Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/originprogressofOOastl_0 T II E OR I G I N and P R O G R E S S O F WRIT I N G, AS WELL HIEROGLYPHIC AS ELEMENTARY, ILLUSTRATED BY ENGRAVINGS TAKEN FROM MARBLES,. MANUSCRIPTS AND CHARTERS, ANCIENT AND MODERN; A L S O, SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF PRINTING, By THOMAS ASTLE, EscuF.R-S. F. S. A. and Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London, LONDON Printed for the AUTHOR; Efcld by T. Payne and Son, B. White, P. Elmsly, G. Nicol 3 and Leigh and Sotheby, M DCC L XXXIV, fX TO THE KING. SIR, BY YOUR MAJESTY'S gracious Per- mijfion, this Work, which comprehends Speci- mens of ancient Documents, particularly of thofe which Your Royal Goodnefs has committed to my care, is with all poj/ible Refpetl and Gratitude dedicated to YOUR MAJESTY, by YOUR MAJESTY'S mojt dutiful and obedient Subjetl and Servant, Thomas Astle. THE CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. General Reflexions. — Events which contributed to the decline and rejloration of Science. — Some account of the Work, CHAP. I. OF HIEROGLYPHICS. Of Speech. — Of the origin of Hieroglyphics. — Of their different kinds. — Hieroglyphics common to all uncivilized Nations. p. i CHAP. II. OF THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS. Variety of Opinions on this Subjecl. — Alphabetic Writing not flrft communicated to Moses, nor of Divine Original. — General Re- flexions. — Progrefs of the human Mind towards the Invention of an Alphabet. — How accompliflied. — Of the Compofltion and Notation of Language. - - - p. 10 C II A P. Q N T E N T SI. C H A P. III. OF THE A N T I QJJ I T Y OF WRITING. ffie Claims of different Nations to the Invention cf Letters ; name-- ly, — Of the Egyptians, — Phenicians, — Chaldeans, — Syrians, — . Indians, — Arabians. — Obfervations and Reflexions. — Of Ante" diluvian Writing. ?• - ° p. 26 ■ Q H A P. IV. GENERAL ACCOUNT OF ALPHABETS. All Alphabets not derived from one. — Alphabets derived from the Phenicia/u - - - p. 48 ■■; G II A P. V. OF THE MANNER OF WRITING IN DIFFERENT AGES AND. COUNTRIES. . Forms of Letters. — Phenician Letters, and their Derivatives. — Pelafgic Letters, and their Derivatives. — Roman Letters, and thofe derived from. them. — Specimens of ancient Alphabets and Writing*. - °- p. 62 CHAP. 'C O N T K N T S, CHAP. VI. OF CHARACTERS AND SIGNS. 'Of the Chinefe Characters. — Of Sigia, or literary Signs. — Of No fee ufed by Short-band Writers. — Of the various modes of fecret Writing. p. 1 6 3, CHAP. VII. OF NUMERALS, AND OF NUMERAL CHARACTERS. Numerals ufed by uncivilized Nations. — Numerals, and Numeral Cbaraclers of different Nations, — Indian Numeral Cbaraclers. — » When introduced into Europe, p. 1 8 x «, C H A P. VIII. OF WRITERS, ORNAMENTS, AND MATERIALS FOR WRITING. Of the Librarii Notarii, and Antiquarii. — Of Illuminators. — Of Paintings and Ornaments. — Of Materials for zvriting upon. — • Of Injlruments for writing zvitb. — -Of Inks, p. 190.0 CHAP. IX. ^SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF PRINTING, .Suppofed to have been an Eajlern Invention. — Firjl praclifed in Eu-* rope in the XVth Century. — Progrefs of the Art. — Of Printing in England* - - - p. 213 \ INTRODUCTION. THE nobleft acquifition of mankind is Speech, and the mod: ufefui art is Writing. The firft, eminently diftinguifties Man from the brute creation ; the fecond, from uncivilized favages. The ufes of writing are too various to be enumerated, and at the fame time too obvious to need enumeration. By this wonderful invention we are enabled to record and perpetuate our thoughts, for our own benefit, or give them the mod extenfive communication, for the benefit of others* As without this art, the labours of our anceftors in every branch of knowledge would have been loft to us, fo muft ours be to pofterity. Tra- dition is lb nearly allied to fable, that no authentick Hiftory can be compiled but from written materials. From this fource, and fronrancicnt paintings, fculptures, and medals, have philofophy, fcience, and the arts, derived all their fucceffive improvements 1 fucceeding generations have been enabled to add to the ftock they received from the pall, and to prepare the way for future acquisitions. In the com- mon tranfa&ions of life, how limited muft have been our intercourfe, whether for profit or pleafure, without the afliftance of writing. Where* as, by this happy mode of communication, diftance is as it were annihi- lated, and the Merchant, the Statefman, the Scholar, becomes prefent to every purpofe of utility, in regions the moft remote. While Lovers " Speed the foft intercourfe from foul to foul t " And waft a fgb, from Indus to the Pole.** The practice of writing is of fuch remote antiquity, that neither facred nor prophane authors give any fatisfa&ory account of its origin ; it has been fo long known and ufed, that few men think upon the {ubject ; INTRODUCTION. fo inattentive are we to the greateft benefits from their having been long enjoyed : but the Philofopherwill fay with the Poet, " Whence did the wond'rous myjl'ic art arife, " Of Panting Speech, and /peaking to the eyes? 4< That we by tracing magic lines are taught, " How to- embody, and to colour Thought ?" The faculty of Imitation, fo confpicuous in the human fpecies, ha* enabled men, in their moft rude ftate, to delineate fenuble or vifible ob- jects ; hence the origin of hieroglyphic reprefentations : but it will appear^ that many great and learned men, in all ages, have been fo fennble of the difficulty of accounting for the Invention of the art of exhibiting to the fight, the various conceptions of the mind, which have no corporeal forms, by a. fmall number of elementary characters, or Letters, that fome have fup- pofed them to hare been of divine original, and others have confefled themfelves unable to account for their invention. The author felt himfelf deeply imprefYed with the difficulties attending the investigation of this part of his fubjecT: ; but, from the particular courfe of his ftudies, and literary purfuits, he conceived he might enter upon it with fome advantages which others had not porTefied. One of the principal objects of the following work, is the illuftration of what has fcp near two centuries been called, the Diplomatic Sci- ence ^ the knowledge of which, will enable us to form a proper judg- ment of the age and authenticity of manufcripts, charters, records, and .other monuments of antiquity, The utility of this branch of knowledge, is fully confirmed by the tefti- . monies of the learned, who have beftowed immenfe application in its cul- tivation ; from whence confiderable advantages have been derived, which ate in the higheft' degree interesting to all orders and degrees of men, in every community. The archives, public libraries, and private collections, which are the repositories for the objects of this ftudy, contain the moft authentic and important records of the power claimed or exercikd by fovereigns ; they preferve their treaties of peace and alliance, the privileges and rights of their I N T R O D U T I 0\ Nl tft -their people, thofe that have been granted to the nobles and to cities, and the laws made by particular legiflative bodies ; they perpetuate thofe do- cuments, which fix the power of national affemblies ; they difpiay the origin of illuftrious families, their genealogies, their atchievements and al- liances ; and they furnifh us with the furcit lights, for acquiring a juft knowledge of antiquity both facred and prophane. They are the beft guides for deciding with any certainty as to the power of the clergy in former ages, and the ufemadeof that power. Princes may there difcover the firft traces of the elevation of their ances- tors, the fteps by which they afcended their thrones, and what caufes confpired to raife them to that fummit of glory and power, which has been tranfmitted to their pofterity. The nobles may there find the titles of their diftinctions and pofleflions ; and private perfons thofe of their rights, libers- ties and properties. • , The very high efteem in which thefe monuments are held by moft learn- ed nations, may be judged of from the emulation they have (hewn, in pub- liming various collections of records, calculated to elucidate the hiftories of their refpective countries, to afcertain the prerogatives of fovereigns, to fecurethe rights of the people, and to reftrain the unjuft pretentions of in- dividuals. England, France, Italy, and Germany, have enlightene.d^the world by works of this nature. The publication of the furvey of England by William I. called Domefday Book, and of the Rolls and Records of Parliament, will reflect honour on the prefent reign to the latefr. pofterity. It is not neceffary to enumerate all the benefits that have arifen to man- kind fromfuch labours : to them hiftorians are particularly indebted for the elucidation of numberlefs important facts. Moft of the knowledge we at this day have of ancient times and manners, hath been chiefly acquired- by the in- duftry of thofe who, fince the reftoration of learning, have confulted«the in- eftimable treafures preferved in public libraries, religious-houfes, •ariJ-private collections: From this fpirit of inquiry, and- thofe records, -is deriv^i the principal information we have of the rife and progrefs of Empires, •King- doms, and States; of their laws, manners, cuftoms, and mytuaj?.* con- nections. The Diplomatic Science then, may be confidered as a guide to all others ; it has an influence on politics, morality, literature, canon and ci- a a vil iv INTRODUCTION. vil law, and even on divinity itfelf. The divine and the lawyer labour to little purpofe, unlefs they can {hew that the testimonies which they adduce, are accompanied by all the neceffary marks of authenticity. For if the rules of criticifm adopted by learned antiquaries were arbitrary, and the epochas eftabliihed by them falfe, ancient writings would be of as little authority as fictions ; and were it impoffible to afcertain the dates or ages of docu- ments, all their labours would be idle and fruitlefs, and their productions would really be, what ignorance has often afferted them to be, nothing bet- ter than the works of mere fportive fancy : but a true connoifieur in thefe ftudies, will rather agree in opinion with Mr. Casley, who, in his pre- face to the catalogue of the Royal library (p. 6.) has the following words : w 1 have Jludied that point Jo much, and have Jo often compared manufcripts 44 without date, imth thofe that happen to have a date, that I have little 44 doubt as to that particular." And he obferves, that " he can judge of 44 the age of a manufcript as well as the age of a man" Mr. Casley how- ever, is not fmgular in this opinion : the fame has been confirmed by Mabillon, by the Benedictines at Paris, and by many other writers of the mod: diftinguifhed reputation. Intelligent antiquaries have in fact,, fufficient lights to clear up whatever doubts may arife in their own minds, and to remove every objection, made by thofe, who depreciate the fcience from ignorance, or a fuperficial acquaintance with its advantages. The proofs of hiftory cannot be built upon a more folid foundation, than that of manufcripts and charters. Hiftorical certainty is generally founded on the evidence of one or two cotemporary writers, equally capable and credible, whofe teftimonies are not contradicted by fupe- rior authority. The authenticity of original inftruments, is proved hy a variety of concurrent circumftances, ceremonies and formalities. When thofe documents are found fupported by fuch indubitable tefti- monies, we may fafely declare that they have not been forged. On the contrary, when thefe' eflentials are wanting, when a manufcript or charter contradicts the eftablifhed cuftoms of the lime in which it was pretended to have been written, or even differs from them in any material particular, it cannot poffibly be authentic. The Diplomatic Science then, treats of matters which are capable of certainty: truth and falmood are often manifeftly diftinguiihed by it. * When INTRODUCTION. v When no other refource is left, than that of chufing what is more or lefs probable, its decilions are then regulated by fufpicions, doubts, conjectures, and preiumptive reafons, more or lefs cogent, which it collects and efti- mates with due deliberation, never advancing any thing as certain, but what is fupported by the ftrongcft proofs, and introducing what appear* more or lefs fufpicious, with its diftinctive characters ; for if the teftimonjr of cotemporary writers is looked upon as the firmeft bulwark of hiftorical truths, becaufe they are witnefles of facts that happened in their own days, original acts or writings, which have nothing to do with hearfayor traditi- onal matters, where prefent events only are related, where every term is weighed with fcrupulous care and attention, and where no facts can find admittance, but fuch as have been approved by the parties, are of a certainty fuperior to every objection. Molt ancient muniments are diftin- guifhed by thefe precautions, or even greater circumfpection ; and are con- sequently preferable to the teftimony of Hiftorians. Having thus ftated, and in fomemeafure afcertained, the utility of the Diplomatic Science ; the difadvantages which have arifen from the de- ftruction of the works of the ancients, will juftify our entering upon a lliortr view of the irreparable lodes which mankind have thereby fuftained. Many events have contributed to deprive us erf a great part of the literary treafures of antiquity. A very fatal blow was given to literature, by the deftruction of the- Phoenician Temples, and of the Egyptian Col- leges, when thofe kingdoms, and the countries adjacent, were conquered, by the Perfians, about three hundred and fifty years before Chiifr. Ochus, the Perfian general, ravaged thefe countries without mercy, and forty thou land Sidonians burnt themfelves with their families and riches in their own houfes. TheConqueror then drove Nectanebtjs out of Egypt,, and committed the like ravages in that country ; afterwards he marched into Judea, where he took Jericho, and lent a great number of Jews into- captivity. The Perfians had a great diflike to the religion of the Phoenicians and the Egyptians ; this was one reafon for deftroying their books, of which Eusebius (De Preparat. Evang.) fays, they had a grea* number. % ' » NotwitE- VI INTRODUCTION. Notwithitanding thefe lolTes, Ptolemy Philadelphia, King of Egypt, who reigned about two hundred years before the Chriitian ./Era, collected the greateft library of all antiquity, which he depofited in his palace at Alexandria, where it was burnt by Cesar's troops. Another great lofs was occafioned by the deftruclion of the Pythago- rean fchools in Italy ; when the Platonic or New Philofophy prevailed over the former. Pythagoras went into Egypt, before the Perfian con- quers, where he refided twenty-two years ; he was initiated into the fa- cerdotal order, and from his fpirit of inquiry, he hath been juftly faid to have acquired a great deal of Egyptian learning, which he afterwards introduced into Italy. Polybtus (lib. 2. p. 175) and Jamblici-ius (in vita Pythag.) mention many circumltances, relative to thefe facts, quoted from authors now loft ; as doth Porphyry, in his life of Pytha- goras. Learning, Philofophy, and Arts, fuffered much by the lofs of liberty in Greece ; whence they were tranfplanted into Italy, under the pa- tronage of fome of the great men of Rome ; who, by their countenance and protection, not only introduced them into their own country, but even contributed to the revival of them in Greece. The love of learning and of arts amongft the Romans was too foon neglected, through the tyranny of the Emperors, and the general corruption of manners ; for in the reign of Diocletian, towards the end of the third century, the arts had greatly declined, and in the courfe of the fourth, philofophy degenerated into fu- perltition. Learning and the Arts alfo received a moll: fatal blow by the deftruction of the heathen temples, in the reign of Constantine. The devaluations then committed, are depicted in the ltrongelt and molt lively colours by Mr. Gibbon, in the 28th chapter of his Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. III. p, 77, & feq. Many valuable libraries perifhed by the Barbarians of the North, who invaded Italy in the fourth and fifth centuries. By thefe rude hands peri Hied the library of Perseus King of Macedon, which Pau- lus ./Emilius brought to Rome with its captive owner ; as did alfo ♦ he noble library eflablimed for the ufc of the public, by Asininus Pollig^ INTROD UCTION. vii Pollio, which was collected from the fpoils of all the enemies he had fubdued, and was greatly enriched by him at a vaft expence. The libraries of Cicero and Lucullus met with the fame fate, and thofe of Julius C^sar, of Augustus, Vespasian, and Trajan alfo pe- rilled, together with the magnificent library of the younger Gordian, founded by his preceptor Simonicus, which is faid by fome to have contained 60,000 volumes, and by others 80,000. The repofitory for this va{t collection is reported to have been paved with marble, and orna- mented with gold ; the walls were covered with glafs and ivory, the ar- mories and deiks were made of ebony and cedar. The lofsof Ptolemy's library at Alexandria had been in fome meafure repaired, by the remains of that of Eumenes, King of Pergamus, which Mark Anthony prefented to Cleopatra, and by other collections, fo that a vaft library remained at Alexandria, till it was taken by ftorm, and plundered by the Saracens in the feventh century (A. D. 642). Though the Saracens were at that time a barbarous people, yet Amrus (or Amru Ebn al As), the commander of the troops who took this city, was a man of good capacity, and greatly delighted in hearing philolophical points dif- cufled by learned men. John the grammarian, called Pkiloponus from his love of labour, lived in Alexandria at this time ; he foon became ac- quainted with Amrus, and, having acquired fome degree of his efteem, requefted that the philolophical books preferved in the royal library might be reftored. Amrus wrote to Omar, the Caliph, to know if his requeft might be complied with ; who returned for anfvver, that " if the M books he mentioned agreed in all points with the Eook of God (the 14 Alcoran), this lafl: would be perfect without them, and consequently " they would be fuperfluous ; but if they contained any thing repugnant " to the doctrines and tenets of that book, they ought to be looked upon 44 as pernicious, and of courfe fhould be de^troyed.' , As foon as the Caliph's letter was received, Amrus, in obedience to the command of his fovereign, dilperfed the books all over the city, to heat the baths, of which therewere 4000; butthe number of books was fo immenfe, that they were not entirely confumed in lefs than fix months. Thus perifhed, by fanatical mad- uefs, the inefrimable Alexandrian library, which is faid to have contained at that via INTRODUCTION. that time upwards of five hundred thoufand volumes; and from this period, barbarity and ignorance prevailed for feveral centuries. In Italy, and all over the Weft of Europe, learning was in a manner extin- guifhed, except fome fmall remains which were preferved in Conftan- tinople. In this city, the Emperor Constantine had depofiteda considerable li- brary, which was loon after enriched by his fucceflbr Julian, who placed the following infcription at the entrance : AM quidem equos amanf, alii aves, alii f eras ; mihi vero a pucrulo, Mirum acquirendi et fojjidendi libros infedit dejiderium* • Theodosius the younger, was very affiduous in augmenting this library, by whom, in the latter end of the fourth century, it was enlarged to one hundred thoufand volumes ; above one half of which, were burnt in the fifth century by the Emperor Leo the firft, fo famous for his hatred to images. The inhabitants of Constantinople had not loft their tafte for literature in the beginning of the thirteenth century, when that city was lacked by the Crujaders, in the year 1205; the depredations then committedj arc related in Mr. Harris's Pofthumous Works (vol. II. p. 301), from Nicetas the Choniate, who was prefent at the facking of this place. His account of the ftatues, buftos, bronzes, manufcripts, paintings, and other exquifite remains of antiquity, which then perimed, cannot be read by any lover of arts and learning without emotion. The ravages committed by the Turks who plundered Conftan ti- nople, in the year 1453, are re l ate d hy Philelphus, who was a man of learning, and was tutor to ^Eneas Sylvius (afterwards Pope, under the name of Pius the Second), and was an eye-witnefs to what pafTed at that time. This author fays, that the perfons of quality, efpecially the women, . ftill preferved the Greek language uncorrupted. He obferves, that though the city had been taken before, it never fufFered fo much as at that time ; and adds, that till that period, the remembrance of ancient wifdom remained at INTRODUCTION. at Conftantinople, and that no one among the Latins was deemed fuffici- ently learned, who had not ftudied for fome time at that place, he expreflld his fear that all the works of the ancients would be deftroyed. Still however, there are the remains of three libraries at Conftantinople, the firft is called that of Constantine the Great ; the fecond is for all ranks of people without diftinction ; the third is in the. palace, and is call- ed the Ottoman library, but a fire happened in 1665, which confumed a great part of the palace, and almoft the whole library, when as is fup- pofed, Livy, and a great many valuable works of the ancients perifhed. Father Possevius hath given an account of the libraries at Conftantinople, and in other parts of the Turkifh dominions, in his excellent work inti- tuled, Apparatus Sacer. Many other lofTes of the Writings of the ancients have been attri- buted to the zeal of the Chriftians, who, at different periods made great havock amongft the Heathen Authors. Not a fingle copy of the famous work of Celsus is now to be found, and what we know of that work is from Origen his opponent. The venerable fathers, who employed themfelves in erafing the beft works of the moft eminent Greek or Latin authors, in order to tranfcribe the lives of faints or legendary tales upon the obliterated vellum, poflibly miftook thefe lamentable depredations for works of piety. The ancient fragment of the 91ft book of Livy, difcovered by Mr. Bruns, in the Vatican, in 1772, was much defaced by the pious la- bours of fome well-intentioned divine. The Monks made war on books as the Goths had done before them. Great numbers of manufcripts have alfo been deftroyed in this kingdom by its invaders, the Pagan Danes, and the Normans, by the civil commotions raifed by the Barons, by the bloody contefts between the houfes of York and Lancaster, and efpecially by the general plunder and devastation of monafteries and religions houf^s.in the reign of Henry the Eighth ; by the ravages committed in the civil war in the time of Charles the Firft, and by the fire that happened in the Cottonian library, October 23, 1731. In all this period of time, many others may be fuppofed to have pe- riftied by that Helluo librorum, tempus edax rerum. Thus it appears, that more of the works of the ancients have perifhed, than have reached us. To enumerate fuch as are known to have been de- ftroyed, or loft, in the various branches of fcience and polite literature, b would X INTRODUCTION. would form a catalogue of con fiderable bulk ; but the moft irreparable and deplorable lofles which mankind have fufbined, are in the branch of HistOry, and therefore it may be proper to lay before our readers fome particulars concerning the works of ancient hiftorians, many of which are fo mutilated, that the fragments which remain, lerve only to increafe our regret for what are loft or deftroyed. The Hiftory of Phoenicia, by Sanconiatho, who was cotemporary with Solomon, would have been entirely loft to us, had it not been for the valuable fragments preferved by Eusebius, which are mentioned in the following meets. Manetho's Hiftory of Egypt, and the Hiftory of Chaldea, by Berosus, have nearly met with the fame fate. The general Hiftory of Polybius, originally contained forty books ; but the firft five only, with fome extracts or fragments, are tranfmitted to us. The Hiftoricallibrary of Diodorus Siculus confuted likewife of forty books, but only twenty-five are now extant ; that is, five between the fifth and the eleventh, and the laft twenty, with fome fragments collected out of Photius and others. Dionysius Halicarnassensis wrote twenty books of Roman anti- quities, extending from the fiege of Troy, to the firft Punic war A. U. C. 488 ; but only eleven of them are now remaining, which reach no further than the year of Rome, 312. Appi an is faid to have written the Roman Hiftory in twenty-four books ; but the greatest part of the works of that author are loft. Dion Cassius wrote eighty books of Hiftory, but only twenty-five are remaining, with fome fragments, and an epitome of the laft twenty by XlPHILINUS. Many of the works of the moft ancient Latin Hiftorians have either pe- rilhed, or are come down to us mutilated and imperfect. Sallust wrote a Roman Hiftory, but there are only fome fragments of it preferved. Livy's Roman Hiftory confiftcd of one hundred and forty, or, as fome authors fay, of one hundred and forty-two books ; of this excellent work one hundred and feven books muft have perifhed, as only thirty-five remain. Though we have an epitome of one hundred and forty books, yet this is fo fhort, that it only ferves to give us a general idea of the fubjcct, and to mprefs us with a more lively fenfe of our lofs. 1 The INTRODUCTION. xi The elegant compendium of the Roman Hiftory, by Velleii/s Pa- terculus, is very imperfectly transmitted to us, great part of that work having perished. The firft and fecond hooks of Q. Curtius are entirely loft, and there are feveral chafms in fome of thofe which are preferved. The Emperor Tacitus ordered ten copies of the works of his relation the Hiftorian, to he made every year, which he fent into the different pro- vinces of the empire ^ a nd yet, notwithstanding his endeavours to perpe- tuate thefe ineftimable works, they were buried in oblivion for many centuries. Since the reftoration of learning, an ancient MS. was difco- vered in a monaftery in Weftphalia, which contained the moft va- luable part of his annals ; but in this unique manufcript, part of the fifth, feventh, ninth, and tenth books are deficient, as are part of the eleventh, and the latter part of the iixteenth. This MS. was procured by that great reftorcr of learning, Pope Leo X. under whofe patronage it was printed at Rome, in 1515; he afterwards depofited it in the Vatican library, where it is ftill preferved. Thus pofterity is probably indebted to the above excellent Pontiff, for the moft valuable part of the works of this ini- mitable Hiftorian. The epitome of Trogus Pompeius, by Justin, may be deemed only a mere shadow of Trogus. Ammianus Marcellinus wrote thirty-one books, extending from the acceffion of Nerva, to the death of Valens ; but the firft thirteen are wanting. Many other lofles are recorded in two excellent tracts, " De Hiftoricis Grascis etLatinis," by the celebrated Gerrard Vossius. To thefe might be added, a great number of works in different branches of fcience and polite arts. The Justinian Code had been in a manner unknown from the fixth till the twelfth century, when Amalfi, a city of Calabria, being taken by the Pifans, an original MS. was difcovered there by accident. Varro, who is ftyled the moft learned of all the Romans, and who excelled in grammar, hiftory, and philofophy, is faid to have written near five hundred volumes, amongft which were the lives of feven hundred il- luftrious Romans, enriched with their portraits. Atticus, the great friend of Cicero, who was one of the moft ho- nourable, hofpitable, and friendly men of the times in which he lived, b 2 wrote xii INTRODUCTION. wrote many pieces in Latin and Greek, which laft language he cultivated much after his retirement to Athens. The lofs of his work on the actions of the great men amongft the Romans, which he ornamented with their portraits, is much to be lamented, as he had a great tafte for the polite arts ; and we may conceive, that both the portraits in V-Arro's work, as well as thofe we are now fpeaking of, were well executed, becaufe we cannot doubt but thofe great men would employ the beft artifts ; and that there were artifts capable of producing the moft excellent workman fhip, appears from the Roman coins of that age ftill extant, which mult have been drawn before they were engraven on metals. So much the more therefore it is to be lamented, that thefe laft works are irrecoverably loft. It is now time to change the painful talk, of recording the fucceflive dif- afters which have befallen the commonwealth of letters, for the pleafing- office of relating the events and circumftances which have contributed to the revival and reftoration of learning. The Arabians or Saracens, whofe wild and barbarous enthufiafm had deftroyed the Alexandrian