
mentions the word charta. he means the Egyptian
paper made of the plant papyrus. That Varro
used the word in the same sense is equally cer-
tain. The annalist Cassius Hemina gave no in-
formation, nor stated any opinion, that the paper
books found in Numa's tomb were made of the
Egyptian papyrus ; nor can the application of
the term charta to those books, or to the letters
of Sarpedon written from Troy, establish a higher
antiquity to the invention of the Egyptian paper
than that given to it by Varro.
In what sense the annalist used the word charta^
with respect to its substance, is not explained.
At what time the Romans became first acquaint-
ed with the Egyptian paper, is not ascertained.
That, however, both the Greeks and Romans
were acquainted with different substances, upon
which they inscribed written characters, before
they had any knowledge of the Egyptian paper,
* Pliny's Nat. Hist. lib. xiii. c. 13.
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