Excerpt from The Old Testament Manuscript in the Freer Collection, Vol. 2: The Washington Manuscript of the PsalmsIt was found best to apply the moisture through the medium of a thick but soft woolen cloth. This was dipped in water, pressed reasonably dry, and then spread closely over the decayed portion of the top leaf. Care had to be taken to prevent the moisture reaching those parts of the parchment which still pre served something of the original strength and color. The cloth had to touch every portion of the decayed surface and yet not be pressed sufficiently to make an excess of moisture stand on any part of the parchment. After lying there until the moisture had penetrated to the thickness of a single leaf, that is, about a minute, the cloth was removed and the surface dried rapidly, usually by fanning.Then with the aid of a long, thin-bladed dinner knife the separation of the top leaf from the mass was begun. The start was made on the edge having firm parchment, and the better portion usually separated with ease. The presence of moisture had a tendency to make the leaves separate in the decayed part, while the drying of the surface restored sufficient strength to the top leaf so that with care it could be removed without tearing.The work was necessarily very slow, as it was not possible to push the knife blade between the leaves, owing to the soft and yielding nature of the decayed parchment when moist. Neither could the stronger part of the leaf be bent back as it was sepa rated from the mass, for it was so stiff and hard that it would have torn loose at once from the tender decayed portion. It was, however, found that the separation progressed safely, if slowly, when the knife blade, placed under the top leaf and close against the point of union with the mass, was slightly lifted. By working back and forth across the page on this line of union the top leaf was peeled well back into or even through the decayed part.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.