library in the feventh century, were the firft people who were captivated with the learning and arts of Greece ; the Arabian writers tranflated into their own language many Greek authors, and from them, the firft rays of fcience and philofophy began to enlighten the weftern hemifphere, and in time, difpelled the thick cloud of ignorance, which for fome ages had eclipfed literature. The Caliph Almanzur, was a lover of letters and learned men, and fcience of every kind was cultivated under his patronage. Hisgrand- fon, Almamun, obtained from the Greek Emperors copies of their beft books, employed the ableft fcholars to tranflate them, and took great plea- fure in literary converfations. Under the patronage of the Caliphs, the works of the moft valuable Greek authors, in different branches of fcience, were tranflated into Arabic. In philofophy, thofe of Plato and Aristotle. In mathematics, thofe of Euclid, Archimedes, Apollonius, Dio- phantus, and others. In medicine, Hippocrates, Galen, and the beft profeffors in this branch of fcience. In aftronomy, Ptolem y, and other authors. The Arabian literati not only tranflated the works of the Greeks, but feveral of them compofed original peiees; as, Abulfeda, A sulpha- INTRODUCTION. xiii AbulpHAragius, Bohadin, and others. For an account of the Arabian writers and literature, fee Mr. Harris's pofthumous works, vol. II. chap. vi. vii. and viii. It will hereafter appear, that it was from the Arabians that thefe weftern parts became firfl acquainted with the Greek philofophy ; and from them, fe- veral branches of fcience were introduced into Europe as early as the ninth century, and even into Britain before the end of the eleventh, in which, and in the three fucceeding centuries, feveral Englimmen travelled into Arabia and Spain, in fearch of knowledge ; amongft others, Adelard, a Monk of Bath ; Robert, a Monk of Reading; Retinensis, Shelly, Mor- ley, and others, of whom mention is made in the feventh chapter. Several foreigners alfo travelled in fearch of fcience ; amongft others,, Gerbertus, a native of France, who enriched thefe weftern parts with the knowledge which lie had obtained from learned Arabians.. The abi- lities of this great man raifed him to the Archiepifcopal See of Rheims, then to that of Ravenna, and at length to- the Papal Chair, which he filled from the year 998 to 1003 : but fuch was the bigotry and fuperfti- tion of thofe times, that thefe great luminaries of fcience, though moft of them eccleflaftics, were accufed of magic by the ignorant herd of their bre- thren. Even Pope Gerbert himfelf, as Bifhop Otho gravely relates of him, obtained the Pontificate by wicked means ; for the Bifhop affures us, that he had given himfelf up wholly to the Devil, on condition he might obtain what he dcfired ; and that it was to this circumftance, and not to the patronage of the Emperor Otho III. who had been his pupil, nor to. that of Robert, the French King, his great benefactor, that he owed his election. A Cardinal Be nno alfo accufes this great man of holding an intercourfe with Demons, nor did fuperftition and bigotry ceafe to per- fecute fcience and genius till the end of the feventeenth century. Our Roger Bacon, a Francifcan Monk, who flourifhed in the thirteenth century, was accufed of magic, and was caft into a French prifon, where, he remained for many years. Franciscus Petrarch was fufpected of magic; and John Faust, who was either the inventor, or amongft the firft practifers of the art of printing, was obliged to reveal his art, to clear himfelf from the accufation of having had recourfe to diabolical alfiftance. But I N T R D U C T r N. But the great Galileo met with the harden 1 Fate, for he was not only imprifoned by the inquihtion, but he was alio under the neceflity of pub- licly denying thofe philofophical truths which he had inveftigated ; and what is worfe for pofterity, fu perflation and ignorance perfecuted his fame beyond the grave ; for the confeffor of his widow, taking advantage of her piety, obtained leave to perufe his manufcripts, of which he deftroyed fuch as in his judgment were not fit to be allowed. This fliort digreffion will m fome meafure account for the flow progrefs towards the reftoration of fcience, and therefore we muft not expect to find that many libraries were formed during the dark ages of Chriftianity : fome few manufcripts, however, efcaped the general plunder of the Roman libraries by the Goths. Cassiodorus, the favourite minifter to Theodoric, King of the Of- trogoths, was a lover of learning ; he collected a library, and wrote a book on Orthography. Pope Hilary placed a collection of books in the church of St. Hilary at Rome, about the year of Christ 465. Some few learned men exifted in different parts of Europe, throughout thefe times of ignorance ; our countryman Bede, who was born about 661, and died about 724, was well verfed both in facred and prophane hiftory, as his numerous works teftify. St.' Egbert, Archbifhopof York, was a Difciple of venerable Bede ; he was a man of great learning, and founded a noble library at York about 735, which was cafually burnt in the reign of King Stephen, with the cathedral, the monaftery of St. Mary's, and feveral other religious houfes. Alcuin, called alfo Albinus Flaccus, was born in Northumberland; he was the difciple of Arch-bimop Egbert, whom he fucceeded in the charge of the famous fchool, which that prelate had opened at York. Alcuin was in all refpects the moft learned man of the age in which lie lived, he was orator, hiflorian, poet, mathematician, and divine ; the fame of his learning induced Charlemagne to invite him to his court; by his afliftance that Emperor founded, enriched and inftru&ed, the uni- verfities of Tours and Paris. In 794 he was one of the fathers of the fy- nod of Francfort, and died at his abbey at Tours in 804. In his epiftle to Charlemagne, he mentions with great refpecr. his mafter Egbert, and the noble library which he had founded. (SeeBifliop Tanner's Bibl. Brit.) Towards INTRODUCTION. XV Towards the latter end of the fame century, flouriflied our great King Alfred, who engaged the learned Grimbald, and other foreigners of diitinguiftied abilities, in his fervice ; he founded the univerfity of Oxford, and reftored learning in England. There were in the times of the Saxons feveral valuable libraries in this ifland, amongft others, thofe at Canterbury and Durham, and in the abbies of St. Alban and Glaftonbury, were the moft confiderable. About the middle of the eighth century, Pope Zachary, who was a Greek of much erudition, placed a library in the church of St. Peter at Rome. The library at Fulda, near HefTe Cafiel, was founded by Pepin, in the Pontificate of Pope Zachary, in which many ancient manufcripts are ftill preferved. Charlemagne, and his fon Lewis the Pious, added much to this library ; the former of thefe Princes had a noble library at Barba, near Lions. There were a few learned men in different parts of Europe from the time of Charlemagne, till the general reftoration of learning in the fifteenth century, but it would exceed the limits of our delign to mention even thofe of our own country, and therefore we mult refer our readers to Cave's Hiftoria Literaria, Bifhop Nicolson's Hijhrical L>ibrary r and to Bifhop Tanner's Bibliotheca Britannica ; however, it may not be improper briefly to mention a few of them. Ingulphus tells us in his Hiftory, that he ftudied grammar at Weftmin- fter, and that he was afterward fent to Oxford, where he read the works of Aristotle, and the Rhetoric of Cicero. This writer fays, that the Confefibr's Queen Edgitha was admirable for her beauty, her literarv accomplifhments, and her virtue. He relates, that many a time when a boy, he met the Queen as he was coming from fchooL, who would difpute with him concerning his verfes, that me had a peculiar pleafure to pais from Grammar to Logic, in w r hich iTie had been. initructed, and that (he frequently ordered one of her attendants to give him two or three pieces of money, or to be carried to the royal pantry, and treated with a repafL John of Salisbury, who lived in the reigns of Stephen and Henry the Second, appears to have been very converfant in the Latin claffics, as alfo in grammar and philofophy. There were other refpectable writers of the eleventh century ; an account of whom may be feen in Lord Lytt. l- ton's xvi INTRODUCTION. ton's Life of Henry the Second, vol. III. and in the Philological Inqui- ries of the late Mr. Harris. Several writers of good repute flourifhed in this country in the twelfth century ; amongft others, William of Malmefbury is faid to have been a learned man, as well as an Hiflorian ; and Simeon of Durham, reckoned one of the moit learned men of that age. Matthew Paris flourifhed in the thirteenth century ; he was remark- able for his learning and ingenuity ; he was (killed in divinity, architecture, mathematics, hiflory, and painting ; he is faid to have been a good poet and orator, for the age in which he lived. Geoffrey Chaucer lived in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries ; he was not only an excellent fcholar, but a mathematician, as well as a poet. After he had finiflied his Itudies at Oxford, he travelled into foreign parts in i'earch of knowledge ; on his return to England, he became a ftudent in the Inner Temple, and in his latter days wrote his Treatife on the Aftrolabe, w r hich was much efteemed. Many eminent writers are necefTarily omitted, but it is fufficient for the prefent defign to have (hewn, that the lamp of learning was prevented from being intirely extinguifhed, by a few great men who fucceeded each other. The taking of Confiantinople, by the Turks, in the beginning of the fifteenth century, as hath been already related, was an event which con- tributed to the general reftoration of learning ; at that time many learned Greeks fled for protection into Italy and Germany, where they were kindly received, and where they diffufed fcience with great fuccefs. Arnongft others, were Theodore Gaza, Emanuel Chroysoloras, George Trebizonde, Lascaris, Besarion, and John Argyropilus, appointed Preceptor to Laurence de Medicis, by his father Cosmo. In a fhort time after this event, the inhabitants of the weftern parts of Europe made great progrefsin all branches of literature, and the invention or introduction of printing, which foon followed, compleated the triumph of learning, over barbariim and ignorance. Much praife is due to the Sovereigns who reigned in this and the follow- ing century, whofe generous patronage of letters and learned men greatly contributed to the reftoration of fcience. Learning, like a tender plant, requires the chearing rays of royal funihine. The INTRODUCTION. xvii The greateft difcoveries and improvements in arts, fciences, and litera- ture, have ever owed their eftablifhment to the encouragement and protec- tion of Princes, who participated in the honour of thofe difcoveries, and thereby acquired more real glory, than would ju ft ly have accrued to them, by the moft extenfive conquefts. Many of the advantages proceeding from the taking of Constantinople, and from the circumftances which attended it, will appear, from a (hort ac- count of the principal manufcript libraries which have been formed fince that event. The chair of St. Peter was in the 15th and 16th centuries filled by fe- veral Pontifs, who fucceflively protected learning and learned men. Ni- cholas V. Pius II. Leo X. Clement VII. and Sixtus V. will be remem- bered with gratitude by pofterity, for the patronage they afforded to literature. The firft of thefe, may be confidered as the founder of the Vatican li- brary at Rome ; the others were confiderable benefactors to it, and by their induftry and influence, greatly enriched that ineftimable repolitory ; and! many of the fucceeding Pontiffs, have with great fuccefs, followed their example. The Vatican library is divided into three parts. The firft is public, and every one has accefs to it at different hours upon certain days ; the fecond is kept witl) more privacy ; and the third is only to be feen by perfons of certain diftinctions, or by thofe who have exprefs permiflion for that purpofe : this is called the fanctuary of the Vatican. Several libraries were formed at Rome, as that in the church of St. Peter, thofe of the fathers of St. Basil; and the Dominicans of Sancta Maria Sopra Minerva ; and thofe in the palaces of Ottoboni, Chiggi^ Barbarini, and Altieri. Libraries were alfo formed in other parts of Italy ; in the royal palace and univerfity of Turin j the noble library of the great Duke at Florence ; and thole of the Laurentian, Benedictine, and Dominican monafteries in the fame city. Large collections of manufcripts were alfo placed in the following libraries; namely, in the convents of St. Sever ini, Monte Cassini, Monte Oliveto, and St. John de Carbonara, at Naples; the Ducal palace at Modena ; the Ambrofian college of Milan ; the Ducal c palace • • • XVltl INTRODUCTION. palace at Parma ; St. Mark's at Venice ? the Canons Regular at Bologna ; thofe in Padua, Genoa, and in other places in Italy. The fciences became fo generally admired, that all the Princes in Europe endeavoured to promote them in their refpective dominions. Philip II. of Spain founded the Efcurial library, in which he depofited that of Muley Cydam, King of Fez and Morocco, which contained upwards of four thoufand volumes in the Arabic language ; he alio brought into Spain many manufcripts, which were found in feveral feminaries of litera- ture in Africa, to which were added a fine collection of Eaftern manu- fcripts, as well as a great number of Greek and Latin, which are very valuable: this library fufFered much by lightning in 1670, but it hath fince been greatly augmented by the Kings of Spain. to The library at Salamanca contains a g re Lit number of Greek manufcripts, which Ferdinanda Nonius bequeathed to that Univerfity. At Alcali is the valuable library collected by Cardinal Ximenes. Francis the Firft laid the foundation of the Royal library at Paris, which hath been continually increaung. Cardinal Fleury, and the great Colbert, fpared neither pains nor expence to enrich it. This library is ineftimable, and contains a great number of manufcripts in almoft every language. For particulars concerning this treafure of learning, the reader is referred to the catalogue of father Montfaucon, and to Monf. Galvis's treatife on French libraries, a new edition of which is wanted, with accounts of thofe that have changed places and pof- feflbrs. The Jefuits had, in different parts of France, many fine libraries ; fome account of what is become of them would be ufeful. There were many noble libraries in France, but our limits will not permit us to pay them the attention they deferve ; therefore the reader is referred to the fe- cond volume of Montfaucon's Eibliotheca Bibliothecarum, publifhed at Paris in 1 739. The Emperor Maximilian the Firfl followed the example of the other Princes in Europe, and in the year 1480 founded the Imperial library at Vienna, which he enriched with a vaft number of manufcripts taken from the monafteries in his Auftrian dominions, and with fuch other manufcript collections as could be made by the German literati. This ineftimable repofitory of literary treafures was further increafed by the acquifition of the once celebrated Buda library ; it hath from time to 1 time 1 INTRODUCTION. x\x time been augmented with many other confiderable libraries, and lately with a great number of valuable and curious manufcripts, which were pre- ferved in the colleges and houfes of the Jefuits within the Imperial domi- nions. In the latter end of the laft century, M. Lambecius publifhed at Vienna a catalogue of fuch manufcripts as were then depofited in the Impe- rial library ; but an additional one, of the acceflions to it fmce his time, would be very ufeful j as would a catalogue of thofe manufcripts that are preferved in the library at Bruffels, founded by the late Emprefs Queen, in which is depofited feveral of the libraries lately belonging to the Je- fuits in the Auftrian Netherlands. The other principal libraries in Germany, are thofe of the King of Prussia, the Elector of Bavaria, the Duke of Wolfenbuttle, the Duke of Wirtenburgh, the Duke of Saxe-Gotha ; that at Strafturgb, founded by Bifhop Otho in the fixteenth century j and thofe at Anhalt, Helmftadt, Tubingen, Jena, Turingen, Lavingen, and Ratifbon. There are at Liege the libraries of St. James and St. Benedict, and there are fome MSS. in the cathedral at Cologn. Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, poireflcd himfelf of the Royal libraries formerly at Prague and Drefden, which his daughter Queen Christina, carried with her to Rome, and they are now preferved in the Vatican, as is the noble library which was formerly at Heidelberg. The moft confiderable manufcript libraries in the Netherlands, are thofe of the Carmelites at Bruges ; of the Benedictines, the Dominicans, and Carmelites at Ghent ; the Francifcans at Antwerp ; the public library, and thofe in feveral of the colleges at Lou vain ; thofe of Middleburgh, Tongeren, Utrecht, and Zutphen ; and thofe at Harderwick and Leyden ; in which two laft are a great number of Oriental manufcripts. A. Sander us, a Monk of Affligem, near Bruffels, publifhed a catalogue of the manufcripts in the different libraries of the Low-countries, in 2 vols. 4to. Lifle 1641, 1643, to which the reader is referred. The northern parts of Europe are not without literary treafures. There are two confiderable libraries at Copenhagen ; one in the univerfity, and the other in the city, which laft was founded by Henry Rantzau, a Danifh gentleman. c 2 There INTRODUCTION. There are ftill remaining fbme manufcripts in the library at Stock- holm, which was founded by Christina, Queen of Sweden. Poland has two confiderable libraries, one at Wilna, enriched by feveral' Kings of Poland, as we are told by Cromer and Bozius. The othei:- is at Cracow. The Duke of Holstjin Gottorp hath a curious manufcript library. There were few valuable manuicripts in RufTia till the reign of Peter the Great, who founded many univerfities, and fettled a large fund for a library at Peterfburgh, which is well furnifhed. The Royal library at Petermoff is molt magnificent, and the prefent Emprefs fpares neither pains nor experce to enrich her country with an- cient marbles, pictures, medals, manufcripts, and whatever is magni- ficent. There were feveral collections of manufcripts in England before the general rcftoration of Science in Europe, which had at different times been brought hither by thofe who had travelled into foreign countries ; thefe were chiefly preferved in the two univerfities, in the cathedral churches, and religious houfes : but in the fifteenth and fixteenth centu- ries feveral valuable libraries were formed in England. In the reign of King Henry VI. Humphrey, Duke of Gloucefter, made a collection of MSS. for his library at Oxford. King Edward IV. and Henry VII.. greatly affifted the caufe of learning, by the encouragement they gave to the art of printing in England, and by purchafing fuch books as were printed in other countries. William Warham, Archbifhop of Can- terbury, purchafed many valuable Greek MSS. which had been brought hi- ther by the prelates and others who came to this country, after the taking of Conftantinople by the Turks. King Henry VIII. may juftly be called the founder of the Royal library, which was enriched with the MSS. fele£ted from thofe of the religious houfes, by that celebrated Antiquary, John Leland. Mathew Parker, Archbifhop of Canterbury, enriched the College of Corpus ChrilYi, in Cambridge, with a great number of ancient and curi- ous MSS. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Thomas Bodley greatly in- creafed th$ public library at Oxford, which is now called by his name. This 2 INTRODUCTION. This great benefactor to mankind in general, and to his country in parti- cular, quitted the court, and applied himielf wholly to the purchafing of books and MSS. both at home and abroad. By thefe means he had the fatisfaction of furnifhing that library with 1294 MSS. which, by the fub- fequent liberality of many great and illuftrious perfons, hath been fince in- creafed to more than 8000 volumes, including the MSS. given by Thomas Tanner, Biihopof Norwich, and the valuable library bequeathed by the will of Dr. Richard Rawlinson. Considerable augmentations were made to the libraries of the feveral col- leges in the two Univerfities, as alfo to thofe of our cathedral churches, the palace at Lambeth, the inns of court, the college of arms, and others; Catalogues of which were publifhed at Oxford m 1697, under the title of Catalogus Mcinufcriptorum Anglise et llibernice. Bodlry's great cotemporary, Sir Robert Cotton, is alfo intitled to .the gratitude of pofterity for his diligence in collecting the Cottonian li- brary ; he was engaged in the purfuit of MSS. and Records upwards of forty years, during which time, he fpared neither trouble nor expence. The noble manufcript library founded by Robert Harley, Earl of- Oxford, and greatly enriched by his fon Edward, who inherited his fa- ther's love of fcience, claims a diftinguiftied place in every account which maybe given of the literary treafures of antiquity in general, and of this country in particular. Pofcerity will ever be indebted to her Grace the Duchefs Dowager of Portland, for fecuring this ineftimable treafure of learning to the public, by authority of parliament, under the guardianfhip of the mod diftinguiflv.'d perfons of the realm, both for rank and abilities ; whofe excellent regulations have made this library, as alfo the Royal,. Cottonian, Sloanian, and others, now depofited in the Britifh Mufeum, eafv of accefs, and confequently of real ufe to the Philofopher, the Statef- man, the Scholar, as well as to the Artift and the Mechanic. It muft give every one pleafure, who reflects on the improvements which have been made in moll: branches of fcience in the three laft centuries, that learning and the arts will not as formerly be loft to pofterity ; becaufe by means of printing, and thfe improvements in education, knowledge is • difFufed through moft nations, and is attainable by the generality of the people in every free country ; whereby many individuals are qualified to' promote^.. INTRODUCE ^ N. promote, in their refpective ftations, the arts, as well as the interefts, of each community. Science has humanized the mind, has caufed men in a great meafure to lay afide their prejudices, and has introduced a free inter- courfe hetvveen the Literati of moft countries, who have united in promoting and improving knowledge and the arts, without entering into the reiigious or political opinions of each other. The true way of making others love us, will be to treat them with kindnefs and humanity, and to oblerve the rule laid down by our great Master, of doing to others, as we would they Jhould do unto us ; we may then with reafon indulge a hope, that every fuc- ceeding age will increafe the knowledge, the virtue, and the happinefs of mankind. It now remains to give fome account of the following work. The firft and fecond chapters are founded on principles of Philofophy, fupported by facts, deduced from the Hiftories of different nations. In the third chapter, which treats of the antiquity of writing, it was ne- ceffary to have recourfe to the moft ancient Hiftorians, both facred and prophane ; the latter of which are fo involved in fable, that it was ex- tremely difficult to feparate the Ore from the Drofs. However, the moft refpectable authors have been confulted, from whom we have felected fuch evidence, as appeared to be moft rational, and to deferve the moft credit. Several particulars concerning the civilization of ancient nations, occur in the courfe of this chapter ; which may appear interefting, not only to the Hiftorian and Antiquary, but alfo to the Philofopher. In the fourth chapter it appears, that all alphabets are not derived from One, but that moft of thofe now ufed, are derived from the Phenician. This chapter contains a general account of fuch as are fuppofed to have aiifen from that fource, which furnifhes many important facts relative to the hiftory, population, and the progrefs of Arts and Sciences, of the moft .celebrated nations. The fifth chapter, contains the Hiftory of Writing in different ages and countries, proved from ancient infcriptions, manufcripts, and other au- thentic documents, of which engraved fpecimens are given, and feveral rules are laid down, which may enable our readers to judge of their age and authenticity. This chapter neceflarily contains much Ancient Hiftory, and INTRODUCTION, xxiii and eftablimes many important truths, hitherto little known or attended to. The Hiltory of Writing in England is very copious, and a great number of authentic documents are engraven for the information of our readers. The writing which prevailed in this ifland from the time the Romans left it, till the Norman Conqueft, I have divided into jive kinds, namely, Roman Saxon, Set Saxon, Running-hand Saxon, Mixt Saxon, and Elegant Saxon ; from this laft defcended what hath been called the Monkish English ; a fpecies of the writing ufually termed Mo- pern Gothic, which was peculiar to this kingdom : various fpecimens of which are given in the fecond column of the twenty- feventh plate (p. 150) : The Writing ufed by the Engliuh Lawyers, when they wrote in their own tongue, is partly derived from the fame fource, and partly from another, which (hall be next mentioned. (See plate twenty, p. 108, from N° 13 tc* N° 19). William I. introduced into this country corrupted Lombardk let- ters, which before his time had prevailed in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and fome other parts of Europe ; this hath been called by us Norman Writing, and was generally ufed in England for Grants, Charters, and Law- proceedings, more than two centuries and a half after the Conqueft: : many fpecimens of Norman writing, are given in the twenty-third, and in the two following plates. From the twelfth century, till after the invention of Printing, the Ec- clefialtics in this country, as well natives as foreigners, ufed the Modern Gothic characters, when they wro.'e the Latin language-, which characters were generally ufed by the Ecclefiajii.cs and Schoolmen in moft parts of Eu- rope (fee plate 27, p. 150, col. 1). Particular attention is paid to the writing praclifed in the northern parts of Scotland and in Ireland, and fe- veral fpecimens of MSS. in the Gaelic and Iberno-Celtic language are given, (fee p. 115, pi. xxii). Our readers are referred to the work, for the accounts given of the writing which was practifed in other parts of Europe, from the earlieft times, till the invention of Printing. The lixth chapter treats of the writing of the Chinese, and of various Characters and Literary Signs, ufed both by the ancients and mo- derns, for brevity, expedition, or xcrecy. The facts which appear in the courfe of -this chapter, fully confirm the doctrine laid down in the fe- cond: xxlv INTRODUCTION. cond and fourth chapters ; that all marks whatever are fignifcant by compart.? and that Letters do not derive their powers from their forms, but from the founds which men have agreed to annex to them. The feventh chapter treats of Numerals, and of Numeral Characters* which were probably ufed before letters. The eighth chapter treats of the Librarii, Notarii, and Antiquarii % among the Ancients : of Paintings and Ornaments : of the materials for writing upon : of Inflruments for writing with : and fome account of Inks both ancient and modern. The ninth chapter contains fome account of the Origin and Progrefs of Printing. Some of the drawings from whence the engravings in the follow- ing work are taken, were done at the expence of Edward Earl of Oxford, under the direction of the learned Doctor Hickes, and Mr. Humphrey Wanley, librarian to the Earl, and a perfon well verfed in ancient MSS. Thefe drawings were purchafed at the fale of the MSS. of the late James West, Efq. and are now in my library, but by far the greateft part 1 felected from original manulcripts, char- ters, and other ancient documents. •In an undertaking of this general nature, fome incorrect works have neceffarily been referred to ; and amongft others, the Engliih Univerfal Hiftory, feveral parts of which are well compiled, and from the moft authentic materials. The facts, which I have itated, are derived from fuch authors only, as in my judgment appeared to deferve credit, efpe- cially in the infcances where I have had recourfe to them. Some er- rors have been made by the tranfcribers, and others by the correc- tors of the prefs;; but it is hoped that the principal of them are cor- rected in the Appendix. My thanks are due to feveral of the Officers in the Britifh Mufeum, who have kindly affifted me in fearching af- ter manufcripts, and printed books, relative to the fubject of my in- quiry. To the Reverend Mr. Price, Keeper of the Bodleian library, at Oxford, I am indebted for Drawings from feveral ancient manu- fcripts preferved in that invaluable repofitory. The late Rev. Mr. Tyson, and the Rev. Mr. Nasmith, of Corpus-Chrifti College, in Cambridge, furnifhed me with Drawings of feveral ancient and curi- ous INTRODUCTION. XXV ous Manufcripts in that library. I am happy to acknowledge my obligations to the Rev. Mr. Owen Manning, of Godelming, for the aftiftance I have received from him ; and to my friend John Topham, of Gray's Inn, Efq. for his kind offices. To the Reverend Mr. Mac- Lagan, of Blair, in Athol ; to Mr. Stuart, of Killin, Perthfhire ; and to Colonel Vallancey, I am indebted for the tranflations of the Ipecimens which I have given of Scotch and Irifh Manufcripts. To the Rev. Mr. Johnston for the tranflations of thofe in the Iflandic language ; and to feveral other learned and ingenious Gentlemen, as well Natives as Foreigners, from whofe kind affiftance much information has been acquired* OF THE ORIGIN and PROGRESS WRITING. j . CHAP. I. Of Speech — Of the Origin of Hieroglyphics — Of their different kinds — Hieroglyphics common to all uncivilized Nations, T H E defire of communicating ideas, feems to be implanted in every human breaft. The two moft ufual methods of gratifying this defire, are, by founds addrefled to the ear; or, by reprefentations or marks exhibited to the eye; or, in other words; by fpeech and writing. The firft method was rendered more complete by the invention of the fecond, becaufe it opened a door for the communication of ideas through the fenfe of Jight as well as that of hearing. Speech may be confidered as the fubftance ; and writing, as the fhadow which followed it. — Thefe remarks may be illuftrated, by flating a few obfervations concerning the former, which will naturally lead us to the origin of the latter. One of the greateft advantages which we poflefs is that of fpeech, or the power of exprefling the conceptions of the mind by articulate B founds. § ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. I; founds. By this faculty we are capable of focial intercourfe, of enjoying the endearments of friendfhip and the communications of wifdom. Without language, we mould have been folitary in the midft of crowds j excluded from every kind of knowledge but what fell under our immediate notice-; and fhould have been confined to dull and tedious efforts of intimating our defires by figns and geflures : — in fhort, without fpeech we fhould fcarcely have been rational beings. Two things are effential to fpeech j namely, mental conceptions, and founds articulate. The former are, by far, the mofl excellent, becaufe they originate in, and appertain to, the mind whereas the latter are nothing more than the operations of certain organs of the body. I^The learned and ingenious author of Hermes (i), with great ftrength of argument, fhews, that language is founded in compact, and not in nature. His friend, Lord Mountboddo, with great learning and ingenuity, fupports the fame opinion, and infifts that language is not natural to man ; but, that it is acquired : and, in the courfe of his reflections, he adduces the opinions not only of heathen philofophers, poets and hiftorians, but of chriflian divines both ancient and modern (2). Though language, as it is generally confidered by grammarians, is a work of art; yet it is evident that 'vocal founds are founded in nature; and man would vary thofe founds, as impelled by his paflions, or urged by his neceflities. This exercife of the organs of fpeech would produce articulate voices, which are peculiar to the human fpecies ; vocal founds, expreffive of emotions, being natural to brutes, as well as to men. Thefe articulate voices are the firffc advances towards (1) See Hermes, by James Harris, Efq. book iii, p. 314, 327. (2) This author is of opinion that " The firft words of men, like their firft mankind took the hints of the mod ufeful v ideas," faith Mr. Harris, " had an arts from the brute creation, " for," faith " immediate reference to fenfible objects; he, M it may be true that men firft learned " and, in aftertimes, when men began to ** to build from the fwallow ; from the " difcover with their intellects, they took *' fpider, to weave ; and from the birds, to " thofe words which they found already fing."