T-HE -GREEKS AND ROMANS.

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considerable advance in the art by the Egyptians.One, in the hieroglyphic character, is inclosed in acuriously worked piece of leather, and has beencovered with gold. Another contains a shortincription on the outside, and a third, now in the Bri-tish Museum , a long one on the cover.

These specimens also show that the ancients werewell acquainted with the process of gilding on leatherand other substances, and that they so embellishedthe covers of their books is now placed beyond ques-tion. It is evident the art of impression was wellunderstood, as we find from the Scriptures that sealsand coins were in use from the earliest periods, aswell as brands and other instruments for the purposeof marking. Virgil makes mention of brands withletters being used in his time for marking cattle,&c. with the owner’s name. The various seals,found in the tombs, and brought from Egypt in ourday, as well as the certainty of many of their orna-mental decorations being formed by pressure, abund-antly confirms all that ancient writers have recorded.

The engraving gives the general appearance of theroll when completed.