[5] De Re Diplomatica.

"The paper of Egypt, being more frail and brittle, may seem to be open
to greater doubt; yet there are not wanting books of great antiquity, by
which its durability may be established. To go no further, there is in
the Royal Library a very old codex written upon the philyra (or bark of
the linden tree) containing the homilies of Avitus, I mean the copy from
which the celebrated Jac. Sirmundus prepared his edition; we have also
seen two other codices of the same material in the Petavian Library,
containing some sermons of S. Augustine, which, in the opinion of the
learned, are about 1100 years old. Of the same kind is that rare and
very ancient codex in the Ambrosian Library, mutilated indeed, but
consisting of many leaves of Egyptian paper, which contain some portions
of the Jewish history of Josephus. These examples are sufficient to
demonstrate the durability of the Egyptian paper in ancient books." The
author then goes on to mention several instances of deeds and chartas
written upon the paper of Egypt, still extant, though executed in the
fourth and fifth centuries.

Books have owed their conservation, not merely to the durability of the
material of which they were formed, but to the peculiarity of their
being at once precious, and yet not (in periods of general ignorance)
marketable articles; of inestimable value to a few, and absolutely
worthless in the opinion of the multitude. They were also often indebted
for their preservation in periods of disorder and violence to the
sacredness of the roofs under which they were lodged.--_Taylor's History
of the Transmission of Ancient Books to Modern Times._

* * * * *