— See Mountboddo on the Origin " made, and transferred them, by metaphor, and Progrefs of Language, books i and ii, *' to intellectual conceptions." Hermes, p, 237 and 375. p. a6g. the Chap. I, OF WRITING S the formation of a language. The human organs are not, like thofe- of molt brutes, confined to a particular ipecies of found; but, as men are capable of learning to imitate the feveral founds of the brute creation, by that means they acquire a greater variety of founds than other animals. It is evident that children learn to fpeak by imitation they acquire articulate founds before they comprehend the ideas of which thofe founds are fignificant. It would be digrefling from the fubject immediately before us, to fay more at prefent concerning the nature of fpeech, or audible language j our enquiry being into the origi?i of uifible or written language. It is obvious that men would foon difcover the difficulty of conveying new ideas by founds alone for, as Mr. Harris obferves (3 ), " the fenfes c< never exceed their natural limits ; the eye perceives no founds, the *t ear perceives no figures nor colours j" therefore it became neceffary to call in the afliftance of the eye where the ear alone was infufficient. We mall prefently demonftrate that men, even in their moft uncivilifed ftate, difplay a faculty of imitation (4), which enables them to delineate objects, and communicate information by rude pictures or reprefentations. — For example, a man who had feen a ftrange animal, plant, or any other new object, for which he wanted a name, would have been almoft mechanically led to illuftrate his defcription by figns ; and, if they were not readily comprehended, by a rude delineation in the fand, on the bark of a tree, on a flate, or a bone, or on fuch materials as firft prefented themfelves : thefe being handed about, naturally fuggefted the hint of ufing this method of conveying intelligence to a diftant friend. The exercife of this faculty of imitation, fo eminently confpicuous in the human fpecies, will be found, on an accurate inveftigation, to have been common to all nations, and perhaps coeval with the firft focieties or communities of mankind. It is not probable that the art of picture -writing was brought to any degree of perfection by one man or nation, or even by one generation ; but was gradually improved and extended, by the fuccefiive hands of individuals, in the focieties through which it paired; and that more (3) Hermes, p. 334. , (4) Aristotle fays, man is the moft imitative of all animals* B 2 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.!",. or lefs, according to the genius of each people, and their ftate o£ civilization ; the ruder nations requiring fewer figns or reprefentations r than the more cultivated. At firft, each figure meant fpecifically what it reprefented. Thus, the figure of the fun, expreffed or denoted that planet only ; a lion or a dog, limply the animals there depicted : but,, in procefs of time, when men acquired more knowledge, and attempted' to defcribe qualities, as well as fenfible objects, thefe delineations were- more figuratively explained ; then the figure of the fun, befides its original meaning, denoted glory and genial warmth ; that of the lion r courage ; and that of the dog, fidelity. A ftill further improvement in civilization, occafioned thefe delineations to become too voluminous ; every new ubjc£t requiring. a new picture^, this induced the delineator to abridge the reprefentations,. retaining fc* much of each figure, as would exprefs its fpecies. Thus, for example^ inftead of an accurate reprefentation of a lion, a flight fketch, or more general figure of that animal was fubftituted ; and for a ferpenf, either a fpiral or crooked line like the letter S-. Befides this, as there, occurred a number of ideas, not to be reprefented by painting, for thefe it was neceffary to affix arbitrary figns. This tranfition was not fo great as at firft it may appear. In all probability, thefe figns were introduced flowly, and by degrees, and in. iuch manner, as to be always explained by the. context, until generally known and adopted,. That fuch was the origin and. progrefs of this invention, hiftory,. and the journals of travellers, furnifh us with variety of proofs;, hieroglyphics, in all their different ftages, being found in very diftant, parts of the globe. Of thefe we fliall mention fome inftances. Joseph d'Acosta relates,. That on the firft arrival of the Spanifh fquadron on the coaft of Mexico, exprehes were fent to Montezuma, with exact reprefentations of the fhips, painted on cloth ; in which manner they kept their records, hiftories and calendars; reprefenting; things that had bodily fhapes> in their proper figures ; and thofe that had none, in arbitrary fignificant characters. It is here to be obferved,, that the Mexicans had long been a civilized people ; fo that this kind of writing may be confidered among them as almoft advanced to its snoft perfect ftate.. Specimens. CiTAP. Iv OF WRITING. Specimens of Mexican painting have been given by Purchas in fixty-fix plates. His work is divided into three parts. The firft contains the hiftory of the Mexican empire, under its ten monarchs : The fecond is a tribute-roll> reprefenting^ what each conquered town paid into the royal treafury; and the third is a code of their inftitutions, civil, political and military (5). Another fpecimen of Mexican painting has been publifliedj in thirty-two plates, by the prefent archbifhop of Toledo. To all thefe is annexed a full explanation of what the figures were intended to reprefent j which was obtained by the Spaniards from Indians well acquainted with their own arts. The ftile of painting in all thefe is the fame j and they may be juftly confidered as the molt curious monuments of art, brought from the new world (6),- (5) The originals are in the Bodleian library at Oxford, No. 3134, among Mr. Selden's M. S. S. In the fame library, No. 2858, is a book of Mexican hieroglyphics painted upon thick fkins, which are covered- with a chalky compofition, and folded in eleven folds. No. 3 135, is a book of Mexican hieroglyphics painted upon fimilar fkins, and folded in ten folds. No. 3207, is a roll containing Mexican hieroglyphics, painted on bark. Thefe paintings are highly worthy the attention of the curious. (6) Upon an attentive infpedtion of the- plates above-mentioned, we may obferve fome approach to the plain or fimple hieroglyphic, where fome principal part or circumftance of the fubject, is made to ftand for the whole. In the annals publifhed by Purchas, the towns conquered by each monarch are uniformly reprefented, in the fame manner, by the rude delineation of a houfe ; but, in order to point out the particular towns, which fubmitted to their victorious arms, peculiar emblems, fome- times natural objects, and fometimes artificial figures are employed. In the Tribute-roll, publifhed by the archbifhop of Toledo, the haufe t which was properly the piclure of the town, is omitted ; and the emblem alone is employed to reprefent it. TheMexicans feem evien. to have made fome advances beyond this, towards the ufe of the more figurative and! fanciful hieroglyphic. In order to defcribe a monarch who had enlarged his dominions by force of arms, they painted a target, orna- mented with darts, and placed it betweea him and thofe towns which he had fubdued. But it is only in one inftance, the notation of numbers, that we difcern any attempt tor exhibit ideas which had no corporeal form* The Mexicans had invented - artificial marks, or fgns of mventiorr, for this- purpofe: by means of thefe,- they computed the years of their kings reigns, as well as the amount of tribute to be paid into the royal treafury 1 the figure of' a circle, reprefented a unit ; and, in fmall numbers j the computation was made by repeating it. Larger numbers were, expreffed by a peculiar mark ; and they had fuch as denoted all integral numbers, from twenty to eight thoufand. The fhort duration of their empire prevented the Mexicans from advancing farther in that long courfe, which conducts men, from the labour of deline- ating real objects, to the fimplicity and eaf3 of alphabetic writing. Their records, not- withstanding fome dawn of fuch ideas as might have led to a more perfect ftile, can be confidered as nothing more than a fpecies of picture-writing, fo far improved, as tox mark their fuperiority over the favage tribes of- € ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.I. Charlevoix, and feveral other travellers teftify, that this kind of writing, or rather painting, was ufed by the North American Indians, to record their paft events, and to communicate their thoughts to their diftant ^d:/i.22p. friends. A The fame kind of characters were found by Strahlenberg upon the rocks in Siberia ; and the author of the book, intitled, De vet. lit. Hun. Scytb. p. 1 5, mentions certain innkeepers in Hungary, who ufed hieroglyphic reprefentations, not only to keep their accounts, but to defcribe their debtors ; fo that if one was a foldier, they drew a rude kind of fword •, for a fmith or carpenter, a hammer or an ax j and, if a carter ; a whip. The inhabitants of the Friendly Iflands, vifited by Captain Cook, in 1779, make a great number of rude figures, to reprefent their deities. Captain King, who accompanied Captain Cook on his lafl expedition, brought from one of thefe iflands a piece of cloth, made of bark, on which feveral rude reprefentations, of men, birds, and ornaments of drefs, are depicted. Befides thefe, there are fome delineations, which have the appearance of arbitrary marks. This cloth is divided into twenty-three compartments j in one of which, near the centre, is a rude figure, larger than the reft, perhaps of fome deity, having a bird Handing upon each hand : that on the right hand, appears to be addreffing itfelf to his ear. This figure is furrounded by three fmaller ones, which may be intended as minifters or attendants. The great figure is much in the flile of the Mexican hieroglyphic paintings at Oxford (7). The Egyptians undoubtedly carried this art to its greatefl extent; and this is one reafon, why they have been generally confidered as the inventors of it ; every fpecies of hieroglyphics being recorded in their hiftory. Hieroglyphic writing, ftri&ly fo called, is a fimple reprefentation, or mere picture. The abridgements afterwards introduced may be divided into three kinds, of North America ; but ftill fo defective, as be ranked among polifhed nations. See Dr. to prove that they had not proceeded far Robertson's Hift. of America, vol. ii,p. 286, beyond the firft ftage, in that progrefs which and note 54, p. 472 — 482. muA be compleated, before any people can (7) This cloth is now in my pofleflion. Firft, Chap. I. OF WRITING. Firft, when the principal circumjlance was made to reprefent the whole* In order to fignify a battle, two hands were delineated j one holding a bow, another a fhield : a tumult, or popular infurrection, was exprefted by an armed man calling arrows j and a fiege, by a fcaling-ladder. This may be fliled a picture character j or, as the late bifhop of Gloucefter calls it, " a Curiologic Hieroglyphic." The Second, and more artificial method of contraction, was, by putting the infirument for the thing itfelf. Thus, an eye in the clouds, or eminently placed, was defigned to reprefent God's omnifcience, as perceiving all things ; an eye and fceptre, to reprefent a king j and a fliip and pilot, the Governor of the univerfe. This may be called the Tropical Hie?-ogtyphic. The Third, and flill more artificial method of abridging picture- writing, was, by Conver/ion, or making one thing ftand for, or reprefent another : For example, the Bull Apis flood for Ofiris, and not the picture or image of Ofiris (8). This hath been denominated The Symbolic Hieroglyphic (9). This, and the enormous bulk of the picture volumes, produced a further change in writing ; the figures were totally rejected ; and, in their room, certain arbitrary marks were inftituted, exprefling. not only vifible objects, but mental conceptions. Thefe of necefiity mull be exceedingly numerous, as is the cafe in the Chinefe writings, in which fome authors have alferted, they could fiill trace out the remains of the picture character. (8) Some authors havefaid, That, at firft, fymbols had fome quaint refemblance of, or analogy to, what they reprefented. Thus, among the Egyptians, a cat ftood for the moon ; becaufe the Egyptians held, that the pupil of her eye was enlarged at the full moon, and was contracted and diminilhed during its decreafe : A ferpent reprefented the divine nature^ on account of its great vigour and fpirit, its long age and re- virefcence. (9,) That thefe improvements are not imaginary, is proved from a fragment of S anchqn jatho, preferved by Eusebius, re- cording, " That Taautus, having imitated " Ouranus's art of picture-writing, drew " the portraits of the gods Cronus, Dagon, " and the reft; and delineated the facred " characters, which formed the elements " of this kind of writing. For Cronus, " particularly, he imagined the fymbols of *' royalty : four eyes ; two before, and two " behind, of which two were clofed in " flumber; and on his moulders four ** wings; two ftretched out, as in the act of " flying ; and two contracted, as in repofe, " The firft fymbol fignified, that Cronus " watched though he repofed, and repofed 5? though ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.1' The late learned biftiop of Gloucefter, in his Divine Legation of Moses (i), obferves, that all the barbarous nations upon earth, before the invention or introduction of letters, made ufe of hieroglyphics or ligns, to record their meaning. Such a general concurrence in the method of preferving events, could never be the effect of chance, imitation, or partial purpofes j but muft needs be efteemed the uniform voice of nature, fpeaking to the firft rude conceptions of mankind; c * for," adds this learned prelate, " not only the Chinefe of the eaft* " the Mexicans of the weft, and the Egyptians of the fouth, but the « f Scythians likewife of the north, as well as thofe intermediate *' inhabitants of the earth, the Indians, Phenicians, Ethiopians, cc Etrufcans, &c. all ufed the fame way of writing, by picture and * £ hieroglyphic." We mail difmifs the prefent chapter, by endeavouring to imprefs the minds of our Readers with a diftinction which will be found to .be of great importance in the prefent enquiry j namely, the difference between imitative characters and fymbolic or arbitrary marks. " Every medium," fays Mr. Harris, in his Hermes, p. 33 1, " through f* which we exhibit any thing to another's contemplation, is either v ipt/Vin uvrrit ta vr fay pare f Kara. r» Svtatoti a.7reip^ovi^ia-Qat /5«\eT, sjk fr'" ip' VlMv ctvTo /*ETaw?i«fai.— ~~To St yt 0vp&f>\o*, r>roi cnf/.iTw to o\oi i(p tip?* tx^* * T£ *j ** f*°>>!? v$.r*ptm T?5 q putt pas e7rii>oias* A REPRESENTATION Or RESEMBLANCE differs from a symbol in as much as the refem- blance aims, as far as poffble, to reprefent the very nature of the thing, nor is it in our povjer to fhift or vary it : but a symbol or sign, is wholly in our own power, as depending Jingly for its exiflenee on our imagination. Amman, hi lib. de Interp. p. 17, b. The above is the meaning we annex to the word fymbol, the principal ufe of words being to explain things ; but the great Lord Bacon truly obferves, " That the firft diftemper of ** learning is, when men ftudy words and not *' matter." Shaw's Bacon, vol. i, p. 2$. This excellent writer was fo ftrongly impref- fed with this fentiment, that he makes the fame obfervation in different parts of his works. c CHAP. ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.IL CHAP. II. Of the ORIGIN of LETTERS. Variety of Opinions on this SubjeEl Alphabetic Writing not firfl communicated to Moses, nor of Divine Original — General Reflections — Progrefs of the Human Mind towards the Invention of an Alphabet — How accomplijhed— Of the Compofition and Notation of Language. TH E art of drawing ideas into virion, or of exhibiting the con- ceptions of the mind by legible characters, may juftly be deemed the nobleft and moft beneficial invention of which human ingenuity can boaft: an invention which hath contributed more than all others to. the improvement of mankind. The fubjectof this chapter hath engaged the attention, and perplexed the fagacity, of many able and judicious perfons for many centuries : fome of the moft refpectable writers have reafoned upon erroneous principles, and, by their works, have obfcured the true path which might have led to the difcovery of Letters. Monfieur Fourmont, Bifhop Warburton, and Monfieur Gebelin, have endeavoured to mew, that alphabets were originally made up of hieroglyphic characters j but it will prefently appear, that the letters of an alphabet were eflentially different, from the characterise marks deduced from hieroglyphics, which laft are marks for things and ideas, in the fame manner as the ancient and modern characters of the Chinefe ; whereas the former are only marks for founds j and, though we mould allow it an eafy tranfition, from the Egyptian hieroglyphics, to the characteriftic marks of the Chinefe, which have been demonftrated by Du Halde and others to be perfectly hieroglyphic, yet, it doth not follow, that the invention of an alphabet muft naturally fucceed thefe marks. It is true, there is a fufHcient refemblance between the Mexican picture-writing, the Egyptian hieroglyphics, and the Chinefe characters 3 but thefe are foreign Chap. II. OF W R I r I N G. ii foreign to alphabetic letters, and, in reality, do not bear the leaft relation to them. The hieroglyphic characters of the Chinefe, which are very numerous, are in their nature imitative, and do not combine into words, like arbitrary marks for founds or letters, which are very few, and are of a fymbolic nature. We mall mew, that thefe authors, whofe learning and ingenuity intitle them to the higheft reflect, and whofe writings have furnifhed many ufeful hints towards the difcovery of alphabetic characters, have not filled up the great chafm between picture-writing and letters, which, though the moil difficult, was the molt necefTary thing for them to have done, before they could attempt to account for the formation of an alphabet. We fhall demonftrate, that letters do not derive their powers from their forms, and that originally their forms intirely depended on the fancy or will of thofe who made them ( i). — Other writers who have confidered this difficult fubjecTr, have freely confeffed that it was above their comprehenfion (2). Many learned men have fuppofed that the alphabet was of divine origin ; and feveral writers have afTerted, that letters were firft communicated to Moses by God himfelf (3) ; whilft others have contended, that the Decalogue was the firft alphabetic writing. It is highly proper for us to enquire how far thefe opinions are well founded j for, if they can be fupported, there is an end of our purfuit; but if it mail appear that they are warranted neither by reafon nor by fcripture, we fhall be at full liberty to purfue our enquiry : for the fatisfaclion therefore of thofe who have adopted thefe opinions, it is incumbent on us to have recourfe to the Holy Scriptures themfelves. ( ! ) See Monf. Fourmont's Reflections crit. fur Ies Hift. des Anc. Peuple, torn, ii, a Paris 173;. The Divine Legation of Moses, by the late Dr. Warburton, bifhop of Glou- cester, vol. iii, p. izi. Monf. Gebelin's Monde Primitif, vol. iii, Paris, 1775. (2) Mr. Wise's ElTay on the Origin of the Language and Letters of Europe, p. 92, 93. See Univerfal Hiftory, vol. xx, p. 18, n. H. (3) Of thefe opinions were St. Cyril, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Isidore of Seville, amongft the fathers $ and Mr. Bryant, Mr. Costard, Mr. Windar, with many others, among the moderns. See St. Cyril againft Julian, bookviiij Cle- ment of Alex, book i, ftromat. cap. 23; Euseb. Preparat. Evang. lib. ix, cap. 7 j Isidore, Origin, lib. i, cap. 3 ; Mr. Buy- ant's Ancient Mythology; Mr. Costard's Letter to Mr. Halhed j and Mr. Windar's Effay on Knowledge, C 2 The [j2 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. II. The firfr. mention of writing recorded in Scripture, will be found in Exodus xvii, v. 145 " And the Lord /aid unto Moses, Write (4) this, '* for a memorial, in a book; and rehearfe it in the ears of Joshua j, " for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from wider *? Heaven." This command was given immediately after the defeat of the Amalekites near Horeb, and before the arrival of the Ifraelites at Mount Sinai. It is obfervable, that there is not the leaft hint to induce us to believe that writing was then newly invented ; on the contrary, we may conclude, that Moses underftood what was meant by writing in a book-, otherwife God would have inftrucled him, as he had done Noah in building the ark (5) ; for he would not have been commanded to write in a book, if he had been ignorant of the art of writing: but Moses expreffed no difficulty of comprehenfion, when he received this command. We alfo find that Moses wrote all the words and all the judgments of the Lord, contained in the twenty- firft and the two following chapters of the book of Exodus, before the two written tables of ftone were even fo much as prom fed (6). The delivery of the tables is not mentioned till the eighteenth verfe of the thirty-firn; chapter, after God had made an end of communing with him upon the mount (7), though the ten commandments were promulgated immediately after his third defcent. It is obfervable, that Moses no where mentions that the alphabet was a new thing in his time, much lefs that he was the inventor of it (4) The Hebrew word is which (6) " And Moses wrote all the words of. word is generally ufed for drawing letters or " the Lord," &c. Exod. xxiv, v. 4. " And literal characters j to write ; Exod. xxiv, v. 4; " he took the book of the covenant, and and chap, xxxiv, v. 18. See Parkhurst's " read it in the. audience of the people; and: Lexicon. *' they faid, All that the Lord hath faid we (5) Gen. vi, ver. 14, 15, 16. " will do, and be obedient." Ibid. v. 7. (7) The different times of Moses's afcending and defcending the Mount are. diltinguifhed in the following paffages. Firjl a/cent. Second a/cent. Tlrird a/cent. Fourth a/cent. Exod. xix, v. 3. Exod. xix, v. 8. Exod. xix, v. 20. Exod. xxiv, v. 13. Firjl defcent. Second defcent. Third defcent. Fourth defcent. Exod. xix, v. 7. Exod. xix, v. 14. Exod. xix, v. 25. Exod. xxxii, v. 15. on Chap. II. OF WRITING. 13 on the contrary, he fpeaks of the art of writing, as a thing well known, and in familiar ufej for, Exodus xxviii, v. 21, he fays, *' And the " ftones mall be with the names of the children of Ifrael, Twelve 3 * according to their names, like the engravings of a fignet, every one with ** his name, mail they be, according to the twelve tribes." And again, v. 36, t( And thou malt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, *' like the engravings of a fignet, holiness to the Lord." Can language be more expreflive ? Would it not be abfurd to deny that this fentence muft have been in words and letters ? But writing was known and practifed by the people in general in the time of Moses, as appears from the following texts, Dent. chap, vi, v. 9; chap, xi, v. 20; chap, xvii, v. 185 chap, xxiv, v. 1; chap, xxvii, v. 3, 8. By this laft text, the people are commanded to write the law on ftones ; and it is obfervable, that fome of the above texts, relate to tranfactions previous to the delivery of the law at Mount Sinai. If Moses had been the inventor of the alphabet, or received letters from God, which till then had been unknown to the Ifraelites, it would have been well worthy of his underftanding, and very fuitable to his character, to have explained to them the nature and ufe of this invaluable art which God had communicated to him : and may we not naturally fuppofe, that he would have faid, when he directed the workmen to engrave names and fentences on ftones and gold (8), " And in thefe "* engravings you fhall ufe the alphabetic characters which God hath * l communicated to me, or which I have now invented, and taught you " the ufe of?" But the truth is, he refers them to a model in familiar ufe, " like the engravings of a fignet " for the ancient people of the eaft, engraved names and fentences on their feals, in the fame manner as is now practifed by the great lama of Tartary, the princes in India,, the emperor of Conftantinople, and his fubordinate rulers (9). , The fame author, in his Phaedrus, makes the god Hheuth or Mercury, the inventor of letters. Diodorus Siculus tells us, that Mercury invented the firft characters of writing, and taught men the rudiments of aftronomy (2) : and Cicero, in his Tufc. Queft. lib. i, delivers his opinion upon this fubjecl: in the following words: " Quid ilia vis, quae ** tandem eft, quae inveftigat occulta ? — aut qui fonos vocis, qui infiniti *< videbantur, paucis literarum notis terminavit? — Philofophia vero " omnium mater artium, quid eft aliud, niji, ut Plato ait y donum, ut " ego inventum Deorum?" The fame author, in his Natura Deorum, lib. iii, fays, that Hermes or the fifth Mercury, whom the Egyptians called Thoth, firft communicated letters to that people. The Gentoos affirm, that letters were communicated to their anceftors by the fupreme being, whom they call Brahma (3),. Although, from thefe authorities, we may infer that the art of writing •is of great antiquity, yet they difcover to us that the ancients had very jmperfecl: ideas of its true origin ; for Plato fays (4), that fome, when they could not unravel a difficulty, brought down a god, as in a machine % t9 Univerfal Hiftorical Lihrary, p. 21, fupports it is reafonable to fuppofe, that this fignet thefe authorities ; and adds, that there is an was fimilar to thofe ufed by the Ifraelites, and infinite number of ancient and modern ftones the other neighbouring nations, thus engraven, which were ufed for fignets. (1) See vol. ii, p. 18 ; edit. Serran. That fignets were ufed by the Hebrews, before (2) Lib. i, feci:. 1. they went into Egypt, we learn from Gen. (3) See Mr. Halhed's preface to the -chap, xxxviii, v. 18, where it appears, that Gentoo Laws. Judah gave Thamar his fignet, &c. : and (4) See the Cratylis edit. Fife, p. 29 u cut Chap. II. OF WRITING. ij cut the knot: and the learned bifhop of Gloucefter obferves, that the ancients gave nothing to the gods, of whofe original they had any records; but where the memory of the invention was loft, as of feed corn, wine, writing, civil fociety, 6cc. the gods feized the property, by that kind of right which gives ftrays to the lord of the manor (5). The holy fcriptures having left this fubject open to inveftigation, and the prophane writers having given us nothing fatisfactory upon it, we are at liberty to purfue our inquiry into the origin of letters ; but, in order to qualify ourfelves for this talk, it may be proper to enter into a philofophical contemplation of the nature of letters, and of their powers, which will beft enable us to difcover the true origin of their invention. A little reflection will difcover, that men in their rude uncultivated Irate,, had neither leifure, inclination, nor inducement, to cultivate the powers of the mind to a degree fuflicient for the formation of an alphabet ; but when a people arrived at fuch a ftate of civilization, as required them to> reprefent the conceptions of the mind which had no corporeal forms, necessity, the mother of invention, would occafion further exertions. of the human faculties, and would urge fuch a people to find out a more expeditious manner of tranfacting their bufinefs, and of recording their events, than by piBure-writing ; for the impoffibility of conveying a variety of intellectual and metaphyseal ideas, and of reprefentingyS/W* by the emblematic mode of writing, would naturally occur, and therefore the necefllty of feeking out fome other that would be more comprehenfive,. would prefent itfelf. Thefe exertions would take place whenever a nation began to improve in arts, manufactures and commerce; and the more genius fuch a nation had, the more improvements would be made in the notation of their language, whilft thofe people who. had made lefs progrefs in civilization; and fcience, would have a lefs perfect fyftem of elementary characters ; or would for ages advance no further in tins art, than the marks or characters (5} Bifhop Warburton's Divine Legation, vol. iii, p, 62, j 6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.IL of the Chinefe(6). Hence it refults, that the bufinefs of princes, and the manufactures and commerce of each country, produced the neceflity of devifing fome expeditious manner of communicating information to their fubjects, or commercial con efpondents at a dhtance. Such an improvement was of the greateft ufe, not only to the fovereign and the flatefman, but to the manufacturer and the merchant. We fhall, for the prefent, omit the mention of the feveral modes of writing which were praclifed by different nations, in the courfe of their progrefs towards civilization, becaufe the accounts will more properly come under the hiltory of the writing of each country ; particularly under that of Egypt, whofe inhabitants difplayed every fpecies of writing in the courfe of their improvements. At prefent we fhall purfue that part of our enquiry which relates to the formation of en alphabet. Let us then in this place juft premife, that arbitrary marks are of different kinds. Firjl, Thofe ufedby the Chinefe ; many of which were originally picture-characters. Secondly, Thofe ufed by the notarii amongft the ancients, and by the prefent fhort-hand writers j and, thirdly, marks for sounds ; fuch as elementary characters or letters, and mufical notes. The marks of the f rjl and fecond kind are very numerous, as will appear hereafter : thofe of the third are very few, as will prefently i>e demonftrated. It feems obvious, that whilft the picture or hieroglyphic prefented itfelf to the fight, the writer's idea was confined to the figure or object itfelf; but when the picture was contracted into a mark, the found annexed to the thing fignified by fuch mark, would become familiar; and when the writer reflected, how fmall a number of founds he made ufe of in fpeech to exprefs all his ideas, it would occur, that a much fewer number of marks than he had been accuftomed to ufe, would be fufficient (6) If it fhould be afked, why the Chinefe policy of their country; in the fame manner ilill adhere to the ancient mode of writings as the prohibition of printing, forms a part it may be anfwered, that their adherence to of the civil policy within the dominions of the arbitrary maris, formed, and itill continues emperor of Conftantinople, to form, a part of the civil and religious for Chap. II. OF WRITING. for the notation of all the founds which he could articulate. Thefe confiderations, would induce him to reflect on the nature and power of foufids j and it would occur, that, founds being the matter of audible language, marks for them muft be the elements of words. Aristotle juftly obferves, " that words are the marks of thoughts ; " and letters t of words" Words are founds fignificant j and letters are marks for fuch founds (7). The learned author of Hermes, above quoted, informs us (8), " That " to about twenty plain elementary founds, we owe that variety of " articulate voices which have been fufficient to explain the fentiments , r or liquids, \ ef eI em en er efs ev ez efh ezh ing, 9 Vocal, el em en er ev ez eth ezh ing. 4 Afpirated, ef efs ettr efh. Divided again into 4' labial, eb ep ev ef. 8 Dental, ed et eth ettr ez efs ezh efli. 4 Palatine, eg ek el er. 3 Nafal, em en ing, Mr, ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.IL Mr. Sheridan obferves, that our alphabet is ill calculated for the notation of the Englifli tongue, as there are many founds for which we have no letters or marks ; and there ought to be nine more characters or letters to make a complete alphabet, in which every Jimple found ought to have a mark peculiar to itfelf. The reafon of the deficiency is, that our anceftors adopted the Roman alphabet for the notation of our language, though it was by no means fuited to our tongue. Every alphabet is to be confidered as the elements of words, wherever it may be received by compact : for our readers muft not forget, that all words, as well as fymbols, letters, or elements of words, are fignificant only by habit or agreement. As vocal or audible language is refolvable into fentences, words, and fyllables ; fo written or vifible language is compofed of letters, fyllables, -words, and fentences. A letter is an arbitrary mark, made to fignify or ftand for a particular found fignificant by compact j and may be properly termed a mark for a certain known found (5). A determinate or eflablifhed number of thefe marks, conftitute the elements or alphabet of written language. The combinations and arrangements of thefe elements or letters, as fettled by confent or compact, compofe the written language of civilized nations. The firft ftep towards the compofition of written language, is to convey an idea of fome found ; either by a fingle mark or character, or by writing two or more of them, which form a fyllable : one or more of thefe fyllables make a word ; which is a voice articulate, and fignificant by compact : a fentence is a compound quantity of founds fignificant ; of which, certain parts are themfelves alfo fignificant: feveral words jnake a fentence, and feveral fentences a memoir or difcourfe. (5) Letters in Hebrew are called JYlTTltt agrees with the Hebrew etymology. The Otbioib, i. e. Signs, as being the figns or Roman writers called them Elemmta ; — thus reprefentations of our words. — In Greek, Horace fays : letters are called T^ppct-re, from y§ptf*f*«, a line^ -Ut pueris olim dant cruftula blandi becaufe they are compofed of lines. The Latin Doftores elementa velint ut difcere prima. Inheres is from Linea. The Greeks ufed the See alfo Lucret. de Rerum Nat. lib. ii, and V/ord. i. Q.figus, to denote letters; which lib. v, v. 1444, Writing Chap, if, O F WRITING. 2.3 Writing then, may be defined to be the ar£ o£4fawing-ihe conceptions of the mind into vifion, by means of marks A fignificant of the founds of language ; which - markt^ enable us to transfer ideas from the eye to the ear, and vice verfa (6). Thus we have fhewn how ideas may become the objects of vifion-, and may be exhibited to the eye in legible characters ; and that the notation of language may be performed, by making a fufficient number of marks for founds, and by arranging and combining them properly (7). The elements of all written language are divided into vowels and confonants •> the former of which, is defined to be a fimple articulate founds uttered by a fingle impulfe of the voice, and forming an articulate found by iifelf; whereas a confonant, forms no articulate found of itfelf, but only aflifts in forming a found. The vowels were probably invented firfl, but the confonants form the body of language, and are properly termed the bones and fnews thereof. The confonants are divided into mutes, and liquids, which will feldom join together in the fame fy liable j nor will any two of the mutes affociate in a fyllable, either in Englifh or in Latin. The firft compofition of written language, is of lettersinto fyllables s but it is obfervable, that all Utters will not compound with all - 3 the vowels will not only mix. with each other, or form dipthongs ; but they will compound in fyllables with all the confonants fo called, becaufe they found in company with the vowels. But this does not hold of the confonants with refpecT: to one another j for only fome of them found together in fyllables, whilft others of them cannot aflbciate together in that way ; the reafon of which is, that the configuration of the mouth, and the acYion of its organs, are fo different in the pronunciation of fome of them, that they cannot be joined together (6.) For example, if Iread,-r-the.kieas of the. (7) The great Lord Bacon obfecves, that author are imprefled upon my mind through before a thing is effe&ed we think it impoffible ; the medium of fight by the mark, for founds ; and when it is done, we wonder it was not! and thefe ideas are imprefled upon the minds of done before. Shaw's- Bacon, vol. i, p. 29. the auditors, through the fenfe of hearing. On And in another place he fays, — " When theother hand, if I did ate to an amanuenfis, my « new things are demonftrated, the mind toareconveyed to him, through the medium " receives them by a kind of affinity, as if of founds fignificant, which he draws into vifion, " we , had known them before." by the means of mar ksftgmji cant of thofe founds, in 24 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. II. in the fame enunciation, nor without fome reft or pnufe betwixt ; fo that there muft be time to give a different configuration and action to the organs ; whereas, when the pronunciation is not fo different, the founds may be fo run together, as to incorporate in one fyliable ; and in this way, five, or even fix confonants, may be joined in the fiime fyllable, as in the Englifh word Jtrengtb. The next compofition of articulate founds, is of fyllables into words ; and the better the compofers of fuch words, were acquainted with the nature and harmony of founds, the more harmonious would be their written language. On the contrary, a deficiency in the knowledge of founds, is a confiderable obftruction to the difcovery of what confonants evuhtr/hr/ will incorporate with what ; and from this ignorance proceeds that 1 redundancy and fuperfluity of letters, which is confpicuous in many languages (8). It is obfervable, that many of the confonants, which admit of a Junclion in the fame fyllable, do not produce harmonious founds. In truth, the manlinefs or effeminacy, the harmony or harfhnefs, of a written language, will, in a great meafure, depend upon the proper or improper junction of letters in fyllables. The proper arrangements and combinations of letters, conftitute that branch of fcience called Grammar, which confifts of four parts ; namely, orthography, profody, etymology, andfyntax. Grammarians divide language into what they call parts of fpeech j but they differ as to the number of the parts, of which fpeech is compofed (9). Mr. Harris clearly fhews, that all words whatever, (8) The extraordinary length of words, The orthography of any language was is a property common to all barbarous lan- very imperfect, till men had not only reduced guages. " The words of barbarous languages, their language to certainty, by grammatical " are long and full of vowels ; not fhort and rules, but till they had polifhed the fame, * e full of confonants, as hath been imagined." by rejecYing fuperfluous letters; thus in —See Mountboddo on the Origin and England, we had no certain rules for the Progrefs of Language, fecond edit, vol.i, b. iii, orthography of our language, fo lately as the p. 496, 532, 53^, 599. — See alfo the accounts reign of King Henry the viiith. given of the languages of the inhabitants of (9) Plato, in his Sophift, mentions only the new difcovered countries in the fouthern two parts of fpeech. — Aristotle four; hemifphere, by Dr. Forster and others. — — the latter ftoics five ; — we fay there are See alfo Roger Williams's Key to the Lan- eight. guage of America, Lond. 1643. arc Chap. II. OF WRITING. §j are either Subjlantives, Attributives, Defaitives, or Connectives ; the Subftantives may be called Nouns j the Attributives, Verbs j the Defi- nitives, Articles; and the Connectives, Conjunctions (i). As to the Pronouns, Adverbs, Prepofitions, and Interjections, he is of opinion, that they muft be found included within the fpecies above-mentioned (2). ( 1 ) All things whatever either exift as the energies or affections of fome other thing, or without being the energies or affections of fome other thing. If they exift as the energies or af- fections of fomething elfe, then are they called Attributes. Thus, to think, is the attribute of a man ; to be white, of a fwan ; to fly, of an eagle; to be four-footed, of a horfe. If they exift not after this manner, then are they called Subftances. Thus man, fwan, eagle, and horfe, are none of them attributes, but all fubftances ; becaufe how- ever they may exift in time and place, yet neither of thefe, nor of any thing elfe, do they exift as energies or affections. And thus all things whatfoever, being either fubftances or attributes, it follows of courfe, that all words, which arefignificant as principals, muft needs be fignificant of either the one or the other. If they are figni- ficant of fubftances, they are called Sub- ftantives ; if of attributes, they are called Attributives. So that all words whatever, fignificant as principals, are either fubftantives or attributives. Again, as to words, which are only fignifi- cant as acceffories, they acquire a fignifka- tion, either from being affociated to one word, or elfe to many. If to one word alone* then, as they can do no more than in fome manner define or determine, they mayjuftly for that reafon be called Definitives. If ta many words at once, then, as th y ferve to no other purpofe than to connect, they are called for that reafon by the name of Connectives. — Hermes, p. 28 to 31. (2) Pronouns are evidently included in nouns, adverbs in verbs, and prepofitions in conjunctions, they being merely connectives. — (Hermes, ut fupra). — Interjections are certain voices of nature (rather than voices cf art) expreflive of emotions. — Hermes, p. 290. E CHAP. OIklGJN AND PROGRESS Ch ap. Ill, CHAP. 1IL OF THE ANTIQJJITY OF WRITING, The Claims of different Nations to the Invention of Letters ; namely y — Of the Egyptians — Phenicians — Chaldeans — Syrians — Indians — Arabians. — Obfervations and Refleclions, — Of Ante-diluvian W riting, THE art of writing is of fo great antiquity, and the written annals of ancient nations are fo imperfect or fabulous, that it will be extremely difficult to -decide to what nation or people the honour of the invention belongs ; for, as Sir Isaac Newton juftly obferves, " there is theutmoft uncertainty in the chronology of ancient kingdoms, " arifing from the vanity of each in claiming the greateft antiquity, " while thofe pretenfions were favoured by their having no exact " accounts of time." We have already hinted, that Letters were the produce of a certain degree of civilization among mankind ; and therefore it is moft probable, that we mall obtain the beft information, by having recourfe to the hiftory of thofe nations who appear to have been firft civilized. C As a great number of authors have decided in favour of 8sr ' £ Egyptians, who have an undoubted claim to an early civilization, we mail begin our enquiries with that people j and, as they difplayed every fpecies of writing in the courfe of their improvements, we mail purfue the thread of their hiftory, which will reflect confiderable light on what has been already advanced. The late biftiop of Gloucefter affirms, that the Egyptians were the firft people who difcovered the knowledge of the divine nature ; and amongft the firft who taught the immortality of the foul (i). In (i) Divine Legat. of Moses, vol. i, p. 165 ; for great part of what is here faid of the vol. ii, p. 100 to 105; vol. iii, p. 17; ibid. Egyptians, p. 25 to 40. We are indebted to this prelate anothei Chap. III. OF WRITING. another place, he gives us an account of the ftate of their learning and fuperftitions in the time of Moses. He contends, that Egypt was the parent of all the learning of Greece, and was reforted to by the Grecian legiflators, naturalifts, and philofophers. The fame prelate, with great erudition, and ftrength of argument, endeavours to prove, that Egypt was probably one of the firft civilized countries on the globe. In order to give the Reader a clear idea of the feveral kinds of Egyptian writing, it will be proper to obferve, that this writing was of four kinds. The firft, hieroglyphic the fecond, fymbolic ; the third, epiftolic ; and, the fourth and laft, hierogrammatic. Porphyry (2), fpeaking of Pythagoras, informs us, " That he *• fojourned with the priefts in Egypt, and learnt the wifdom and " language of the country, together with their three forts of letters ; " the epiftolic, the hieroglyphic, and the fymbolic, of which, the M hieroglyphic expreffed the meaning of the writer, by an imitation or " picture of the thing intended to be expreffed ; and the fymbolic, by " allegorical enigmas." Clemens Alexandrinus is larger and more explicit : — vable, that Porphyry judicioufly omits- to explain epiftolary writing, as fuppofing it to be well known : but Clement adds to epiftolic the hierogrammatic, which was alphabetic, but, being confined to the ufe of the priefts, was not fo well known : he with equal judgment explains the nature of thefe characters. The Egyptians, as hath been obferved, in the moft early ages, wrote like all other infant nations, by pictures \ of which rude original efiays" fome traces are yet remaining amongft the hieroglyphics ofHoRAPOLLo, who tells us, that the ancient Egyptians painted a man's two feet in water to fignify a fuller; and fmoke afcending to denote fire (3). But to render this rude invention lefs incommodious, they foon devifed the more artful and expeditious way of putting the principal part for the whole, or by putting one thing of refembling qualities for another. The former was the curiologic hieroglyphic the latter, the tropical hieroglyphic j which laft was a gradual improvement on the firft, as appears both from the nature of the thing, and from the records of antiquity (4). (3) Lib. i, c. 65; Lib. ii, c. 16. found in Horapollo, lib. 5, c. 14 and 40, (4) Many inftances of this kind may be Plutarch If. and Ofir. Dion, Sic. lib. i. Thefe Chap. III. OF WRITING. Thefe alterations in the manner of delineating hieroglyphic figures, produced and perfected another character, which hath been called the running hand of hieroglyphics, refembling the Chinefe writing, which having been firft formed by the out-lines of each figure (5), became at length a kind of marks ; the natural effects of which were, that the conftantufe of them, would take off the attention from the fymbol, and fix it on the thing fignified; by which means the itudy of fymbolic writing would be much abbreviated, becaufe the writer, or decypherer, would have then little to do, but to remember the power of the fymbolic mark : whereas before, the properties of the thing or animal delineated' were to be learnt, This, together with their other marks by inftitution, to defign mental conceptions, would reduce the characters to the prefent Hate of the Chinefe (6) j and thefe were properly what the ancients call' hi ero graphical. Doctor Robert Huntington, in his account of the Porphyry Pillars, tells us, that there are yet fome ancient monuments of this kind of writing remaining in Egypt (7). Apuleius (8) defcribes the facred book, or ritual of the Egyptians (as partly written in fymbolic, and partly in thefe hierographic characters of arbitrary inftitution, refembling the Chinefe) in the following manner. " He (the hierophant) drew out certain books from the fecret " repofitories of the fanctuary, written in unknown characters, which' " contained the words of the facred formula compendioufly expreffed, i( partly by figures of animals, and partly by certain marks or " notes intricately knotted, revolving in the manner of a wheel, and' *1 crowded together, and curled inward like the tendrils of a vine, fo' '* as to hide the meaning from the curiofity of the prophane." Thefe 1 hierographic characters are mixed with the fymbolic in the ritual of Apuleius, and in the Bembine tables, as likewife on feveral of the- obelifks, where they are found mixed both with the proper hieroglyphic and with the fymbolic. (5) The inquifitive Reader, by comparing inftitution, (hall be further explained indie Kircher's Account of Egyptian Hierogly- chapter on Notes, or Short-hand. The notes phics with thofe publilhed by Purchas, will of fhort-hand are marks for words, and the find that the former exactly refemble the notes of hieroglyphics are marks for things. Mexican, not only in their ufe, but, as (7) See his Account of the Porphyry Pi!- Purchas (p. 69) and Diodorus (p. 124) Iars, Philofoph. Tranfatf. No. clxi, p. 624. fay, in their forms and figures. (8) Metamorphofis, lib. ii, where he fpeaks (6j Thefe arbitrary marks, or marks by of his. initiation into the myfteries of Ifis. That ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. Ill That letters were of great antiquity among the Egyptians, may reafonably be fuppofed, becaufe we have indubitable proofs of their early civilization ; but there is ftrong evidence to induce us to believe they were not the firft inventors of an alphabet. — Mr. Jackson (9), with great learning endeavours to mow, that letters were not invented or carried into Egypt by Taaut, or Thoth, the firft Hermes and fon of Misr aim, who lived about 500 years after the deluge ; but that they were introduced into that country by the fecond Hermes, who lived about 400 years after the former. This fecond Hermes is by Plato called Theuth, who alfo ftyles him Counfellor and Sacred Scribe to King Thamus. Diodorus relates, that this Egyptian Hermes was the inventor of grammar and mufic, and that he added many words to the Egyptian language : that he invented letters, rhythm, and harmony of founds. This was the Hermes fo greatly celebrated by the Greek writers, who knew no older Hermes than him. Mr. Wise (i) infills, that Moses and Cadmus could not learn the alphabet in Egypt ; and, that the Egyptians had no alphabet in their time. He adduces feveral reafons to prove that they had no alphabet till they received what is called the Coptic •, which was introduced either in the time of the Ptolomeys, or earlier, under Psammitichus or Amasis ; and thefe letters, which are the oldeft alphabetic characters of the Egyptians that can now be produced, are plainly derived from the Greek. It feems to us, that if the Egyptians ufed letters before the time mentioned by Mr. Wise, they were probably the characters of their neighbours the Phoenicians. Herodotus, the raoft ancient Greek hiftorian, whofe works have reached us (2), feems very fincere in his Egyptian hiftory ; for he ingenu- oufly owns, that all he relates before the reign of Psammitichus (3) is uncertain j and, that he reports the early tranfa&ions of that (9) See Chronological Antiquities, vol. iii, and ten after the foundation of Rome; and p. 93— 9J. four hundred and forty-four before Christ. (1) See his Enquiries concerning the firft (3) He reigned about fix hundred and fixty inhabitants, language, &c. of Europe, p. 104 years before the chriftian sera. Syncellus — 109. informs us, that the Greeks had very little (2) He wrote his hiftory in the firft year commerce with the Egyptians till the reign cf the eighty-fourth olimpiad ; three hundred of this king. nation Chap. III. OF W R IT TNG. 3* nation an the credit of the Egyptian priefts, on which he did not much depend. Diodorus Siculus is alfo reported to have been greatly impofed upon by the priefts in Egypt. Manetho, the oldeft Egyptian hiftorian, tranflated out of the Egyptian into the Greek, the Sacred Regifters of Egypt, which are faid, by Syncellus, to have been written in the facred letters, and to have been laid up by the second Mercury in the Egyptian temples. This work was divided into three parts. The firft, contained the hiftory of the gods ; the fecond, that of the demi-gods ; the third, the dynafties^ which ended in Nectanebus, king of Egypt, who was driven out by Ochus, three hundred and fifty years before Christ. This author feems to have written his dynafties about two hundred and fifty-eight years before the chriftian aera, and, as Syncellus tells us (4), about ten years after Berosus had written his Chaldean hiftory. — Manetho allows the Egyptian gods to have been mortal men; but his hiftory was very much corrupted by the Greeks, and hath been called in queftion by feveral writers, from the account which he himfelf gave of it. The objections to Manetho's Chronology are well founded ; for his number of three thoufand five hundred and fifty years, belongs wholly to the fuccelTors of Menes, though he is more modeft than many other writers of the Egyptian hiftory. — Eusebius, in his Canon (5), omits the firft fixteen dynafties of Manetho, and begins their chronology with the feventeenth. — After Cambyses had carried away the Egyptian records, the Egyptian priefts, to fupply their lofs, and to keep up their pretentions to antiquity, began to write new records, wherein they not only unavoidably made great miftakes, but added much of their own invention, efpecially as to diftant times. — Josephus, Plutarch, Porphyry, and Eusebius, fpeak well of Manetho, The curious fragments tranfcribed from him by Josephus, before his copies had been corrupted, feem to confirm the good opinion of thefe authors. (4) Chronograp. p. 18, (5) Chron. Graec, p. 89, Phenicians, Thenicians. ^ P ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Ohap.IH, We fhall next connder the claim of the Phenicians to the invention of letters, as we have the ftrongeft proofs of the early civilization of this people. — Sanconiatho of Berytus, the moft ancient, as alfo the moft celebrated Phenician hiftorian, compiled the Phenician hiftory with great exactnefs, from the monuments and memoirs which he received from Jerobalus, prieft of the god Jaco, and from their regifters, which, Josephus fays (6), were carefully preferved in the inner parts of the temples ; and in them were written the moft memorable events, with regard to themfelves and others. Philo of Byblus, a famous grammarian, who lived in the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Trajan, and Adrian,, tranflated Sanconiatho's hiftory, out of the Phenician into the Greek tongue ; and reduced it into eight books : but the original and the verfion are loft. — Eusebius, who hath preferved feveral fragments of this hiftory, gives the following account of it from Porphyry, who was himfelf a Phenician of Tyre, and excellently verfed in all ancient learning. He fays (7), that Sanconiatho of Berytus related, in his hiftory, the Jewiih affairs with great veracity : — that he dedicated his work to King Abibalus (8); and his hiftory was allowed to be true, both by the king, and by thofe who were appointed by him to examine it. This moft ancient propliane hiftorian exprefsly relates, that letters were firft invented in Phenicia, by Taaut, who lived in that country in the twelfth and thirteenth generations after the creation (9). " Mifor t{ was the fon of Hamyn. The fon of Mifor was Taaut , who mvented the '* firft letters for writing." The ^Egyptians call him Thoth ; the Alexandrians Thoyth, and the Greeks, Hermes, or Mercury. (6) See Josephus againft Appi^n, book i. thoufand and feventy-three years before (7) See Eusebius Praeparar. Evang. lib. i, Christ; lie was the father of Hiram, who f> 9i P- 3°> & c - was Solomon's ally. (%) King Abibalus began to reign one (9) The genealogy of Taaut, as given by Sanconiatho : j Protogonus, 5 Hypsuranius, or Memrumus, 9 Acroverus, (NoahJ, z Genus, 6 Agreus, i Amyn, (Hamyn, or Ham), 3 Ur, Phos, 7 ChrysoRj n Misor, or Misraim, 4 Cassius, 8 Technites, iz Taaut. This Chap. III. OF WRITING. 33 Sanconiatho is faid to have derived his firft books, of the Origin of Gods and Men, from writings afcribed to Traut the firft Hermes : He makes Protogonus the firft man, and Men (or Life) the firft woman. Of Protogonus and JEon were begot two children, Genus and Genea, who dwelt in Phenicia, and in time of a drought, prayed to the Sun, and worfhipped him, as the only God and Lord of Heaven. From thefe two perfons Taaut is lineally defcended, as we have juft mentioned (in note 9) j this author carries the worfhip of the Sun to the fecond man of human race. Philo obferves, that the Greeks claimed moft of Sanconiatho's hiftory of the gods to themfelves, to which they added many pleafing fables. Hence it was, faith he, that Hesiod, and the itinerary poets, fung about, in their poems, generations of gods and battles of giants and Titans ; and men being accuftomed from their infancy to hear nothing but thefe fictions, which gained credit from long continuance, it was not eafy to difpofTefs their minds of the belief of them. There is no doubt, but the Greeks received the hiftory of the gods from the Phenicians and Egyptians, and applied them to their own either real or feigned heroes. In the time of this Taaut or Hermes, Phenicia, and the adjacent country, was governed by Uranus j and, after him, by his fon Saturn, or Cronus. He invented letters, faith Sanconiatho, either in the reign of Uranus, or Cronus j and ftaid in Phenicia, with Cronus, till the thirty-fecond year of his reign. Cronus, after the death of his father Uranus, made feveral fettlements of his family (1), and travelled into This author makes mankind live in Phe- nicia ; and places Hypsuranius at Tyre. The plan of the hiftory is quite different from that of Moses, and feems to be grounded upon a very different tradition relating to the firft ages. Some writers have attempted to prove the works of this author fpurious ; but their arguments are fo frivolous that they fcarcely deferve an anfwer. — See many curious par- ticulars concerning the author and his writings, in the Univ. Hift. vol. i, preface, p. 10, and p. 23, 181, 187, 189, 303 to 320; vol. vi, p. 55; vol. xviii, p. 112, note D. — And Jackson's Chronol. Antiq. vol. iii, p. 5 to 37. (1) " Out of Phenicia," (fays Monf. Bochart, in his learned work, intitled, Canaan), " iflued a vaft number of tribes, " who fettled themfelves in all parts of " the world, in Egypt, Afia, Cyprus, the " Ifles of the Mediterranean, Sicily, Sardi- " nia, the African coaft, Spain, and feveral *' other countries." F other 34 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Ckap.IH.. other parts ; and, when he came to the fbuth country, he gave all Egypt to the god Taautus, that it mould be his kingdom. Sanconiatho began his hiftory with the creation, and ended it with placing Taautus upon the throne of Egypt. He doth not mention the deluge, but he makes two more generations in Cain's. line, from Protogonus to Agroverus (or from Adam to Noah) than; Moses. As Sanconiatho has not told us in what reign, whether of Uranus or Cronus, Taaut invented letters, he might have invented them in. either reign j " and we cannot err much," fays Mr. Jackson, (inhis> Chronol. Antiq. vol. iii, p. 94.), " if we place his invention of them* 4< five hundred and fifty years after the flood, or twenty years after the: " difpeifion j and two thoufand fix hundred and nineteen years before « c the chriftian asra j and fix, or perhaps ten years, before he went into " Egypt (2)." — Taaut, and his pofterity, for fifteen generations, ruled in the Upper Egypt, at Thebes, which was built by the Mezrites. That letters were invented in Phenicia, doth not depend folely upon the teftimony of Sanconiatho ; for feveral Roman authors attribute their, invention to the Phenicians. — Pliny fays, the Phenicians were famed for the invention of letters, as well as for aftronomical obfervations, and naval and martial arts (3). — Curtius fays, that the Tyrian nation are related to be the firft, who either taught or learned letters (4) and Lucan fays, the Phenicians were the firft who attempted to exprefs founds (or words) by letters (5). To thefe authorities may be added that of Eusebius (6), who tells us, from Porphyry, that e expected, that fomething mould be faid Writing ' CGncernin S thofe books, mentioned by fome authors to . have been written before the deluge (8) j but as Moses is filent upon the fubjecr., we have no materials that will enable ;us to form an opinion. St. Jude, in his Epiftle, v. 14, tells us, that Enoch propheficd-, but this apoftle might quote a Jewifli tradition, for ihe does not fay that Enoch wrote. The tales which have been told us (Concerning the books of this patriarch, are too abfurd to deferve feiious attention (9). With refpect therefore to Writings attributed to the (8) Amongft others, Dr. Parsons, who Mulierum, he places thefe books among the fuppofes that letters were known to Adam. — canonical : but St. Jerome and St. Austin .Remains of Japhet, p. 346, 359. — The look upon them as apocryphal. William Sabeans produce a book which they pretend Postellus pretended to compile his work, was written by Adam. Univ. Hift. vol. i, De Originibus, from the book of Enoch. p. 720, fol. edit. Thomas Bangius publifhed, at Copen- (9) Origen reports, that certain books hagen, in 1657, a work which contains of Enoch were found in Arabia Felix, in the many fingular relations, concerning the man- dominion of the queen of Saba. Tertullian ner of writing among the Ante-diluvians, roundly affirms, that he faw and read feveral wherein is contained feveral pleafant tales pages. of them - 3 and, in his Treatife de Habitu concerning the books of Encch. ante-diluvians. Chap. III. OF WRITING. 47 ante-diluvians, it feems not only decent but rational, to fay, that we know nothing concerning them ; though it might be improper to afTert, that letters were unknown before the deluge recorded by Moses. As for the pillars, mentioned by Josep h us to have been erected by the fons of Seth, whereon they wrote their invented fciences, we agree with the learned abbot of Claraval, that the bare reading of Joseph us, is all that is requifite to prove them imaginary. Upon the whole, it appears to us, that the Phenicians have the beft claim to the honour of the invention of letters.. CHAP, 4 8 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. 'IV. CHAP. IV. GENERAL ACCOUNT OF ALPHABETS. All Alphabets 7tot derived from one — Alphabets derived from the Phenician, WE cannot agree in opinion with thofe who have afferted that all alphabets are derived from one, becaufe there are a -variety of alphabets ufed in different parts of Afia, which differ from the Phenician, ancient Hebrew or Samaritan, in name, number, figure, order, and power. In feveral of thefe alphabets, there are marks for ' founds, peculiar to the language of the eaft, which are not neceflary to be employed in the notation of the languages of Europe. 23/. a The characters and alphabets of all the countries eaft of Perfia, have no connection with, or relation to, the Phenician or its derivatives, except only where the conquefts of the Mahommedans have introduced the ufe of the Arabic letters. The Shanfcrit characters (i) are the prototype of the letters ufed in India j namely, of the /acre d charaSlers of Thibet, the Ca/hmirian, Bengalefe, Malabaric and Tamoul - y the Singa/efe, the Siamefe, the Maharattan, the Concanee, &c. The Tangutic or Tartar characters, and the Shanfcrit, feem to have proceeded from the fame fource, as they are fimilar in their great outlines; but whether the former is derived from the latter, or the latter from the former, is not eafy to determine. In the Sloanian library, N° 2836, and 2837, are eight rolls, faid to have been found by the Mufcovites beyond Siberia, in the fouth-eaft ; parts of Tartary, written in the facred characters of Thibet, or Tartary. They are written on blue paper, fome in letters of gold and fome of filver. 1^2838 in the fame library, is a roll of blue paper, found as above, written in common Tartar characters, of a gold colour ; and N° 2835, contains fix rolls of the fame kind ; the paper is white, and the characters are black. It is obfervable, that the common Tartar is generally read from top to bottom. (1) Shanfcrit or Sungfkrit, means fome- language and characters of India, are termed thing brought to perfection, in contradiftinc- Sungflcrit, and the illiterate idioms of the - tionto Prakrit, or fomething vulgar and un- common, people Prakrit, polifhed; hence the fine, learned, religious There Chap. IV. OF WRITING. 40 There are feveral alphabets ufed in different parts of Afia, which are Intirely different not only from the Shanfcrit, and all thofe proceeding from that fource, but alfo from the Phenician, and all its derivatives : we (hall point out fome of them. There is in my library a M. S. in the Pegu language, on palm leaves, twenty-one inches long, and three and an half wide ; the ground is of gold, richly ornamented ; the letters are made of a glutinous fubftance, like black japan. In the Sloanian library, N° 4849, is a M. S. on the fame materials, and in fimilar characters. In the fame library* N° 4726, is a M. S. on bark, written in perpendicular columns, in the Batta charaBers, which are ufed in the ifland of Sumatra: a M. S. written in fimilar characters, was in the library of the late Dr. Fothergill. — In the Sloanian library, N°4oo8, is a fpecimen of the Barman or Boman characters, which are ufed in fome parts of Pegu j but they are very different from any of thofe above mentioned. More inftances might be adduced, in proof of what hath been advanced on this head, which we prefume is unneceflary. The names and powers of the letters, of which thefe alphabets are compofed, are intirely different from the Phenician, or thofe derived from them, and to aflimilate their forms is impcmble ; indeed it is not eafy to conceive, that the fifty Shanfcrit letters, could be taken from the alphabet of the Phenicians, which originally confined of thirteen -characters. It is more liberal, as well as more rational, to fuppofe, that different men at different times thought of making marks (or founds, inftead of marks for things (2) ; but not- withftanding this opinion, it is certain, that by far the greater part of the alphabets, now ufed in different parts of the globe, are derived from the Phenician, ancient Hebrew, or Samaritan. Having firft found letters among the Phenicians, we fhall, in the courfe of the prefent chapter, inquire what alphabets are derived from that fource. This inquiry will furnifh, our readers with feveral important facts, relative to the population and civilization of the mofl celebrated nations; and will give them an hiftorical account of the progrefs of learning, and of writing, in a more clear and concife manner than could have been done, if we had entered into the hiftory of writing, and the confideration of the forms of letters, at the fame time. (2) Univ. Hift. vol. i, p. 52. We fhall the next chapter, where we fhall fpeak particu- illuftrate thefe obfervations in the courfe of larly of the forms of letters. H ALPHABETS 5° ORIGIN AND PROGRESS CuA-p.IVi c • rt C o .5 ~ — '5 "'0 ~ OS • —t t: U W 53 5Ph C ~ <£ o — x> B o 1-4 Chap. IV. OF WRITING. The following alphabets feem to be immediately de>i/ed from the Phenician ; namely, the ancient Hebrew, or Samaritan, the Chaldaic, the Bajlulan, the Punic, Carthaginian, or Sicilian, the Pelafgian Greek, and its derivatives, which are written in the eaftern manner, from right to left, and the Ionic Greek, written from left to right. This laft mentioned branch from the Pelafgic flock, is the fource from whence, not only moft of the alphabets of Europe are derived, but alfo of many others which have been adopted in different parts of Afia and Africa. The Chaldaic may be divided into the fquare Hebrew, the round Hebrew, and the more modern, or running hand Hebrew of the Rabbins. The alphabets derived from the Chaldaic, are the Syriac, EJlrangelo, and Mendcean (3), the ancient and the modern Arabic. From the ancient Arabic alphabet, are derived thofe of the Kufic, the Mauritanic, the African or Saracen, and the Moorijlo : the Perfian and Tuikifh are generally allowed to have been derived from the modern Arabic, though authors are not intirely agreed as to the derivation of the former. The Baftuli were one of thofe colonies of Phenicians or Canaanites (4), who fettled themfelves, in the moft early ages, in that part of Spain now called Andaluha and Grenada ; they firft began to fettle near the Streights of Gibraltar, and their principal port was Cadiz : this people were conquered by the Moors in the eighth century. The Punic letters are called Tyrian, and are much the fame as the Carthaginian or Sicilian they were an early branch from the Phenician flock : to make a complete Punic, Carthaginian, or Sicilian alphabet, we muft admit feveral pure Phenician letters (5). The Pelafgi were of Phenician original; we learn from Sanconiatho, that the fons of the Diofcuri and Cabiri wrote the firft annals of the Phenician hiftory, (3) The Eftrangelo characters are defend- ed from the ancient Syriac ; fome have fup- pofed that the Bramin characters are derived from them, and that they were introduced kito India in the time of Jenghiz-Khan ; but letters were known in India long before the reign of that prince, and thefe fuppofitions are not fupported by proofs. (4) Whether we call them Phenicians or Canaanites, is of little confequence, as far as concerns our fubje£t ; they were the fame peo- ple. The Baftuli, were faid to have fled from Joshua. (5) The Punic language was at firft the fame with the Phenician, it is nearly allied to the Hebrew, and hath an affinity to the Chaldee and Syriac : there are fome remains of it in the prefent Maltefe. — Univerfal Hiftory, vol. xvii, p. 295, H 2 by 52 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IV, by the command of Taauty the firft inventor of letters. Thefe men made fhips of burthen, and being caft upon the coaft near Mount Cafius, about forty miles from Pelufium, they built a temple (6) : this event happened in the fecond generation after the deluge recorded by Moses. Thefe Phenicians were called Pelafgi, from their paffing by fea, and; wandering from one country to another (7). We learn from Herodotus, that the Pelafgi were the defcendants of the Phenician Cabiri, and that the Samothracians received and praclifed the Cabiric myjfteries from ther Pelafgi, who, in ancient times, inhabited Samothrace (8). The Phenician Pelafgi fettled colonies in feveral iflands of the /Egean fea ; as Samothrace, Lemnos, Thellaly (9), all the old Hellas, Aigolis, Arcadia, and alfo the fea coaft of the Peloponnefe (10). In the reign of Deucalion, about eight hundred and twenty years after the deluge, and one thoufand five hundred and twenty-nine before the chriftian aera, the Pelafgi were driven from ThefTaly or /Enotria by^ Hellenes ; fome of them fettled at the mouth of the Po, and the reft at Crofo??, now Cortona, in Tufcany. The Pelafgic alphabet, which prevailed in Greece before the age of Deucalion, connfted of fixteen letters. The Tyrrhenian alphabet, firft brought into Italy, preceded the reign of that prince, and it confuted of thirteen letters only. (6) This was the temple of Jupiter Cafius, and is perhaps the firft temple mentioned in hiftory. Strabo,, Pliny, and Stephens, fpesk of it. (7) Whence, as fome fay, the fea is called Pelagus from the Hebrew word Peleg, as divi- ding one country from another. The modem Greeks fancied they derived their name from Pelasgus, the pretended founder of the Arcadians; we think the name is not derived from Peleg, as fome have imagined, for his pofterity never went into Europe. The Pelafgi were fo called from the word wandereis by fea. (8) Herodot. (lib. ii, c. 5O and Strabo fay, the Cabiri, i.e. their defcendants, in- habited Samothrace. Geog. lib. x, p. 723., 724. (9) They made one of their firft fettletnents in ThefTaly, as all writers agree ; one part of which was called Pelafgiotis from them, and alfo Pelafgia. (10) The old Hellas was called from them Pelafgia, as Strabo informs us, lib. v, p. 237. The fame author fays, that a part of ThefTaly was called Pelafgian Argos, and fo Homer calls it Iliad, ii. Pliny tells us, that iEnotria, which was the old name of ThefTaly, was called Pelafgicum Argos. Strabo likewife relates, that the Pelafgi inhabited Argos in Peloponefus, and that the whole country was called Pelafgia from them. Georg. lib. v, p. 337, 8, and 9. In Chap.IV. OP WRITING, 53 In order to prove this fact, it is incumbent on us to mew, that the Tyrrheni, Tyrfeni, or Hetrufci, fettled in Italy long before the reign of Deucalion. Herodotus relates, that a colony went by fea from Lydia into Italy, under Tyrrhenus ( i ) 5 and Dion. Halicarn assensis proves, that many authors called them Pelafgi. He particularly cites Hella- nicus Lesbius, who was fome what older than Herodotus, to prove that they were firfl called Pelafgi Tyrrheni ' ; after they began to inhabit Italy, they fettled in that part called Etruria (2). The Tyrrheni or Tyrfeni came into Italy before the colony under Oenotrus; for Strabo (1. v, p. 2 1 ) quotes a fragment of Anticlides to prove, that there were Pelafgi dwelling in places about Lemnos, and Imbrus, and that fome of them failed with Tyrrheneus, the fon of Atys, into Italy. Hence it may be inferred, that there were Pelafgi, and fome in Italy alio, before the time of Oenotrus. The Etrufcan letters are Pelafgic, and feveral of the Etrufcan infcrip- tions- are written in the Pelafgic language. The Roman Letters are Ionic. Signior Gorius very properly diftinguifhes between the Etrufcan, and Latin or Roman letters.. The Ofcan language was a dialect of the Etrufcan : their characters are nearer the Ionic, or Roman, than the Etrufcan. There is very little difference between the Pelafgian, the Etrufcan, and the mofi ancient. Greek letters, which are placed from right to left. The Arcadians were ancient Greeks : they ufed the Ionic letters, but at what time they firfl wrote from left to right is not known, as their chronology is very uncertain. The Etrufcan, the Ofcan, and the Samnite alphabets, are derived from that of the Pelafgi ; they differ from each other more in name (0 This was about anno mundi 201 1, and came thither, and in what places they fettled, about one thoufand nine hundred and ninety- Orig. Gent. Antiq. p. 31510343. Several three years before the chriftian aera, which is Roman authors fpeak of this Lydian colony. — upwards of three hundred and fifty years Horace compliments his patron Maecenas before the Pelafgi went out of Greece. upon his Lydian defcent : (2) Bifhop Cumberland adduces many Lydarum quicquld Etrufcas proofs to (hew that the Tyrrheni came out of Jmkit ^ mm gmm f w e j ie , Lydia into Italy. He alfo tells us when they than 54 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IV, than in form ; but a far greater number are immediately derived from the Jonic Greek ; namely, the Arcadian, the Latin or Roman, the ancient Gauli/h, the ancient Spani/Jj, the ancient Gothic, the Coptic, the Ruffian, the Illyrian or Sclavonian, the Bulgarian, and the Armenian j the Runic is immediately derived from the Gothic : all thefe fhall be confidered in order K -^/^' Though it may be inferred from what hath already been faid, that the Tyrrheni and the Pelafgi introduced their letters into Italy j it is neceflary to be more explicit upon this head. Dionysius of Halicarnafius relates, that the firft Greek colony which came into Italy, was of Arcadians, under Oenotrus fon of Lycaon, and the fifth in defcent from Phoroneus, the firft king- of Argos, who reigned about five hundred and fixty-fix years before the taking of Troy, or one thoufand feven hundred and fifty years before the chrift ian sera (3). Thefe Oenotrians were called Aborigines ; and, after they had been engaged for many years in a war with the Sicu/i, they entered into an alliance with a colony of the Pelafgi, who came into Italy out of Theflaly, they having been driven out of that country. This alliance was very naturaj, as the Oenotrians were Pelafgi. About the year before Christ 1476, a colony of the Pelafgi, who had been driven out of ThelTaly by the Curetes and Leleges, arrived in Italy, where they afiifted the Aborigines in driving out the Sicu/i ; they pofTefied themfeives of the greateft part of the country between the Tiber and Liris, and built feveral cities . Sol in us and Pliny tell us, that wA*X the Pelafgi firft carried letters into Italy, and the latter diftinguifhes between the Pelafgi and Arcades ; fo the firft letters which were carried into Italy were not the Ionic Greek, but thofe more ancient Phenician letters, which the Pelafgi carried with them into ThelTaly, before Deucalion and Cadmus are faid to have come into Boeotia and Theflaly (4). (3) Dion is very correct in diftinguifhing Cadmus, Europa, Phoenix, and Cilix) this Greek colony from the Tyrrheni, who carried with them a colony compofed of Phe- went into Italy by fea, about three hundred nicians and Syrians, into Afia Minor, Crete, and fifty years before Oenotrus. Greece, and Lybia, where they introduced (4) The ftory of Cadmus is much involved letters, mufic, poetry, and other arts, fciences, in fable ; but it is agreed by moft of the anci- and cuftoms of the Phenicians. ents, that the children of ^Eg^enor (namely, The Chap. IV. OF WRITING. 55 The Siculi emigrated from Italy into Sicily about eighty years before the war of Troy, and one thoufand two hundred and fixty-four before the chriftian asra. A ■ fa'A-M Twenty years after the emigration of the Siculi into Sicily, another colony of Arcadians, from Pallantium (5), a city of Arcadia, under Evander, the fon of Mercury and Themis, fettled on one of the feven hills on which Rome was afterwards built. — Dionysius Halicar- nassus fays (6), that the Pelafgi worfhipped Jupiter, Apollo, and the Cabiri ; and that thefe Phenician deities were firft brought by them into Italy. We learn from the fame author (7), that a few years after Evander^ Hercules brought a colony of Greeks into Italy, who fettled upon the Capitoline Hill, then called Saturnius, three furlongs from PaEantium^ M:L23/. This was about one thoufand two hundred and twenty-three years before Christ ; for Dionysius fays, that fome of the colony of Hercules were Trojans, whom he brought from Troy, when he took that city and flew Laomedon, and made his fon Priam king, as Appollodorus relates (lib. ii, c. 6.). Dionysius (p. 49,) enumerates the following Greek colonies which came into Italy. — Firft, the Aborigines, under Oenotrus from Arcadia. Secondly, the Pelafgic colony, which came from Hcemonia or ThefTaly. Thirdly, a fecond Arcadian colony, which came with Evander from Palantium. Fourthly, thofe who came from Peloponnefus with Hei> cules (8). Fifthly, thofe who came with Eneas from Troy. This laft colony greatly eclipfed the glory of the former, the latter Romans chufmg rather to derive their origin from the Trojans, than from the Greeks. It is not eafy to difcover when the Ionic way of writing from left to right, was firft received in Italy 5 but it is certain, that it did not (5) See Dionys. Hal. Jib. i, p. 24, 25.— Aborigines, Aurunci, Pelafgi, Arcades, Siculi. See Dempster de Etrur. Regal, lib. i, chap. c. viii. — And Pliny reckons them, Abori- 6j p. 20, 21. gines, Pelafgi, Arcades, Siculi, Aurunci, Ru- (6) Dion. Hal. p. 26. tuli, Ofci, Volfci, and Aufones. See Hift. (7) ibid. p. 2'6, 27. Nat. lib. iii, c. 5. The Umbri and Galli, (8) Diod. Sic. lib. vi, relates, That Her- may be reckoned amongft the mod ancient cules patted out of Gaul into Italy. Solinus inhabitants of Italy, Polyhistor reckons the Greek colonies to be, univerfally 56 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IV. tiniverfally prevail, even in Greece, till ages after it was found out. The Athenians did not comply with it till the year from the building of Rome three hundred and fifty. It was not practlfed by the Samnites fo late as the fixth century from the building of Rome, or about two hundred and thirty years before Christ ; for Monfieur Gebelin, vol. vi, plate 2, .gives us the Samnite alphabet of that century, wherein the letters are placed from right to left ; although the Ionic way of writing prevailed in fome parts of Italy in the third century from the building of Rome. " In time," fays Pliny (9), " the tacit confent of all nations agreed *' toufe the Ionic letters. The Romans confented to this mode, about ** the time of Tarquinius Pa is c us, their fifth king(i)." The letters which Damaratus the Corinthian, the father of Tarquin, brought into Italy, Mr. Wise thinks, muft have been the new or Ionic alphabet; and not the fame as that brought by Evander above five hundred years before. After the Romans had eftablifhed the ufe of the Ionic letters, they feem tiot to have acknowledged the Pelafgian and Etrufcan to have been Greek alphabets : the moft learned of them knew none older than the Ionic, as appears from the Greek Farnefe infcriptions of Herodes Atticus (2). This learned man, out of a facred regard to antiquity, caufed the oldeft orthography to be obferved in the writing; and the letters to be delineated after the moft antique forms that could be found ; and they are plainly no other than the Ionic, or right-handed characters. The ancient Gaulim letters are derived from the Greek, and their writing approaches more nearly to the Gothic, than that of the Roman: this appears by the monumental infcription of Gordian, meffenger of the Gauls, who fuffered martyrdom in the third century, with all his family (3). Thefe ancient Gaulifli characters were generally ufed by (9) Gentium confenfus tacitus omnium confpiravit, ut Ionum Uteris uterentur. Hi ft. lib. vii, c. 57. (1) He began to reign A. M. 3459 ; before Christ, 565. Damaratus of Corinth fled from the tyranny of Cypselus, found an afylum at Tarquinium in Tufcany, and took the name of Tarquinius,. (2) Vid. Cl. Salmasii duarum infcripti- onum veterum Herodis Attici & Regill.3: conjugis explicatio. Lut. Paris, 1619. — Scaliger Animadverf. in Eusebium, p. 1 10. — Montfaucon Palaeogr. Graec. p. 135. — Chishull Antiq. Afiat. p. 11. (3) SeeN. T. Dipl. vol. i, p. 704. that Chap. IV. OF WRITING. 57 that people before the conqueft of Gaul by Caesar j but after that period, the Roman letters were gradually introduced. The ancient Spaniards iifed letters nearly Greek before their intercourfe with the Romans, which may be feen in Nouveau Traite de Diploma- tique, vol. i, P- 705. The ancient Gothic alphabet is very fimilar to the Greek, and is attributed to LFlphilas, bifhop of the Goths, who lived in Msefia about the year 370 after Christ. He tranflated the Bible into the Gothic tongue. This circumftance might have occafioned the tradition of his having invented thofe letters ; but we are of opinion that thefe characters were in ufe, long before his time. Some account of this M. S. translation of Ul phi las mall be given hereafter. The Runic alphabet is derived from that of the ancient Gothic. The Coptic letters are immediately derived from the Greek. — Some authors have confounded them with thofe of the ancient Egyptians ; but there is a very material difference between them : from this alphabet the Ethiopic is deduced. The alphabet defcended from the Scythians eftablifhed in Europe, is that ufed by St. Cyril, called the Servien. The Ruffian, the Illyrian or Sclavonic, and the Bulgarian, are all derived from the Greek (4). The Armenian letters differ greatly from their parents the Greek, and they vary much from thofe of the Latins. 4*. >»»< c^^.y fU apMri «l fas^jjo. We have treated generally of thefe alphabets, as it would exceed t he limits of our defign, to enter more particularly into each of them at prefent. We mall now fpeak of the alphabets derived from the Roman, which are, the Lombardic, the Visigothic, the Saxon, the Gallican, the Franco-Gallic or Merovingian, the German, the Caroline, the Capetian, and the Modern Gothic. The nrft, relates to the M.SS. of Italy; the fecond, to thofe of Spain; the third, to the M, SS. of Great Britain; the fourth and fifth, to thofe of France; the fixth, to Germany ; the feventh, eighth, and ninth, to all the countries of Europe who read Latin. (4) See fome account of thefe alphabets in the N. T. Dipl. vol. i, p. 707, 708. I The 58 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.IV. The fix former alphabets, are before the age of Charlemagne j the three latter follow it. The characters of the above alphabets are more diftinguifhed by their names than by their forms, which indicate that they are all of Roman extraction. Each nation, in adopting the letters of the Romans, added thereto a tafte and manner peculiar to itfelf, that obvioufly diftinguifhed it from the writings of all other people. Kence arofe that difference of tafte in the writings of the Lombards, Spaniards, Saxons, French, Germans, and Goths ; and all the ft range turns obfervable in the ancient writings of the Francic-Gauls or Merovingians, and thofe of the Cariovingians their fuccefTors, may be traced to the fame fource. From thofe diftinclions proceeded the name of National Writing. Writing in Italy was uniform until the irruption of the Goths, when it was disfigured by the tafte of that barbarous people. In 569, the Lom- bards, having pofTefled themfelves of all that part of the empire, except Rome and Ravenna, introduced another form of writing, which is termed Lombardic. As the popes ufed the Lombardic manner in their Bulls, the appellation of Roman was fometimes given to it in the eleventh century. Though the dominion of the Lombards continued no longer than about two hundred and fix years, the name of their writing was ftill current beyond the Alps, from the feventh century to the beginning of the thirteenth, and then ceafed. — Learning having declined in Italy as in other quarters, the art of writing degenerated there likewife into what we call Modern Gothic^ of which we fhall fpeak prefently. The Goths or Vifigoths, in their incurfions into Spain, introduced the Vifigothic or SpaniJJj Gothic form of writing into that country ; but it was abolifhed in a provincial fynod, held at Leon in 1091, when the Latin letters were eftablifhed for all public inftruments, though thefe characters were occafionally ufed in private tranfaclions, for upwards of three centuries afterwards. Saxon writing admits of various diftinctionsj namely, the Anglo-Saxon, Britanno- Saxon, andDano-Saxon, of which we fhall fpeak fully hereafter, Writing in France was more various. The Gauls, on their being fubjecled by the Romans^ adopted their manner of writing •, but, by adding Chap. IV. OF WRITING. adding fomething of their own afterwards, they gave rife to the Gallican or Roman Gallic mode. The Franks, a people of Germany, having conquered part of Gaul, difplayed even in writing, their love of eafe, and averfion to all conftraint. Their characters arc called Francic-Gallic, or Merovingian, becaufe this kind of writing was praclifed under the kings of the Merovingian race. It took place about the clofe of the fixth century, and prevailed till the beginning of the ninth. Charlemagne (5), zealous for the revival of learning, improved the characters which before his time had been ufed in Germany ; and this improvement occafioned another diftincYion in writing, called the Caroline, which declined in the twelfth century, and totally difappeared in the thirteenth, when it was fucceeded in Germany by the Modern Gothic. The Caroline writing having degenerated, wa9 reftored by Hugh Capet, about the year 987. This reformed mode of writing, hath acquired the name of Capetian from its founder. It was much praclifed till about the middle of the twelfth century, but in the thirteenth it degenerated into the Modern Gothic. The writing called Capetian was ufed in England and in Germany, as well as in France, during the period above mentioned. The Modern Gothic^ which fpread itfelf all over Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, is improperly fo called, becaufe it does not derive its origin from the writing anciently ufed by the Goths and Viligoths, in Italy and Spain, but this Modern Gothic is the molt barbarous or worft kind of writing ; it took its rife in the decline of the arts, among the lazy fchoolmen, who had the worft tafte j it is no° thing more than the Latin writing degenerated, — This writing began in the twelfth century, and was in general ufe (efpecially among monks and fchoolmen) in all parts of Europe, till the reftoration of the arts, in the fifteenth century, and longer in Germany and the northern nations : Our ftatute books are ftill printed in Gothic letters, The moft barbarous writing of the feventh, eighth, and ninth centuries, was not fo bad as the Modern Gothic. This kind of writing (5) He began to reign A. D. 814* I z is 6o ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IV. is fo diverfified, that it is not eafy to defcribe its great variety ; the abbreviations introduced by the writers were fo numerous, that it was. difficult to read them} and this was one of the caufes of the great ignorance of thofe times. Thofe different forms, however, were not fo exclufively peculiar to the nations among whom they originated, as never to be ufed by their neighbours on the contrary, we find Lombardic and Gothic fometimes in France : this would happen from ecclefiaftics of one nation being tranfplanted into another. Thus we find many M. SS. written in England, in the Roman, Caroline, Capetian, and Modern Gothic letters, which is eafily accounted for, when we confider, that our bifhops and mitred abbots were frequently foreigners,, who brought with them many ecclefiaftics from foreign parts ; thefe wrote the hands of the refpe&ive countries where they had been educated. The learned are not agreed with refpect to the origin of what is called National Writing ; fome will have it, that the Roman manner prevailed throughout the weft, until the irruption of the barbarous nations of the north, in the fifth and fixth centuries ; the Goths (fay they) firft introduced their mode of writing in Italy, inftead of the Roman manner; the Vifigoths did the like in Spain, the Franks in Gaul, and the Saxons in England j the Lombards having made themfelves mafters of the country that bears their name, fubftituted their own peculiar form of writing, and eftablifhed it in every part of Italy. According to others, the Romans were in poffefiion of various forms of writing; but it is fuppofed, that the barbarous nations introduced fome of their own letters, in the writings compofed of capitals and fmall letters } that the curfive form, or running-hand, peculiar to each nation, was ufed in grants and contracts, and found admittance like wife in M. SS. after the middle of the feventh century. However, we are of opinion, that the different modes of writing in Italy, Spain, France, England, and Germany, were derived from the Roman alone. While Rome continued the centre of all the provinces of the empire, her manner of writing generally prevailed in each 3 but the empire being difmembered, and all the weflern provinces difunited, a change was produced } not that the conquerors added any new Chap. IV. OF WRITING. new characters to the Roman writing, but they disfigured it ; and, by their falfe tafte and ignorance, diftinguifhed their writing from that of their neighbours : the genius and difpofition of the different people, had no fmall mare in producing this diverfity. The idea that all the writings of the feveral nations lafb mentioned* is derived from the Roman, is natural and fatisfactory ; it tends to prove the diftinction of national writing, and is of great affiflance towards difcovering the age of manufcripts : for, though we may not be able exactly to afcertain the time when a M. S. was written, we may nearly determine its age. — For example, if a writing is Merovin- gian, it may be declared without helitation not to be fubfequent to the ninth, nor prior to the fifth century : if another is Lombardic, it may be affirmed to be pofterior to the middle of the fixth, and anterior to the thirteenth ; mould it be Saxon, it cannot be of an earlier date than the feventh, nor of a later than about the middle of the twelfth, efpecially with regard to M. SS. C II A l\ 62 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. CHAP. V. OF THE MANNER OF WRITING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME. Forms of Letters — Phenician Letters, and their De- rivatives — Pelafgic Letters, and their Derivatives — • Roman Letters, and thofe derived from them — Specimens of ancient Alphabets and Writing. ELEMENTARY characters or letters, being nothing more than marks for founds, as we have already demonftrated, the confideration of their forms, hath not as yet been a neceflfary object of our attention ; for in the point of view we have hitherto confidered them, their forms were of no importance, becaufe it is from the founds, of which they are fignificant, and not from their forms, or even pofitions, that they derive their powers - 3 for whether they are placed from right to left, as pradtifed by fome Eaftern nations, or from left to right, as is at prefent generally practifed in Europe, or in perpendicular lines, as in Tartary, and fome other parts of Afia, is not of the leaft confequence j becaufe thefe marks will equally combine into words, iignincant of the founds of language, in whatever manner they may be placed. The confideration of the forms and pofitions of letters, now naturally prefents itfelf } a competent knowledge of which, is abfolutely neceffary for afcertaining the age and authenticity of infcriptions, manufcripts, charters, and ancient records. Many authors are of opinion, that letters derive their forms from the pofitions of the organs of fpeech in their pronunciation. Monfieur Van Helmont hath taken great pains to prove, that the Chaldaic characters are the genuine alphabet of nature, becaufe, according to him, Chap. V. OF WRITING. him, no letter can be rightly founded, without difpofing the organs of lpeech, into an uniform pofition with the figure of each letter (i). The prefident De BRossEin his work upon the theory of language, fupports this opinion. The author of a book, intitled, Conjectural Obfervations on the Origin and Progrefs of Alphabetic Writing, (Lond- 1772, 8vo.) coincides with the above authors in their opinions. Not long fmce, Mr. Nelme publifhed a work, wherein he endeavours to mew that all elementary characters or letters, derive their forms from the Line and the Circle (2). Monfieur Gebelin deduces them from hieroglyphic reprefentations ^ and he hath given us feveral delineations of human figures, trees, &c. in confirmation of his hypothefis (3). It is not necelfary to interrupt our inquiry by entering into the above conjectures j for letters being only marks for founds, their forms intirely depended upon the tafte, fancy, will, or caprice, of thofe who firft formed them. In this point of view, they may be confidered as mere arbitrary marks, or fecret cyphers, which, by being made known and adopted, would become of general ufe, wherever they were received by agreement (4). ( 1 ) See Alphabet. Natur. by F.M.B. Van Helmont. Saltzburgh, 1667. This author hath anatomized the organs of articulation in fupport of his fyftem. (2) Mr. Nelme adduces feveral ingenious arguments in favour of his opinion. His alphabet confifts of thirteen radical letters, four diminifhed, and four augmented. His radical letters are L, O, S, A, B, C, D, N, U, I, E, M, R. Mr. Nelme fays, that H is derived from A ; P from B ; T from D ; and F from U : thefe he calls diminifhed characters. Z is derived from S ; G from C ; W from U ; and Y from I : thefe, he fays, are augmented letters. This author proves, that his characters are very fimjlar z to thofe of the ancientJEtrufcans ; but all """^Mg&zff^ rQ . co{ n poled e ither of lines an d circles, or of ther former, and of part9 of tho lattcr t (3) See Monde Primitif, torn, iii, Paris, »77S» 4to. (4) One of the mod fimple alphabets has been formed by making two perpendicular, and a| b |c two horizontal lines, thus, 'ii hi/ i/r.rl rum 1 'A ,>r 1= A / A A A + "N ■2 B <=\ J B B B 3 C 7 3 1 1 "1 r C r r 4 D A q a A /\ D P c\ b 5 E r 1 3 3 * E t £ 6 (3 8 (y- C T y r n, ~v g Q H B, N m OaJ j sj, x .-0 o. c s = 3" <"> — J -s - o : •= 5"-. v' 1 1 !~ a a ii 'd ?5 ?* 'ABE TA 11 y /v„ « ; Oura n . 1 Galii-antij />/,<■ ii„;„,„ Uel.f. mili.f .it ir S,imtintamt 11 i \ flfl A A A AAA A B f ) 3 1 S a CH ~y\ ft c c; B c cc c cf «• 2i>y S3 11 CI, ; 4 c > D D «C 4 7 & y\ t A . 11 1: 5c ~5 37 3 j; 1 i\ y. / ' y 9 □ V V i » 8 V 1/ y, li S □ B H Gk X $ V TSh 31} 5 z TI, 2 O Tl ft I \ \ f- 1 I I H H B C K K Tl, •A- v/*» ^ I -/^ A si ' L > A \ K M Al A, M M M L, M H H If N" rr p g * "i g U| iv M s SS O Q CO N @ c P Tl P S p & 1 1 n Q Ts prr H ) FP P Q a'i S T.i ^3 V '/ (J 1 CI « n T TTT Q 27> $ rr H S,i, ) ? U s,., T X its T t r Y T \ f 1 -M -n ^ r\ N 3-D j-J | j a * ■i i Chap.V. OF WRITING. The mofl: ancient infcriptions in the Pelafgian characters and language, I have feen, are thofe found at Eugubium, a city in Umbria in the Apennines, in the year 1456. Seven tables of brafs were di (covered ; five of which were in Pelafgic or Etrufcan characters, and two in Latin (6). The firft of thefe Eugubian tables contains a poem or lamentation after a peftilence, which was compofed about 168 years after the taking of Troy, or 1016 before Christ, and 1332 after the deluge. It appears by thefe tables that the republic of Eugubium was much anterior to Rome. The Ofcan alphabet in the fame plate, is very fimilar to the Pelafgic and Etrufcan ; it is taken from an infcription on marble, in the Ofcan or Volfcian tongue, now preferved in the mufeum of the feminary at Nola, in Italy. This marble was found at Abella, a town not far diftantfrom Nola (7). Before the difcovery of this infcription, we had no Ofcan letters, except a few on coins, or on precious ftones, which were not fuffkient to furnifh. an alphabet : fome of the letters have a refemblance to the Roman. This alphabet confifts of fixteen characlers ; the Ofci feem to have wanted the letters D, G, O, X, and Z. The Ofcan or Volfcian language, was chiefly fpoken in Campania and Aufoniaj and Passer demonftrates, that there is a great affinity between the Ofcan and the Latin tongue ( 8 ). Greek Letters C The learned authors of the Nouveau Traite dc and Writing. \ Diplomatique, (vol. i, p. 580), deliver it as their opinion, which they fupport with great erudition, that the Greek letters (6) See a particular account of thefe tables given by Monf. Gebelin, vol. vi, p. 222 to 224; and fee alfo Etrurie Royale by Gorius, Lucca, 1767, fol. (where the firft table is engraved), and Sir William Hamilton's Etrufcan Antiquities, vol. i, p. 26. (7) It contains an Award made by one Tancinus, tribune of the people of Abella, who was appointed umpire, to determine difputes between the inhabitants of Abella and Nola concerning their boundaries. The infcription is imperfect; but fifty-feven lines are now remaining, which are read from right to left. (8) See J. Bapt. Passer's Etrufcan Paint- ings, vol. iii. Rome, 1775, p. 75 — At p. 1 13 of this work is a view of Hebrew words, from whence the Etrufcan, and from thence the Latin, are derived. — At p. 116, is an Etrufcan Lexicon; and at p. 129, is a Lexicon, explaining the Etrufcan words which occur on the Eugubian Tables. K were 66 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. were not derived from the Egyptian, as fome have fuppofed j but from the Phenician Pelafgi, who fettled in Greece (9). The Greeks preferved the names of the Samaritan or Phenician letters. Spanheim, Montf aucon, and others, lay, with great pro- bability of truth, that the Greeks originally ufed the eaftern manner of writing, from right to left (1). Before we proceed to fpeak of the different modes of writing, it may be neceffary to obferve, that all writing may be divided into capitals, uncials y and fmall. letters. All ancient infcriptions on (tones and marbles belong to the firflj M. SS. to the fecond j and, to the third, charters, grants, and other matters of bufinefs. Before the middle of the fourth century, fmall letters were very rarely ufed even in M. SS. Before the eighth century, they were common in particular M. SS. : in that age they began to prevail over capitals and uncials, which till then had been the ruling form ; in the ninth century, fmall letters were generally ufed, and in the tenth their triumph was complete. The mode of writing called by the Greeks Bac^c^^cr, which is backwards and forwards, as the ox plows, is of very high antiquity. Of this writing there were two kinds ; the moft ancient commencing from right to left, and the other from left to right. The oldeft Greek letters, which are written from right to left, are nearly Pelafgic, as appears by comparing the nrft Greek alphabet in plate I, with the Pelafgic alphabet in the fame plate. The Greek alphabet originally confided of fixteen letters. Four double letters namely, 0, H, 0, X, are laid to have been added by Palamedes, about twenty years before the taking of Troy, or one thoufand one hundred and hxty-four years before Christ. Sim on ides is generally fuppofed to have added the letters H, T, XI : but fome of thefe letters were ufed before the days of. Palamedes and Simonides, for we find the letters H, 0, 0, in that moft ancient infcription, found at Amyclea, in Laconia (2), which is (9) Three opinions have prevailed con- Montfaucon's Paleographias Grasca, &c. cerning the origin of Greek letters ; the firft, (2) In this city was one of the moft cele- ihat Cadmus was the inventor ; the fecond, brated temples of all Greece, in which was a -attributes them to Cecrops j — and the third, ftatue of Apollo, thirty cubits high. — This with more reafon, to the Pelafgi. place is now called Schabochori. (0 See Spanheim on Medals, p. no. — fuppofed 7at.jr.ft,. 66. at/TV: I T££f $ t^L-T^k 1 ! ^"A k^L//^£k^ Pi3 » 303 MI ^vPKTO K |>£ HO VI 3 * 3 fleoftoAi/^oc TA/EJC\oy IV OXOITIOTXOTAW QW\1 rEZioiw AO WtfEB* OK" £ £ T P v T/ WOnK H/4^£ k 9 O/ kT» NON I K CUNTDNKOCMo eiM h ottto 'hcyo) onr 1 vcecn" OY'OCTOYOY-OyrOCeCTI M v O/<\(:rTOAieo^(v^4 IV^^MSK^ I TO S0 x glM.-^IHl- 6OIOMO6 CfTin\co'Yifd)He MJTONTAHeiH(D •HAtiqnicw Chap. V. OF WRITING. 67 fuppofed to have been written about one hundred and fixty years before the fiege of Troy, and one thoufand three hundred ;md forty-four before Christ (3). It is now preferved in the French king's collection at Paris, with fome other pieces difcovered in the fame city by the Abbe Fourmont. — See a fpecimen of this infcription, plate II, No. 1 j the reading of which is as follows : MHENAAIA TO AMOKEA . . TEEP EKAAIITAK2 TO KAAIMAK02 MATEEP NEKIA TO KAAIMAKO MATEEP K KAPAAEPI2 TO KAAPO MATEEP KA AMOMONA TO AEPOSEO MATEEP NKAMAMONA TO Which, rendered into the ordinaiy Greek, will be read thus; MxiVOiXiOC TOV A'ftVXTitllOV /A^TTJ^, ]£ MChlXoiZot TOV KolXl^IX.'/OVQ ftOTYjg, Nsxix tIv KahifAXxxs fining Kotgtxdsgig tov Kottyov ^YiTY}^, x& A'pofiovoi tov Af^oOea pinj^, Xa^x^ovoc tov (4). The Abbe Barthelemy is of opinion, that this infcription was intended to preferve the names of the priefteffes of the temple of Apollo at Amyclea (5). There is no XI in this infcription, there are two Omicrons to diftinguifti between the long and the mort O j though another infcription of about eight hundred years before Christ hath the XI. The S is not ufed in this infcription, but it is fupplied by the junction of the K with the S. The Y and the Z are not in this infcription, which is a ftrong prefumption that it is anterior to the introduction of thefe letters into the Greek alphabet. The X is not in the infcription the K is fubftituted for it. The three famous infcriptions of feven and eight hundred years before Christ, publifhed by the Abbe Fourmont, have the letter X, as alfo the <& and the H j which are additional proofs that this infcription is of the higheft antiquity (6). (3) Monf. Gebelin fays, it was written of Derotheus ; Chamamona (mother) about two hundred years before the Trojan of war. (5) Mem. de l'Acad. des Infc. & B. Lt (4) That is, Menalia, the mother of torn, xxxix, edit, in 12, p. 129. Amycleus ; Ekalipaxa, the mother of (6) See more concerning this infcription Chalimachus; Nekia, the mother of in the Nouveau Traite de Dipl. t. i, p. 615 Chalimachus j Charaderis, the mother to 626 ; and Univerfal Hift. vol. xvi, p. 46, of Cabrus; and Amomona, the mother note D, K 2 The 68 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.V. The fecond fpecimen in the fame plate begins alfo from right to left, it was found at Amyclea ; the characters are not fo rude as the former, and therefore it is fuppofed to be more modern : it was written about one thoufand years before Christ — the words are, AAMONAK A AAMONAKO IEPEIA ; otherwife, &otfMvaxoi ActpovciXii legsta. The above infcription was placed at the foot of fome ftatue, or bas relief, reprefenting Damon ak offering a facrifice. The third and laft fpecimen of the Bouftrophedon, beginning from the right hand, is taken from a marble in the French king's collection. The firft two characters are monograms ; this is evidently of a later date than the two former fpecimens. The words are,. TAA02 MANE0EKEN API2TOKYAE2 NOE2EN ; T r/ AAo^ /x' dvebwsv A'^cowfe ivoncrsy ; I. e. ** Hyllus placed me — Aristocydes made me.'* This was probably the infcription of a ftatue, or fome monument of that kind. The fourth fpecimen in the fame plate is taken from the famous Sigean infcription, which was written more than five hundred years before Christ. It is the firft I have met with, which begins from the left. The reading of this infcription is, $ANOATKO : EIMI : TO HEPMOKPAT02 : TO IIPOKQNEZJO : KArO : KPATEPA : KAIjISTATON : KAI HE0MON : E£ nPTTANEION : K A OKA : MNEMA : SirETETSI : EAN AE TI IIA2XO MEAEAANEN i AE O 2irEIE2 : KAI MEIIOEI2EN i HAI20I702 : KAI H AAEATOI. Id eft, Qotvoitxv £i[M ts H* gpoxgocTsc t5 UgoxovYi.

i/t^va^ Cothrnuinas f otho .23 . tt. ) nqiw nunienzbantur folui u>5. aUj ad iUa^/ranJouu h&rfrriafrv picturtx, Z5o . koe U>tLu l r . ' J)ifrertat. JHer, Hen. OvfaiM.lt. Lciid.iy^fi. S'° J Gx h \eeN A£ b \c I \e ycc o ion c*> n e I C Y N K w | "THCI N A^Y^COMe^^OYTTOCTpeS-KIKYTON ! ATTOTHCKOTrHCTOV^OAAWOrO MOfK^I j TCON 1 KCOJM'T CO M M GTK\TO\e. ICTH N K 1 \ A AA THNC W H ' "TO YTO H NTTOTTGJUON CANHMe^HNerR6NV]TOYC KXIOINONHN Ae i e]>eYCTO y 0Y to y Y^'ctoy Rxiey^orH ceNTOHABfAM KM6lTr6 N* eYAOrHN6NOC ! XBP XMTCDecoTCD Yt I CTCO* OC6UT1C6N TONOYPANONRMTMNrHH'lUieYAOrH TOCOeCOY'flCTOC- 0CeA-0)K6NTOYC6 xef o\cco\ vrroxeipiOY c coi- kai eAcb M hnea. pnem vt ? 9 x aiitiqLujtfimo Cbdtve^ Genweoj; ii^iblwtJisca^Cafareay Ymdohonarus'lTLxai'ato foUi et feqq. uios Hoc Ijibro ALTA)riiin.Apostolorunh.Gr:LaA: uh3M F. 82N°11H) . S^refA-NO nrco Crec|)j.Nw 5i6 ki ten ei jip v h^jec ^rAyrv. )T4. OY r ^C h A.beT e^ei cvpaJT^es ka i n xT'efGc 6euS ooc gUOJiwe THCAX)iHC u is us eST id c|) e h p at r i rconp NOSTTRO HlvfCU Ki A.bR2LhA.e A6PAA.M aB r,A,e x h e 1 1 k a m h ton |»ct y y4 ^ ^ Alpbabetum CoduijDwsaoriduzni, in3ibl:Cas. : Vindt^boHen,ri cimiA.D.5C5^.mratiim. iBr \ez Hfliic\MN xoirpcT x ^ co - Tab. V. /i. 72. Ex libro EYJA *0 : SS. MA TTH: .. MdR CI aZWJE Sec in BM: /mblica C.IA'T.IB: qfcervaJo. O V JJ^NONKMK^ HKIAl TO TTM ^V?vi K TOAriOM ccoiMA^tj2L Toy rA^eiN TOY CAAlCDK Toy A*2:cr)p ABrASZHO I !Katmt^ottj>c^vS'4 > X>^co T^B r & c^HeiiKAVvN^onpcT^^xytu ■Sam cyu an coxpox^Liptc; uLKAqu^icoiufnoAoo iNeum eruocem decAelx? _pA ctA CD p i y coeaS ^£tu ec o>» odi e in crpieM^ uYxiidebAVM}^ eSSe quij=uiT Bliud C|UIJ=LIIT lAChlN A bcde'jq hi L on Nojq^ cj x~r ^- Chap. V, O F WRITING. 71 VIOQ TOV TOV TOV TOV TOV TOV TOV Ccelum. Et defcendere SpTti Sa?iftum, corporali figura y quafi columbam, in eum : et voce?n de cceh f aft am : Filius meus eft, tu ego hodie genuite. Erat autem Jhs quaji annorum xxx, incipiens y ut videbatur efe flius Joseph, quifuit Jacob, quifuit Mat than, qui f nit Eleazar, quifuit Eliud, qui fuit Jachin, quifuit Sadoc, quifuit Azor. Greek M. SS. were generally written in capitals till the eighth century, and fome fo late as the ninth, though there is a finking difference in 1 the forms of the letters after the feventh century; feveral befides thefe above-mentioned, are depofited in our public and private libraries : many more are preferved in various foreign libraries : we mall point out a few of them. — The fragment of St. Paul's Epiftles, No. 202, inter M. SS. Coiflinianae, in the Royal Library at Paris, written in the fifth or fixth century. The fine copy of the Greek Bible in the Vatican Library, No. 1209, written in the beginning of the fixth century. The famous book in the library of St. Basil in Switzerland, No. 145, written in the feventh century ; and the Apocalypfe in the fame library, No. 105. The Codex Colbertinj, written in the eighth cen- tury, partly in round and partly in fquare characters. The readings upon the Gofpels, in the Vatican Library, No. 1067, written alfo in the eighth century. The Four Gofpels in the Royal Library at Paris, (inter M. SS. Colbert. No. 5149), written likewife in the eighth century: fpecimens of all which, are given by Blanchino, in his Evangeliarium Quadruplex, part i, from p. 492 to p. 542 (7) ; and partii, p. 591. .(7) See Evang. Quadruplex Latinae verfionis antiquse, Romae, 1748. L We 74 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. We are of opinion that M. SS. written in capitals, without any divifion of words, may be older than they are fuppofed to be; for M. SS. that were written before the feventh century, differ very little from each other. In all the Greek M. SS. above-mentioned are both round and cornered letters The letters of ancient Greek infcriptions are ufually fquare or cornered (8) ; thofe of the moll ancient M. SS. are many of them round j the reafon is obvious, becaufe cornered letters are more eafily carved upon hard fubftances, and round letters are more exp< ditioufly made upon papyrus, vellum, or other foft materials. Great alterations took place in the mode of Greek writing in the eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries : towards the latter end of the laft, fmall letters were generally adopted. See lpecimens ten, eleven, and twelve, in plate II. The tenth fpecimen in plate II, is taken from a fragment of an Evangelifterium in the Bodleian Library at Oxford (M.S. Laud C. 92), which may be read j 2a IH : ZH. OIONOE *H yoig exsivog On notg itywv e- OtVTOV T#7T£/VW . . . This M.S. was written in the ninth century the characters are very finrilar to M.S. No. 1522, in the Vatican library, a fpecimen of which may be feen in Blanchino's Evangeliarium Quadruplex, pars i, fol. 492, pi. II. The eleventh fpecimen in the fame plate is taken from an Evange- lifterium in the Bodleian library, (inter M. SS. Baroc. No. 202): this M. S. was written in the tenth century, and is to be read as follows - y (8) This rule is not without exception; for occafionally, round letters are to be found upon Gi eek infcriptions. For inftance ; upon the Epitaph on Marcus Modius, in the time of Augustus, preferved at Wilton, fome figmas are round, and fome are cor- nered. — The fame may be obferved, with refpeel to the moft ancient inferiprion on the farcophagus, in the fame collec-tion, where Ceres is teaching the method of fowing corn ; there is not only the round figma, but the round epfilon alfo ; and this inftription was made in the time of their beft work at Athens. — Vide the Wilton M.S. in my library, p. 130, 131. — Other inftances of round and cornered letter upon marbles, ap- pear in the Marmor. Oxon. &c. E# Chap. V. OF WRITING. 75 Ex xoctx Mocgxo Etnsv o Kvgio$ + o;tic Ms ocxoXa^siv ctnoigvi(roL&u s . . . The twelfth and Iaft fpecimen in plate II, is taken from a M. S. in the fame Library, written in the year 904 or 905, and is to be thus read ; Kavovs; tcov a otyiwv ngwv toov ev £ V, / ' 6 P (U ^ c > / » IS** «3< 1 1 ' Sj J! x 1^ auuu>\ro$>> X^ 5 ODOOOiOS ^O^ oupa|/ap pay our XLoupocj/u>u9 a^H\tou 0OCOOU-OU (5 CejynvH "3* H fZ>Hjxepot|j ©G^hvhV CUV etc *7 */ JL olocl^L 3^ c 6 H .V 4? 6TH. ^ ^TVov o> «. Chap V. OF WRITING. 77 thefe letters to Tarquinium, where he fettled; and his fon Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of the Romans, caufed them to be eftablifhed in his dominions, about the year before Christ 560. The Arcadian alphabet confifts only of nineteen letters ; the G, of the moft ancient Roman form, ftands in the place of the C ; V, V, in the place of F j C in the place of K j and F, W, X, Y, Z, are not in this alphabet. The Arcadian alphabet in plate I, is taken from the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique, plate VII, p. 654. The letters are the fame as thofe upon the Eugubian tables, which are written in Latin characters. Of the Latin or 1 mo ^ re fp ec ~t a ble authors both ancient and Roman Letters. \ modern > are generally agreed, that the Latin letters are derived from the Greek. Pliny (lib. vii, c. 58, de Uteris antiquis), fays, Veteres Grcecas fuijfe eafdem pene quce nunc funt Latince ; and Tacitus (Annal. lib. ii,) afferts, Et forma literas Latinis, quee veterrimis Grcccorum. The Latin alphabet is faid to have originally confifLd of fixteen letters, as mentioned in plate I. The G at firft was fupplied by C, which ftands in its place, and K was continued in the old Roman alphabet ; but after G was added, C was generally ufed for it, and then K was thought a fuperfluous letter. The letters F and H, are frequently excluded the Latin alphabet. The Latins, in ancient times, had no found for the V, but that of a vowel : they fupplied the Greek T by their V, when they wrote Greek words in Latin characters. The confonant V, was the ^Eolic Digamma, and anfwered in power to the Phenician Vau, and the Latin F. The Latins ufed the F, to exprefs the found of the V confonant, as Fotum, Firgo, for Votum, Virgo ; but when they ufed V for a confonant as well as a vowel, it afterwards became an F, or the P afpirated, anfwering to the Greek <&. The Greeks rendered the V confonant, by the dipthong ov. The Qwas reckoned a double letter C V, and was anciently pronounced like Cj the Sabines and Etrurians never ufed it, fays Mr. Jackson, (vol. iii, p.. 177) j but it was an ancient Latin letter, and, though not in the primitive Latin alphabet, yet it is in the Arcadian. Peter Diaconus, 78 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.V. Diaconus, the grammarian, (inter Auctor. ling. Lat. p. 1498), fays, that Augustus firft took the letters Y and Z from the Greeks, which were not ufed by the Romans before his time ; but, inftead of them, they wrote S S for Z, and I for Y. Priscian, in his grammar, fays, Y was added to the five Latin vowels, for the notation of Greek proper names. Peter Diaconus relates, that the letter X was introduced into the Roman alphabet, in the time of Augustus ; and that before his reign, the Romans fupplied the want of it, by the letters C and S. Peter is miftakenj for we find the letter X, in the Duileian pillar, infcribed in the year of Rome 494, and 259 before Christ. See more examples in Norris's Cenotap. Pifan. (p. 447 to 449.) Mr. Jackson fhews that the Y was alfo ufed before the reign of Augustus, though probably it was not much older. The double UU is a letter unknown, as to form and place, in the alphabets of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, and Goths. This letter is peculiar to the northern languages and people, and particularly to the nations who are of Teutonic and Sclavonic original. Having thus briefly fpoken of the Roman letters, we {hall now fpeak of their writing in different ages. — To begin with writing in capitals, by which is generally underltood, a fuperior and majeftic kind of writing the name is derived from the cuflom of placing fuch characters at the heads of books, chapters, and paragraphs. The moft ancient M. SS. were in capitals ; and characters of this kind were in general ufe for records, &c. from the earlieft times, to the middle of the fifth century ; though fmaller characters were occafionally ufed, for ordinary fubjects that required difpatch. Writing in capitals may be divided into various kinds ; into fquare, which are found interfperfed in feveral ancient monumental infcriptions, and are very common on feals until the eleventh and twelfth centuries } round, which were ufed by the ancients in books and public monuments^ and were preferred to the fquare in the thirteenth century 5 Jharp, which' confift of oblique and angular lines ; cubical, which are very long, and which have been ufed as initials in fome M. SS. Elegant capitals, which are found on ancient marble and brafs monuments, in fcarce M.SS. Chap. V. OF WRITING. 79 M. SS. and the titles of the beft printed books. The ancients chiefly ufed them on coins. Thefe fine characters began to acquire graceful proportion, and make near approaches to perfection, two centuries before C^sar. They had the fole poffeffion of medals, in which no other letters were admitted } and attained to the higherr. degree of beauty and elegance under Augustus. Their form was fixed and preferved, without any material change, to the fifth century ; for though they were much lefs generally ufed from the third century, they are not fuppofed to have fallen entirely, before the time of Theodosius the younger, who reigned to the year 450. The Rujlic capitals were bold, negligent, and unequal, compofed of ftrokes generally oblique, fometimes extravagant, and always inelegant. They appear to have conftantly had admirers in Rome, and continually difplayed themfelves on bronze and marble, though entirely excluded from medals. Towards the middle of the fecond century they were fo far improved, as to have fometimes no unpleafing effect; but, when compared with elegant writing, they ftill appeared barbarous. The general good tafte that had difplayed itlelf, even in ruftic writing, was foon followed by a glaring depravity, though with fimilar gradations. It was introduced into M SS. and conftantly maintained its ground in them, during a long fucceflion of ages ; whilft regular and elegant writing had a much fhorter reign. It muft, however, be confefled, that it is rarely called Ruftic with propriety in M. SS. and only on account of a certain analogy in the cut and form : it flourifhed there for five or fix centuries, with a degree of elegance which it had not difplayed on either metal or (tone. Writing in Ruftic capitals was conftantly preferved, and with lefs alteration than other modes,, until the tenth or eleventh century : for though Charlemagne, with judicious zeal, had introduced a happy . jfff change in writing, this however was ftill in ufe in M. SS. In the tenth and eleventh centuries it loft a part of the advantages which fupported it; and, being much corrupted afterwards, was at length confounded with the modern Gothic. This is underftoodto be confined to infcriptions, and to the titles of M. SS,; it is not to be fuppofed that Bo. ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap.V. that any manufcript was written entirely in capitals in the times laft mentioned. As to the forms of thofe letters which are termed National Capitals, , they are nothing more than the Roman capitals, adapted to the tafte and fancy of different nations. It would be too tedious to enter into a difcuflion of all thofe different variations ; it is fufficient to obferve, that there are very few M. SS. pofterior to the fixth century, entirely written in capitals ; and it is to be prefumed, that there can be none of a later date than the eighth. The titles of the pages in capitals in a M. SS. that is likewife in capitals, are ftrong indications of very' high antiquity. The firft four fpecimens of plate VII, are from M. SS. written in Roman capitals. No. I, is taken from a M. S. in the Royal library at Paris (No. 152, fol. 30). Explicit Commentariorum in Hieremia Liber fextus fe licit er. Amen. No. II, is taken from a M.S. in the Abbey of St. Germain de Pres, (No. 718). Thefe characters are fomewhat ruftic. De eo quod fcriptum ejl haec lex, peccati in loco in quo jugalantur holocaujla Occident, et id quo peccati eft, et cetera. No. Ill, is taken from a very ancient M. S. in the Royal library at Paris, (No. 8084) ; and is written in ruftic capitals, which characters .are entirely different from the writing called Uncial, or rounded letters. Hymnus omnis horae. Da puer pkSirum ckoraeis Hunc Camoena noftra folum XJt canam Jidelibus Pangaf, hunc laudet lyra. Dulce carmen & melodum, Xps eft, quern Rex facerdos Gejla Xpi injignia : Ad futurum protinus. No. IV, is taken from the M. S. Palatin. Virgil, (No. 1631), in fhe Vatican library, written in the fourth or fifth century. I'e quoque magna pales, et te memorande canemus Paftor ab Amphyfo fuos Jilvae manefque Lycaei. The fifth fpecimen, is taken from the famous Florence Virgil, written in the year 498, In this M. S. the i is ufed for the e j as omnis • ■fiXPUCrt Co m ZKZt 6 NT T AH lOTOl M fNcvuomG AlANTun.no Locmisiao ca tHib C\UQ p ECCATJEStETCETBUV __ D AP lT,i BjLl C,TKVJ MCKOJlAfl saitca N7V mTi,1) iLr B 0" wLcf£jvmi n it m £ Lo d vr m,& 15 Tt\,xTi r i g n i a ION CA,M0 £ NA,M05T1 A3 oUm,^N G AT,K WcIaVD nil -AAXB LS 1 QUI MJU X?A C£JU> OiADltTTViOM- E JUOT INUS w IIQU 0QlV£M AGNAX AIESILIEMJLAIOR A1SI D IC A N I JU.US ^ASIOR ABAMtttT5D5V05iLlVAfMAN LSQUmXAfL Y HAIS'ATER.lTDlvM-'vjESTR.V MCEClN ISSEPOEIM D\4MSEDET-ETGkhClLlFlSCELL\MTFXl TH IB1SCO P(ERIDE3viOStiA EcFlVCitTlSMAocl M \C &Up • CaILoCVMWSaMORJA.N'Tyjm AAIH ICRE^ClTlMKORNS-QVl'NMTUMV/ERE NO\40AJf RJDIJ^SESviBICITALn \JS 3 & G I K TKt4r?\IERIS W UN O Jll BRO S GRIPES] C W Cl - iLpNGtN irnilwriff ^centurion \ s . qui T3 hJ o Lath re iMSTCEApERCUS^l't Ejcemplar Litemrunv fajiitaliurri in vetusffitmo C odir^ Hey a larum S. Benedicts 'in BLlUotbe^'3odteuirwL ajWervcUv. Inter M.S. St I) TIattDhN y5 Chap. V. OF WRITING. 81 omnis for omnes, and the ae are always diftinct, and not a ; the d is fre- quently written inftead of b. Haec fat erit divae vejlrum cecinijfe poetam Dum fedet. Et gracili fifcellam texit hibifco Pierides, vos haec facietis maxima gallo. Gallo cujus amor tantum mihi crefcit in boras. Quantum vere novo, viridis fe fubicit alnus. The eighth plate contains fpecimens of the capital letters ufed in the moft ancient copy of the Rule of St. Benedicl, which is faid to have been brought into England by St. Auftin in the fixth century, and is now- pre- ferved in the Bodleian library among Lord Hatton's MSS. (N° 93,) of which MS. we mall fpeak prefently. This plate furnifhes us with curious examples of the capital letters ufed in Italy, in the decline of the Roman empire. Romans The term Uncial is of no great antiquity; it was intro- Uncials. j duced by thofe who have treated of ancient writings, to di- ftinguifli thofe MSS. which are written in large round characters, from thofe written in pure Capitals. The word Uncial, probably took its rife from the MSS. that were written in fuch letters as are generally ufed for the heads and titles of chapters, which were called by the Librarii, or Book-writers, Liters Initiates, (but were not capitals,) which words the ignorant Monks and Schoolmen miftook for Liters Unciales (1). In plate XVI. there are both Capitals, Initials, and Small Letters ; and alfo in plate XVIII. (N° s 3 and 5.) Striking as the difparity appears between Capital and Uncial Letters, they have been frequently confounded ; the former are fquare, and the latter for the molt part round. It is true, indeed, that Uncials are large, (1) Mr. Cafley truly fays, that the letters tury made very little, and fome none at all; /, m, n, and //, are ufually written both in and even thofe who did make a difference, old and modern MSS. fo as not to be diftin- commonly wrote initiate with a c. In the guifhed, when they come together, but by twelfth century, fome writers began to make the fenfe : thus the word Minimum, is writ- a fmall hair-ftroke over the fometimes # ten with fifteen parallel ftrokes, all alike, ftrait, but oftener oblique, which dwindled joined together. This might eafily occafion into a fingle point in the fifteenth century, the miftake of writing unciale, for initiale • See the preface to the Catalogue of the for as to the difference of f and c, moft Royal Library, pages 8 and 16. writers from the twelfth to tlie fifteenth cen- M and 82 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. and fb far refemble Capitals ; but they are otherwife not at all fimilar. The characteriftic difference of Uncials, confifts in the roundnefs of the nine following letters, viz. A, D, E, G, H, M, Q, T, U ; the reft of the Letters B, C, F, I, K, L, N, O, P, S, X, Y, Z, are common to both Uncials and Capitals : this is proved by comparing the Letters in plates VII. and VIII. with thofe in plates IX. and X. Uncial writing began to be adopted about the middle of the fifth century ; and, as it required little ingenuity and much patience, it was preferred to the running hand in barbarous times. From theclofe of the fixth century to the middle of the eighth, Uncial writing generally prevailed, except amongftmen of bufinefs in ordinary t ran factions, which required difpatch. If a MS. is entirely in Uncials, it may very well be fuppofed prior to the clofe of the ninth century. A manufcript in Uncials, without any ornaments to the titles of the books, at the beginning of a treatife, or round the initials of a paragraph or break, is of good antiquity. Ornaments to the titles of pages, and ornamented letters, are found as early as the fixth century ; they were much in vogue in the eighth and ninth, as will appear by infpecYing plates IX, XIV, XV, XVII, and XVIII. If the titles are in fmall Uncials, in a MS. of true Uncials, they are marks of at leaft equal antiquity : See plate IX, N D I. The fourth and fifth plates contain fpecimens of Uncial letters written, in the fifth century, which have been fpoken of before. The firft fpecimen in the ninth plate, is taken from a copy of the rules of St. Benedict, pre- ferved.in the Bodleian .library amongft Lord Hatton's MSS. (N° written in me fifth century, and is to be read thus* LXVIIIL Vt in Monaf- terlo non praefumat alter alterum defendere recavendum eft ne quavls occaftone praefumat alter alium defendere Monachum in Monaflerio* The fecond fpecimen, in the fame plate, is taken from a pfalter in the Cottonian library, (vefp. A. i.) which is reported to have been brought into England by St. Auguftin. " Verba cantici hujus in die qua eripuit eum Dns " De manu omnium icorum ejus et de manu Saul. J ET esTisrecpxac lnsoccA sjo>fcpRAe f? u CD AM 'A l,T6 RTvLl ua>bep«e jsj £> g Ke- ffl oNAc buo) j -v ar> o N AS T e JLJ P <^7 K i cdjv op S R sTqu^j ^ A - ' ^ r BfoUotheca, CoUvrutirui, V^SJP.A.l ueRB^ catsi nobuius jvmiequ?^ eRipuiT€ocnT>Trs ^ea^uo^^um icQRucn cius erOecn^u smiI -rS^g^T^. g^mftyrr cne\;ONe piia3Aa> eNTaco i^llio>iNAT(r>« 7'ab.X .p.82>. I?a - -Lil'ivJZvancjeliorum- uiBibl. Coll. C. C. Cantab ^(X.IS) 111 N pRINCTpTOCRXT uejtBucrv eruejiBucoejoar T^ocej^anrj^ppjiNr c;pjo3LpuS?kr> ocrrN j^peHjpsu^ ersT^ejpsop^ cj uoDp^CTucnesT jn ipsoameRxr 0DJNU03 eTTeNeB^xee^cn non coNppebw m m, vu inTes TtM pRl N CI p) O Clt XT ueRBuenj c^ru eRBti on eK^rxpud er&s eRwueRQuco^ hoc ej*arpapRi>* Cip)o o aw ixpeRjpsurnpic e-rsrN e j p sopxcfhT au od pACTuones-r^ jpso ujrxeRxT; Aai> cd r f pc q h i Ltm n o £ RSTT\]^X EH ^bc5 eepy bj L 1* CP N J^J o J q R S T U -y Z 1 quattior JEvci/in e-lu? ruyi in />/ (•(( sOtheca ILarleiana, N° i 77' Quon 7 ^.co 9 ™^ ecocoxten C ON <*TJ STJl^TOTfcC)? -k \ne^ ^Rn ?vrj o is e qu^ejNis OB) sco>» SKUT TR^ltie-RTJ NTT qui ?vb iNiTioipsm)?)^ RVLN^C) COIN IS sJT^ipxjLeRiajM^T seRCooTNj)^ u|suor)esTeTcoibj ^> s e e u^t o A.p-R 3 n c i p i o OCOTMJBUS ^> i ^ ] q e js t e i± ejc o tl£>i:n i jBiscTtiBerie- opTicooT>) eof )ie cocjTNiosCfVS eoKuao ueRBOHuaoDe' F) u-S es ueRiTATc ^JT]^)eBU8)9eRO S o squ^ro acq V O OQ j I JN eZA^CcbAR ' ^S* Bo . " r <~ r 5 or C J2 l_yd « Chap. V. OF WRITING. 85 Great, (cap. 37,) mentions the books which that Pope fent into England by St. Auguftin (4). In the fixth, feventh, and eighth centuries, many MSS. were written in Italy, as well as in other parts of Europe, in characters which ap- proach nearer to fmall letters than thofe laft defcribed, called Demi-Un- cials. This form of writing was difcontinued in the ninth century, and though it had feveral letters of the Uncial kind, yet there is great difference in the forms of many of them, as will appear by a companion of plates IX, X, and XI. with the fpecimen marked N° 2, in plate XV. which is taken from fragments of the gofpels of St. John and St. Luke, in the library of Corpus Chrifti College, Cambridge : in the beginning of the book is the following paflage, in the hand writing of Matthew Parker, Archbimop of Canterbury. Fragmentum quatuor Ev angel io>um. Hie li- ber olirn mifjus a Gregorio Papa ad Augujiinum Archief fed Jic mutilatus. This fpecimen is taken from St. John's gofpel, chap. 1. ver. vi. and vij,. and is to be read, Fuit homo mifjus a Do, cut nomen erat yohannis. Hie venit in teflimonium, ut teflimonium perhiberet de Lumino, ut omnes crederent per ilium. Non erat. The words in this MS. are fometimes divided, and many letters are pa- rallel with each other, as in the words per ilium. Roman ~\ The fmall letters fucceeded the Demi-Uncial, and fmall letters.) continued with many variations till the invention of printing : they refemble very much the fmall characters, which our prin- ters call Roman. Many circumftances concur, to prove clearly, that they were occafionally ufed before the fubverfion of the Roman empire, in affairs of bufinefs which required difpatch. They were afterwards adopted by a!4 the nations of Europe, under different forms, according to their refpective tafte and genius. Small letters were generally ufed in the ninth century. The pfalter of Alfred the Great, now in my library, is written in Romaic fmall letters, probably by fome ecclefiaftic from Italy in his fervice ; a (4) See fome account of the MSS. en- nalis, by H. Wanley, p. 171, 172, 173. See graven in plates VIII, IX, and X. in Bede's alfo Nafmith's Catal. of the MSS. in C. G Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, by Smith, 1. i. c. 29. Coll. library, Cambridge, p. 320. app. p. 690. and in the Catal. lib. leptentrio- fpecimen 86 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. fpecimen of which is given in plate XIX. N° 6. (5) Z)n> exaudi ora~ tioiie meant, ct clamor tneus ad te veniat. Another fpecimen of Roman fmall letters of the tenth century is given in the twentieth plate, from a p falter in the Lambeth library, (N° 427.) D'ne exuiidi oratione meam, et clamor tneus ad te veniat ; nov, avert as fuciem tuam a mr, in quacumq; die tribalor inclina ad me auretn tua. Mixed r During the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, many Character s\ MSS. were written in England in characters fmilar to thofeufed in France and in Italy in thofe ages ; they are of a mixed nature, and are partly Roman, partly Longobardic, and partly Saxon. Thefe MSS. were probably written by ecckfiaftics who had been educated abroad. Thefe obfervations will be verified, by an infpec"bon of plate XIX. N s 2, 4, and 5, and the alphabets in plates XII. and XII f. See alfo plate XX. N 3 7, and feveral fpecimens of charters in plate XXIII. which corroborate what is here aflcrted. Having fpoken of the Roman letters, the reft of the alphabets which are fuppoied to be derived from the Greek, now require our attention. The alphabet of the ancient Gauliih letters is given in the mft plate, and we have nothing to add concerning them, to what hath already been faid at p. 56, 57, in the foregoing chapter. The ancient Spaniards, before their intercourfe with the Romans, ufed letters nearly Greek. Don Naffarre, principal librarian to the King of Spain, hath given ns this alphabet, confifting of twenty-four letter-, taken from coins and other ancient monuments (6). This laft-mentioned al- phabet, is to be diftinguiihed from thofe letters which were afterwards brought into Spain by the Moors or Saracens, and which are immediately derived from the Arabic, (7) and do not in the leaft refemble thofe given us by Don N a (Tar re. Ancient r The antient Goths were converted to Chriftianity by Gothic. 1 the Greek priefts, and they probably introduced their letters with their religion, about the reign of Galienus, Towards the mid- (5) The title is written in Roman capitals (6) Vide Bibl. Univ. de Ja Polygraph, of the ninth century. The interlineary Sax- Efp. prolog, fol. 6. et feq. on verfion ftull be noticed in its proper. (7) See N. T. Dip!, vol. i. p. 675. place. 5 die Chap V. OF WRITING. 87 die of the third century, Afcholius, Bimop of Theflalonica, and a Greek prieft named Audius, fpread Chriftianity among the Goths ; the former of thefe is much extolled by Bafil the Great, and the latter by Epiphanius (8). The antient Gothic alphabet is given in the firft plate, which confifted of fixteen letters ; they are fo fimilar to the Greek, that their derivation can- not be doubted. Thofe writers are certainly miftaken, who attribute the invention of the Gothic letters to Ulpbilas, Bimop of Moefia, who lived in the fourth cen- tury. The gofpels tranflated by him into the Gothic language, and written in ancient Gothic characters about the year 370, were formerly kept in the library of the monaftery of Werden ; but this MS. is now preferved in the Kbrary of Upfal, and is known among the learned, by the title of the Silver Book of Ulphilas, becaufe it is bound in mafiy filver. Several edi- tions of this MS. have been printed. See a fpecimen of it in Hickes's Thefaurus, vol. I. pref. p. 8. Dr. Hickes pofitively difallows this tranfla- taoa to be Ulphil's, but fays it was made by fome Teuton or German, ei- ther as old, or perhaps older than Ulphil ; but whether this was fo or not,, she characters are apparently of Greek original. Figure. Power. Figure. Power. A A. O. B. n P. r G. O CL a D. K R. 6 E. s S. F. T T. G J. or Y. TH. H. n U. 1 k I I. a C\V. and fomc- times in the middle of words c. K K. V W. and T^As'v. . A L. X CH. or X. M M. 1 Z. N N. (8) See Mafcou's Hift. of the ancient Germans> vol, I. p. 383. and vol. II. p. 412. Author? ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. . j" Authors are much divided, as to the antiquity of the Runic v ' '1 characters ; fome fuppofe them to be very ancient, whilft others contend, that they are more modern than the ancient Gothic ; feveral writers affirm, that they were brought from Afia by the celebrated Woden. Olaus Wormius and Rudbeck contend, that they are older than the Greek. Mr. Wife (p. 126) fays, that the Runic letters are found on coins, and on ftone monuments, fome of which may be near two thoufand years old. He alio fup poles this alphabet to have been exceedingly ancient, and that it was formed from fome alphabet of the Greeks, whilft it confifted of fix- teen letters only, and before they had left the Eaftern way of writing, from the right hand. The judicious Celiius was of opinion, that the Runic letters were nothing more than Roman letters, with the curves changed into ftraight lines, for the eale of engraving on hard lubftances (9). The learn- ed and ingenious author of the Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Ro- man Empire (vol. I. p. 265,) fays, that the oldeft Runic infcriptions are lyppofed to be of the third century ; and he adds, that the molt ancient writer, who mentions the Runic characters, is Venantius Fortunatus, who lived towards the end of the fixth century. Our opinion on the evidence before us, is, that the report of Woden having brought the Runic letters from Afia, is entirely fabulous ; that the tales of Rudbeck and Olaus Wormius, do not deferve the leaft attention ; that Mr. Wife, though a rcfpcdtable writer, is miftaken as to the antiquity of the Runic letters ; that the opinion of the learned Celfius is nearly true, and that the Runic characters are compoled partly of ancient Gothic and Greek letters, and partly of Roman, deformed and corrupted, probably by the Necromancers of the north, who ufed them in their fpells and incantations, to which they were greatly addicted. The forms of feveral Runic letters compared with the Greek and Gothic alphabets, as given in plate I. fufficiently prove this obfervation. For inftancc, the Runic F or Fei, is a rude imitation of the Roman F, with the fame vocal powers. The O or Oys, is an invert- ed digamma, with the power of the Roman" U, that is of ou or W. R or Ridhur, is evidently the Roman R, with the fame powers. I or lis, is the Gothic and Roman T. S or Sol, is a refemblance of the ancient Greek (9) See Pelloutier's Hift. des Celtes, I, ii. c, II. 2 with Chap. V. OF IV RIVING. 89 2 with the fame power. T or Tyr is an imitation of the Greek Tau, or Roman T. B or Biarkan is the Greek Beta, or Roman B ; and L or La- gur appears to have been taken from the Grecian Lambda. We are of opinion, that the refemblances above pointed out, fufficiently evince, that the Runic characters are derived from the Greek, Gothic, and Roman letters. In the year icoi, the Swedes were perfuaded by the Pope to lay afide the Runic letters, and to adopt the Roman in their room. In the year 1 1 15, the Runic letters were condemned in Spain, by the council of Toledo. They were abolifhed in Denmark in the beginning of the four- teenth century, and in Iceland foon after. The order of the old Runic alphabet (1), which confifted of fixteen letters, was as follows : F, U, D, O, R, K, H, N, I, A, S, T, B, L, M, YR. It is not known when the order of the Runic alphabet was confound- ed, but we do notfuppofe that it is of greater antiquity upon that account. Coptics The ancient Coptic alphabet, as given in plate I. is maniftftly Letters. \ derived from the Greek, to which feveral letters were afterwards added to exprefs founds, which the Greeks had not. The modern Coptic alphabet confifts of the following thirty-two letters : Figure. Name. Power. 3Xd> Phi Ph. Chi Ch Graec' UI« O O long. Shei Sh. Fei F. Khei Kh. Hori H. Jania J. Shima Sh. Dhei Dh. 41 'j; Epfi Pf. N Etbi- 90 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Ethiopic r Mr. Edward Bernard derives the Ethiopic alphabet from the Letters. \ Coptic, but the forms, names, numbers, and powers of the Ethiopic letters differ fo greatly from the Coptic, that we are of opinion they are not derived from that fource, though w r e placed this alphabet under the Coptic, in the table at page 50. The Ethiopic alphabet is Syllabic, which makes its characters more numerous than any other except the Chinefe. The learned Ludolphus was of opinion, that the Ethiopian letters were in- vented by the Axumitcs or Ethiopians themfelves, and that they were much older than the Kufic characters of the Arabs. It is obfervable that the Ethiopians wrote from the left to the right, contrary to the cuftom of the Arabians, which induces us to believe that their alphabet was not derived from that of the Arabs, as fome have imagined. When we reflect: on the names and forms of feveral of thefe letters, it may not feem improbable that fome of them were derived from the Samaritan and ancient Syriac (2). The Ethiopic alphabet, as given by Ludolphus, is as follows : Figure. Name. Power. Figure. Name. Power. A; Alpf A. A: Lawy L. si: Bet B. CO." Mai M. l\ Geml G. Nahas N. £\ Dent D. ti: Saat S. f. fi: Haut H. K7'. Ain Heb. ®: Waw W. Af F. H : Zai Z. A: Tzadi Heb. %\ Hharm H. H. $: Kopp. K. t\\: fait Teth. Heb. ^: Rees it. ft Jaman J. w: Saut s. A: Caf Ch. T: Tawi T. (3) The above letters are for the learned language of Ethiopia. Their vul- gar characters are different, and are called the Amharick. Servien, r The alphabets of the nations defcended from the Scythi- RuJJian, &c.\ ans eftablifhed in Europe, namely, the Servien, the Ruffian, the Sclavonian, and the Bulgarian, are all derived from the Greek, as hath already been mentioned. The Servien letters are called; the Cyrillitan (2) For "a further account of the antient p. 290, and the Encyclopedia, torn. II. of Ethiopic letters and language, fee Ludolphus's the plates, Paris, 1763. Ethiopic Hiftory, Commentaries, and Gram- (3) The Ethiopians place their letters in an mar, and the Univerfal Hiftory, vol. XVIII. order different from the alphabet above given. characters, Chap. V. OF WRITING. 91 characters, from St. Cyril, who converted the Moravians to Christianity ; {mailer characters were afterwards introduced, called Glogolitici. The Ruffian letters are immediately derived from thofe ufed by St. Cyril. The Illyi ian or Sclavonian alphabet, is afcribed to St. Jerom. The Bul- garian letters, were originally the fame with the Sclavonian (4). There are feveral letters in thefe alphabets, which feem ta be of northern original, which are adapted to founds peculiar to the languages of the people defend- ed from the Scythians who fettled in Europe. Armenian C The Armenians had no characters peculiar tothemfelves un- Letters. I til the fourth century, but they ufed indifferently thofe of the Syrians, of the Perfians, of the Arabians, and of the Greeks. The prefent Armenian alphabet contains thirty-eight letters, which they fay were in- vented by one Mefrop or Miefrob, minifter of ftate, and fecretary to Wa- rafdates, and Arfaces IV. kings of Armenia. Some authors affirm, that this Mefrop afterwards became a hermit, and correfponded with St. Chry- foftom, who lived in the fourth century ; though Angelus Roccha, in his difcourfe on the books in the Vatican library, George, patriarch of Alexan- dria, and Sixtus Senenfis, affert, that St. Chryfoftom was the inventor of the Armenian characters (5), in vvhofe time the bible was tranflated into the Armenian language, from the Greek Septuagint, by fome of their doctors who had learned the Greek language, and amongft others by one Mofes the grammarian, and David the philofopher. Although the Armenian cha- racters are generally fuppofed to have been derived from the Greek, their forms are very different, and their number exceeds thofe in the Greek al- phabet, by more than one third. The powers of the Armenian letters are peculiarly adapted to the notation of that language, which is very unpo- liffied, and confequently very unlike the Greek (6). This alphabet con- tains feveral letters or marks for founds, which frequently occur in the Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, and Armenian languages, but are not found in the Greek. (4) The ancient name of Bulgaria was the emperor ; and that he fiaimed his days Maefia. The ancient Gothic letters were in Armenia. diiufed, and were lucceeded by the Bulga- (6) The Armenians fay, that Ha'ik, who nan. lived before the deftruiSHon of Babel, was (5) It is certain, that St. Chryfoftom was the hrft who fpoke the Haikanian or Arme- banifhed from Conftantinople by an editt of nian language. N 2 The 92 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. The Armenians have four kinds of writing : The firft, is called Zahgha- chir, or flourijhed, ufed for the titles of books, and for the beginning of chapters. The fecond is called Erghathachir, writing with iron, or with a Stylus, which has long been difufed. The third is called Po/overchir, or round, which is found in their faireft MSS. The fourth is called Notrchir, or running hand, which is ufed for the ordinary affairs of life. The names and powers of the Armenian letters are as follow : Karnes. Powers. Names. Powers. Names. Powers. Aib A. Dza Dz Ze Arab. Dfche Dfch Arab Bien B as the Heb. Beth. Kien K Iberian. Rra Rr harm the Gr. P. Gim G Heb. Gimel. Hue He Arab. Cha. Se S Arab. Sin. Da D hard. Dfa Ds zz Ital. Wiew W. Arab. Vau. fetich Ghat Gin Arab. G. Tuin T foft. Sa S foft. Tee Tc Dje French. Re R. E E long. Mien M. Tfue Ts. jeth E fhort. Hi I. Huin Y v Greek. Time Thet Heb. Nue N. Ppiur P harm. Je J as the French. Scha Sch in Heb. Khe Kh. Arab. Cha with a point. I Ue Oue French. Fe F Arab. Phe. Luin I^vowel. Tfcha Tfch. O O u Greek. Chhe X Greek- Pe P foft. Having fpoken of the letters ufually fuppofed to have been derived from the Greek, thole defcended from the Roman now claim attention. Lombardic f The Lombards who fettled in Italy in the fixth century, Writing. \ corrupted the Roman letters in their writing, which is called Lombardic. This kind of writing was called Roman in the eleventh cen- tury, becaufe the Pope's Bulls were written in thefe characters. The Lom- bardic capitals are plain, regular, and broad at the extremities, as appears by the title of the firft fpecimen, and by the alphabet, N° 2, in the twelfth plate, and by that marked N° 4, in the thirteenth plate, (7) as alfo by the fpecimen of the MSS. written partly in Lombardic capitals, and partly in Uncial letters, in the eighth plate. The Lombardic capitals which (7) The firft of thefe alphabets is taken The fecond is from another MS. in the fame from a MS. in C. C. C. Cambridge, L. II. library, K. 8. form WaxmfUa / ■ MS SJLZTE1 doci eXdTCLU -f, do cure I J loocmNuco fs3 O N a RO ao cV , i in Jill , 'OiyLiHOlNOp QRT TOIJK 7 jck bI^c c)De e tVQ^n °t\cn ^op^QRSTtveirfTt'lIc fa tic/ I tc f /until* col K'/ tniun rut e n ■«»•.■' mtttf tia /tint. act c/lu*m w en trp \Jn <^<£ nunc <=ccufcC &itn ei feci 6i Jidem ad quam crede ri- tes vocamur, Unde et nunc caufa queer enda quare Mari-a poji concaep - turn venerit ad Elijabeth et manferit. Although the Lombardic fmall letters were of Roman original, yet they were not ufed even in Italy in early times : we do not find them till after the end of the ninth century, though they retained the name till the thirteenth, and their forms longer, as hereafter will appear. VT thlc f Vifigoths who conquered part of Spain in the fifth- 1 century, carried with them the Roman letters, which being corrupted by them, were called the Vifigothic or Spanifh Gothic, which was generally ufed in that country till the invalion of the Saracens in the year 712. There are many MSS. written in Vifigothic characters in the eighth century, which greatly refemble the firft four fpecimens of that century, in the twenty-third plate ; afterwards the Vifigothic writing in Spain was much more loofely written ; this laft kind of writing was called the Vifi- gothic running hand. Although the Vifigothic writing ceafed to be in common ufe in Spain in the twelfth century, yet the running hand of this kind, was not intirely laid afide till after the fifteenth. The Vifigothic writing alfo prevailed in France, particularly about Tholoufe, which was the chief feat of the Weflern Goths, who fettled in that part of France in the fifth century (1). (1) There are feveral fpecimens of Vifi- tique, vol. II. p. 88. and vol. III. p. 8o> gothic writing in the N. T. de Diploma- 221. O F 9 6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. OF WRITING IN ENGLAND. AFTER the moft diligent inquiry it doth not appear, that the JTjL Britons had the ufe of letters before their intercourfe with the Ro- mans. Although alphabets have been produced, which are faid to have been ufed by the Ancient Britons, yet no one MS. ever appeared that was written in them (2). Cunoboline, king of Britain, who lived in the reigns of the emperors Tiberius and Caligula, erected different mints in this ifland, and coined money in gold, filver and copper, infcribed with Ro- man characters (3). From the coming of Julius Ca?far, till the time the Romans left the ifland in the year 427, the Roman letters were as familiar to the eyes of the inhabitants, as their language to their ears, as the num- berlefs infcriptions, coins, and other monuments of the Romans ftill re- maining amongftus, fufficiently evince (4). However, we are of opinion, that writing was very little practifed by the Britons, till after the coming of St. Auguftin, about the year 596. The Saxons, who were invited hither by the Britons, and who arrived about the year 449, were unacquainted with letters. The characters which they afterwards ufed, were adopted by them in the ifland, and though the writing in England from the fifth to the middle of the eleventh century is called Saxon (5), it will prefently appear, that the letters ufed in this ifland were derived from the Roman, and were really Roman in their origin, and Italian in their ftructure at firft, but were barbarized in their afpect by the Britifh Romans and Roman Britons (6). A great variety with Roman Britifh characters in Borlace's Hift. of Cornwall, p. 391, 396. See more in Warburton's Vallum Romanum, Lon- don > 1753' 4 to - (5) The archite&ure in England, which preceded the Gothic, is uiually called Saxon, but it is in fadT: Roman. (6) See Whitaker's Manchefter, vol. II. p. 329 ; where he fhews that the opinion of Mr. Wanley, that the Saxons brought letters with them into England, is ill-founded. • Of (2) I have feveral of thefe pretended al- phabets in my collection ; though they are •$■'*/ , only Roman letters deformed., ' ' {3) Many of thefe coins are preferved in the elaborate differtation of the Rev. Mr. Pegge, on the coins of Cunoboline ; and many particulars concerning this prince ap- pear in the hift. of Manchefter, by Mr. Whitaker, vol. I. p. 284, 372, and in his corrections, chap. ix. \ (4) See feveral monuments infcribed 5pT lenotnsueqs aeaesacerados qiiidconvioniiue-^ loajiasdeuice abict euLXUtrautainuffi ambo i. ^Nero.D.IV: ^ .7 Ocker wotceR qui es r ™ r njccreosscipceaji^" worneu tuurn ad uewif^uegjuTTitu u pccu tioiuvnxcs'cua ' pauem tjo|Eru m supen. suostcora aleF pa-Hopis liobie^ r , a uofcua si cut uo-5, en 1 n rtnrn u6*oebTcoui o i Ccvj ei wducoc 6 vi o s lvrenfcccuo-wem , setnioeua vjcsctiticuo acute ifrn pier*HJ c 1 nullum lucedeutesiuomvufrus M "" i i. pT'*!" 1 ■"Tu- rn audoxis Si ufapcxmo uib;dvii siuequaceKetlcc lb nuoi qui&bicasTpil-ius iNbeQTsecunsuNTeum cyduLti eT-cuR.xuiT eos oajNageT PRAacipiTeis Neo».NipesTuo5 eum TestHxeRUN-rbic-NONiecrr rztt p. S3- "J r \ if rt i5 r V Chap. V. OF WRITING. 97 of capital letters were ufed by the Saxons in their MSS. of which many fpecimens are given in our plates. Saxon "I The capital letters in the fourteenth plate are taken from the Capitals.) Textus Sancti Cuthberti, written in the feventh century, formerly preferved in the cathedral of Durham, but now in the Cottoniau library (Nero. D. 4). In this fine MS. we find fcveral of the capital let- ters, which were ufed by the Greeks, the Etrufcans, the Romans, the Vifigoths, the Saxons, the French, and the Germans. The 4>, the pa- rent of the Roman F, was not difufed at the time this MS. was written. The Roman F, and alfo the F ufed by the northern nations, appear in the alphabet which we have engraven, as doth the M of the Pelafgians, of the Etrufcans, of the Ofcans, and of the Romans. The different forms of the letter O, in this alphabet, were alfo common not only to the people laft mentioned, but likewife to the Phenicians, and to the Greeks ; the Y is not unlike the Greek T. This alphabet alone, bears ftrong teftimony, that the letters ufed by our Saxon anceftors, are derived from the Phenician, the Greek, and the Etrufcan letters, through the medium of thofe of the Roman. The capital letters in the fifteenth plate, N° 1, which are taken from a MS. written in the latter end of the fixth or the beginning of the feventh century, confirm this opinion. It is ob- fervable that the Pelafgian M, was ufed in MSS. fo late as the eighth cen- tury. The third fpecimen in the eighteenth plate, is taken from a copy of the four gofpels in the royal library (1 B. 7). Our readers will obferve both Roman and Saxon capital letters in this fpecimen, the former are ufed in the canons of St. Eufebius, which were probably written by fome Roman Ecclefiaftic, the latter by one who had been educated in England. In the feventh and eighth centuries fquare capitals were occafionally ufed in England, fpecimens of which are given in the fifteenth plate, N° 1, and in the title of N° 4, and an entire alphabet in the fixteenth plate (7). A great variety of capital letters ufed in England from the feventh to the tenth century inclufive, are exhibited in the eighteenth and ninteenth plates, which deferve the attention of thofe, who defire to become ac- quainted with the manufcripts of our Saxon anceftors, and to judge of their age and authenticity. (7) There are many fquare capital letters in St. Chad's Gofpels preferved in the cathedral at Lichfield. O The 98 R I G IN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. The Saxon capitals which vary from thofe now ufed, are C, E, G, H, M, and W. The fmall letters are, d, f, g, r, s, t, and w, which are all Roman, except the \. p. and fome notes of abbreviations ufed by the Sax- ons as D |? th, f that, &c. many other abbreviations ufed by the Saxons appear in the eighteenth plate, N° 4. Thefe notes of ab- breviation, are not the original members of an alphabet ; they were the refult of later reflection, and were introduced for difpatch. By an attentive obfervation of the different fpecimens of writing in Eng- land, we perceive the feveral gradations of change, by which one form of a Roman character, has imperceptibly changed into another. The Saxon Y fays Mr. Whitaker, (8) feems to have been only the Roman V at firfc, and to have been lengthened into the Saxon character, and enlarged into the prefent Roman W, by bringing the principal ftroke fomewhat lower, and clofing the top in the one, and by redoubling the whole, in the other. The W is unknown, both to the Latin, and its daughter languages, the French, the Spanifh, and the Italian : it is compofed of two characters, namely of the V or U doubled (9). The writing which prevailed in England from the coming of St. Auguf- tin in 596, to the middle of the eleventh century, is generally termed Saxon, and maybe divided into five kinds, namely, the Roman Saxon, the Set Saxon, the running hand Saxon, the mixed Saxon, and the elegant Saxon ; which mall be considered in order.' Roman r The Roman Saxon is that kind of writing which is very Saxon. \ fimilar to the Roman, and prevailed in England, from the coming of St. Augufiin till the eighth century. Specimens of this kind of writing, are given in plate fifteen, N° 1. In this MS. the R and the E, are more pure Roman, than thofe which follow ; this fpecimen is taken from the gofpels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, formerly preferved in the Cott. lib. (Otho. c. 5.) which is faid to have been St. Auguftin's book, but by the hand it feems to have been written in England, probably in his time. This fine book perifhed by the fire which happened in the Cottonian library in the year 1731 (1). (8) Hift. of Manchefter, vol.11, p. 332. (1) The drawing was taken at the expence (9) Mr. Wife (ut fupra, p. 145) affirms of Edward Earl of Oxford. that the Saxon P is of northern growth. The M-rt m /i/it /• JfBSSsk J-n ^ l/i////// &3sa nit ° Sasctuid vi.vn.^.vni. ccbfrore STRiim pccteRTDirrnecc ccc truo cctf^isticns -< 'dr&itTia: aim ei-mf ' rniuhomo imsus abb cmyomeu eaaD j lOl^awviis^cueuToTTicesaTrioviuiTO ixc qsottvo "H i um potfMbea&Oecurmvio ug OTiTHes-ciieDeuewu pemuuTnnoueRccu « abc^t)dep^hilcnMVlTiopqtj j^'tnus Scedulae scTinpriot^ornmiqe incanncvaonis anno- dccxl/unn Incicnone- iv 1n loco celeb-Re cvns uocabuaim * "godrnimdCr laech jppcw. anno aedeloalcli negspacur tgtntecq-Q-bdiedirci pin tut ihxnqSi I parch ' pflvquOnTin cuniqcmtfn ^xsciprtrras > S 7 S ccrt^.OTtu Gran umsae- aiearunoce-T^ii Sibil™*" (tiww Si&tro asciuus concnxpn arcdigptrrpiTOiv ™^<' v. g^nnVn cctoseenco a;pRrqcif3io ommbus chli^euteR (^ouclniexibi ocmhese oba nie'dieople^LTGCo^aOSCtrs eomxm ueRfeomim deqtn&us crucItcus es ueRTarcem : . i. ™ P wo. Chap. V. OF WRITING. 99 The reading is, " Cata Marcum abbas firum Pater idumea " Rofa Jitte terrena falone Jiue pacifica «« Tyro angujlae T habit ha cum Jyris " Puella /urge traxonltidis negotiation Another fpecimen in Roman Saxon characters, appears in the eighteenth plate, N° 5, which is taken from a MS. of the four gofpels, in the royal library at London, (1 E. VI.) written in England in the feventh century. The fecond page of this MS. is of a violet colour, in which are feveral let- ters in gold and filver. Prefixed to the gofpels, is St. Jerom's epiftle to Pope Damafus, from whence this fpecimen is taken : " Novum opus me cogis facere ex veteri ut poji exempiaria fcribturarum toto or be difpenfa quaji qui dam arbiter Jed earn, et quia inter Je variant quae Jint ilia quae cum graeca confeniiant veritate decernam." The alphabets are, firft, of the capital letters, which were in gold and filver; fecondly, of the letters in which the heads of the chapters are written ; and thirdly, of the letters which compofe the text. The fixteenth plate furnifhes a third fpecimen of Roman Saxon writing, which is taken from a fair copy of the four gofpels, of St. Jerom's tranfla- tion, written in England, in the latter end of the feventh century, with an interlineary Dano-Saxon verfion, written in the t.nth century byFAR- mennus and Owunus, two pr lefts. This MS. is called the Codex Rujhworthianus, becaufe it belonged for- merly to John Rum worth, of Lincoln's Inn, efq; It is now preferved in the Bodleian library, at Oxford, (D. 24, N° 3946.) Mr. Wanley fays, it is little inferior in age, to the Lichfield MS. or to St. Cuthbert's gofpels, Nero, D. IV. At the end of this book, is the following paffage, written in a hand fimilar to, and coeval with the text. Macregol dipinxit hoc " Evangelium. £>uicumque legerit et intellegerit ijlam narrationem, " oral pro Macregiul Scriptoria The fquare or angular capital letters, are very fimilar to thofe which ap- pear in the Lichfield MS. and to thofe in the fifteenth plate, N° 1. O 2 1 The IOO ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Thefecond alphabet, is of the initial or uncial letters, (as they are ufu- ally called) in which the titles of chapters are written ; the third, is of the Latin text, and the fourth, of the Saxon verfion. Concerning this valuable MS. fee Wanley's catal. page 81. This fpecimen is to be read, " Et egrejfus eft rurfus ad mare omn'is que turba veniebat ad eum et doce- bat eos, et cum praeterire vidit levin Alphei Je dent em ad telonum, et ah illi fe- quere me, et furgens fecutus efl eum ; et faflum ejl cum mimbertfin do/no illius multi puplicam (2) et peccatores fimul difcumbebant . The fifth fpecimen in the fifteenth plate, is taken from a fine MS. preferved in the church of Lichfield, called, Textus Sci Ceddje, or St. Chad's gofpels. This MS. was many years ago prefented to the church of LlandafF, by Gelhi, who gave for the purchafe of it, one of his beft horfes ; it was deposited in the cathedral church of Lichfield about the year 1020, which being dedicated to St. Chad, the fifth bifhop of that fee, it hath thence been called his book. This MS. was written in England about the time of St. Cuthbert's gofpels in the feventh century ; in the margin whereof, are feveral annotations in Latin and Saxon, and fome in the ancient Britifh or Welch, which laft, Mr. Edward Lhuyd fuppofes to be of about 900 years {landing (3). The fpecimen is taken from the firit chapter of St. Luke's gofpel, ver. 3, and 4. " Et mihi adjecuto ( \) a principio omnibus diligent er, ex or dine tibi Jen- " bere, obtime Theqfile: ut cognofcas eorum verborum, de quibus eruditus es " veritatem." The fourteenth plate contains the fifth and laffc fpecimen which we have given of Roman Saxon writing, and is taken from the Textus Sanc"ti Cuth- berti formerly preferved in the cathedral of Lindisfarn or Durham, and is now in the Cottonian library (Nero, D. IV). The time when this moft noble monument of Anglo-Saxon Calligraphy was written, is nearly af- certained, by a Saxon note at the end of St. John's gofpel, in the hand writ- nil (2) Pro publican. Sept. vol. p. 5, 226. ' (3) V. Ed. Lhuyd Archsol. Brit. vol. I. (4) Pro aflecuto, obtime pro optime. p. 5, 22.6. CI. Wanidi Catal. Codd. Ling. Y&T a^vty. yona «t -co y ii o p [v ff -r ^ |? ^ ^ - 7 j, t e Sac. m. Chap. V. OF WRITING. ing of Aldred, who was bifhop of Durham from the year 946 to 968 (5), whereby it appears, that the Latin text was written by St. Eadfrith, a Monk of Lindisfarn, in the time of St. Cuthbert, who died in the year 687, when he, the above-mentioned St. Eadfrith, was elected bifhop of that fee, which he held till the time of his death, in 721 ; and that the curious and elaborate ornaments which are in this MS. the pictures of the crofs, and of the four evan^elifts, and the capital letters, were drawn by St. Etbelwalci, who was a cotemporary Monk with bifhop Eadfrith, and who fucceeded him in the bifhoprick of Lindisfarn, wherein he continued till his deceafe in 737. Bifhop Aldred adds, that Bilfrith," a Monk of the fame church, adorned the out fide of the book, with a filver cover gilt, fet with precious ftones ; and that Aldred, a prieft, added the interlineary Dano-Saxon verfion, with fome marginal notes. Many marvellous tales are related concerning this book ; amongft others, Turgot gravely aflerts, that when the Monks of Lindisfarn, were removing from thence, to avoid the depredations of the Danes, the veflel wherein they were embarked overfetting, this curious book which they were tranfport- ing with them, fell into the fea, and through the merits of St. Cuthbert, the fea ebbing much further than ufual, it was found upon the fands, above three miles from the more, without having received injury by the water (6). This fpecimen is taken from the firft chapter of St. Luke's gofpel, be- ginning at the fifth verfe, which is to be read thus ; " Fuit in diebus Herodis Regis Judaeae facerdos quidam nomine Zacharias de vice Abia et uxor illi de filiabus Aron et nomen ejus Eiifabet, erant autem jujii ambo ante Dm incedentes in omnibus mandatis et jujlificationibus Dm fi'&t quaere ila. Et non erat illis filius eo" The fecond column begins with, " Pater ?wjier qui es in Caelis fc'ijicetur nomen tuum adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua ficut in Caelo et in ter ra. Panem nojlrum fuper fubfiantiale- da nobis hodie et demitte nobis debita nojlra ficut nos dimittimus debitoribus no— Jhis. Et ne inducas nos in temtationem Jed libera nos a rnalo." The Saxon tranflation is interlined. {5) This note is printed in Wanley's Ca- of the Bifhops of Durham, talogue of Saxon MSS. which forms the (6) Nullum per aquam lsefionis lignum i 3d vol. of Hickes's Thefaurus, p. 252. monftratur. Wanley ut fupra. St. Eadfrith is not mentioned in Heylin's lift 102 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. It is obfervable, that the MSS. which we have placed in the clafs of Ro- man Saxon, are written partly in Uncial letters, and partly in Demi-Un- cial, with fome fmall letters amongft them. The Roman-Saxon writing is very fimiiar to the Roman-Uncial. The letters, d, e, i, p, r, j, are generally of that kind. Towards the middle of the eighth century, the writing of the fecond clafs, namely, Set Saxon took place in England, which continued till about the middle of the ninth, and which was not intirely difufed till the beginning of the tenth century. The firft fpecimen of this kind of writing, is given in the fifteenth plate, N° 3, from a charter of king Athelbald, dated A. D. 749, and inrolled in a MS. formerly preferved in the Cottonian library, (Otho. A. 1.) This fpecimen is a mixture of Roman-Saxon and Set -Saxon letters, the change from one mode of writing to that of another did not take place immediately, but was gradual. Hujus fcedulae fcriplio dominie e incarnationis anno 749. IndiSlione 2, in loco celebre cut's vocabulum ejl God/nundes — Laech XXXIII. anno Aedelbaldi /madtt-J Regis pa€ta- i N° 11, in plate feventeen, exhibits a fpecimen of writing partly in Roman-Saxon, and partly in Set-Saxon characters, taken from a copy of the four gofpels, in the Royal Library (1 B. 7.) and written in the eighth century. ^uoniam quidem multi co- nati funt ordinare narrationem ^ in nobis comple- tae funt rerii&h, Plate eighteen, N° 3, contains feveral alphabets of capitals, initials, or uncials, and fmall letters taken from this MS. The firft fpecimen in the feventeenth plate, is in Set-Saxon characters, and is taken from a very fair MS. formerly belonging to St. Auguftin's abby, in Canterbury, which is now preferved in the library of Corpus Chrifti College in Cambridge, (G. 2). This MS. was written in England m the eighth century, though fomewhat later than that laft mentioned. It Chap V. OF WRITING. 103 It contains the life of St. Paul the Hermit, and is worthy of attention, as it gives a fpecimen of the drawings and ornamented letters, which are fre- quently to befeen in Saxon MSS. of the eighth and ninth centuries. The figure is intended to reprefent the Hermit Paul, fitting in an ancient chair, writing : whether the bird at his ear, is bringing him food, or intelligence, irU ni re/urn, . the lire ltlelr may determine.^ The words are, Hieronimus Pre/biter, natus a patre Eufebio hunc librum Jcripfit in Beth* 'leem In loco viddicet -melitum qui vocatur litojirotos ; term-amis ait. N° 4, in the fifteenth plate, is taken from a MS. in the Harleian li- brary, (N° 2965), written in England in the eighth century, in ftrong Set-Saxon characters. It is obfervable, that fquare, or cornered charac- ters, were not difu fed at this time, in titles of MSS. The letter M, which was ufed by the Pelafgians, theOfcans, and the Etrufcans, appears in this MS. The letter R is fcarcely to be diftinguifhed from the N ; this is com- mon in MSS. of the eighth and ninth centuries. The reading is, Incipit Orat. Scj Agujli in Jch folkmnitatibu. Dl dileSli et benediBi filii tui Jhu Xpl Pater per quern tui agnitionem jujeipimus. Ds angelorum et univerfae Creaturae vifibiliTi et invijibiliu Aequus conditor ac dijpenfator. N° 1, in the eighteenth plate, is taken from a MS. in the Royal Li- brary, (2 A. xx.) written alfo in the eighth century : the characters are not fo ft iff, as thofe fpecimens which are given in the fifteenth plate ; nor fo loofe as the running hand Saxon of the fourth fpecimen in this plate, nor of feveralof thofe in the twenty third plate. The Dragon, in the ornamented letter, is the emblem of vigilance, and was ufed as fuch, by the Phenici- ans, the Greeks, and the Romans (7). (7) The three moft ancient fymbols- are, the Circle, the Serpent, and the Wings. The Circle reprefented the Eternity of the Deity. The Serpent, his Wifdom. The Wings, his Providence over, and protection of all created beings. The Dragon, is the Serpent dig-- nifyed. " In 104 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. ii In primis obfecro fupplex obnixis precibus fummam et glorlojam Malejlatem ( majeftatem ) Di atque inclytam fcit|- Summon) &HLafu0Sa*|^ cllaltphinfn .trot tnc^tzctn Sect ^^merm&tftum1ribi<^tirn<# Vjumtmqiluin IV. ejtipUptctihefl a^iji cC hi e-eSfilr^ hi jl« 15 ll-liiMprrM? in cTux*rrrf >v#. ' • |0 q 1) 11 y. y v- frpliep tt^ie>elib;1rpq3o1nu • mini .X S T , JM N O p I m iiopqt!HSffcvu^r> f>.97 lUMB^U*- \ltjvmC^e llilvnlwtl.mtvlldtn- " 9**°* ** Mmt mm fit oot. oi£ nmfl fumiuh roiila: cfuccecum-gaocecoc CopsevracaiT uenixocce decennocm :Acct(AB6eccc]Dt)eep bHj i l£con y n o Chap. V. OF WRITING. The Saxon C Towards the latter-end of the ninth century, learning running hand. I was difFufed in England under the aufpices of our great King Alfred, in whofe reign many books were written in this ifland, in a more expeditious manner than formerly. This kind of writing I call the Tunning hand of the Saxons ; few MSS. were written in this hand before the reign of that Monarch, though a free mode of writing had been ufed in charters from the latter-end of the eighth century, as appears from the fifft column of the twenty- third plate. The third fpecimen in the nineteenth plate, is written in a more free manner than any of thofe above defcribed ; it is taken from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, (Digby 63.) intituled, Liber de Computo Ecclejiajlico, written by Regenbald (or Reginald), a Prieft of Winchester, between the years 850, and 867. Si cupis nojfe qota Jit Feria Kal Jap. fu- me Annos Dnt deduc-ajfe adde quariam parte. Os par tire per v 11 quod rema- nd ipfa erit Feria. Si nihil remanjerit, vii, Erit. Poteji qui vult a Ciclo ... The fourth fpecimen in the eighteenth plate, is in tlie 1110ft expeditious manner of writing practifedby the Saxons ; it is taken from a MS. in the li- brary of Corpus Chrifti College in Cambridge (S. XI.) written about the year 891 (8). The characters are loofe and free, and the abbreviations are very numerous, which renders the reading of it difficult ; many of them are engraven with a view to facilitate the reading of MSS. written in Eng- land, in the time of the Saxons. This fpecimen is taken from a tract, in the latter part of the volume ? -Intituled, C. Seduiii opus Pafchah\ and is to be read as follows. IV. Explicit Liber II. Incipit Liber III. Has inter Virtutis ope?, jam proxima Pafchce Coeperat ejfe dies .... cum gloria vellet Ponere mcrtalem, vivamque refumere carnem (Non aliatn, fed rurfus earn quam, munere plenam Concerning this MS. fee Wanley's preface to his catalogue, p. 130. P 'Lucis, io6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Luc/'s, ab tnfernh relevans ad fidera duxit ) JLxclamanfque pa lam, " Pater, ijla memet in hard 4< Salvifica ; fed in banc ideo vent tamen horam.\ 44 Clarjjicay" dixit,. The running band Saxon letters are more like the pure or elegant Saxon which fucceeded them. Thefe diftinctions will appear, by carefully com- paring the plates of thefe different kinds of writing with each other. We have already obferved under the head of Roman writing, that in the ninth, tenth, and in the beginning of the eleventh centuries, many MSS. were written in England, in characters partly Roman, partly Lom- bardic, and partly Saxon, as will appear by comparing the alphabet in the thirteenth plate, with the fpecimens in plates nineteen and twenty. The fecond, fourth, and fifth fpecimens, in the nineteenth plate are of this kind. The fecond fpecimen is taken from a copy of venerable Bede, upon the canonical epiftles, written in the year 818, and preferved in the Bodleian library, (fupra D. Art. five. Med. 3.) M Incipit expojitio Bedce Prejbytki in epijlolam Job. 111*. / Senior gaio carijjimo quern ego diligo inveritate. £>ui vel qualis fuerit ijie gavijin procefju ep\te monjlratufq; videlicet fidem Xp% quam perceperat bonis ac~ cumulabat aclib : et Ji ipfe ad predicandum verbum minime fufficiebat eos tamen qui predicarent de facu/tafibus fuis Juflentare gaudebat Hunc autem ejfe gravim yauerry arbitramur cujus in tpXa ad Romanos Paulus meminit dicens Salutat vos gravis ^zuy/ bojpes ml ecrtte totus anno 818, ab incarnatione Dni mi Jhu Xpl*. j c j Pafiha url apL Lun in Pajiha 1 7* The fourth fpecimen in the nineteenth plate is taken from a copy of the canons, made in the council of Calcedon, written by the order of Pope John VIII. by Ignat. Patr. C. P. between the years 872 and 878. *' sletius Archidiaconus Conjlantinopolis novae Romae legit. Sea et magna u univerfalis fynodus quae fc&m gratiam Dt et Janftwies piijfimorum i 44 \ XpianisJi morum q ue/Imperatorum Valentiniani et Martiam 44 Augujlo:* The fifth fpecimen in the fame plat?, is taken from St. Auguftin's expofi- tion of the Revelations, written by the command of St. Dunfian, when Abbot AL BEATiXsiMo qoni pnaxputn quilntmois ftm-ncViSi Insula, vpo SfSftiuiurnr Bejwpoel-ig un carisfcuus so. lffiAn f>104^ Virtu AD: E JE.i-f/ujfj/ar^S'S. / ?/ i^vzgdui -e^a/rat^ Sc&culus Tx.-et> x. mfc an no^Ti -?e3uc tfYeadbfr-U fl- I cn p op &q Rft "C xiuv^rr ( 6 InfOT-^a-tocirifYimo^uem e cJefgd i limn fjop^r f r u^x jjp; x j MH X fir fl ci^ ' e- enuf xr-chi cUu-conuf con.fr (P* 1 * mu.^nti uniuet-Talt, (ynojuf 1 quae (cclrn gt-».m diCfc fi-ncxioneT pufTitjiuv-utn^pTinif fimummque- itnpera-Wi*-um uu lerroma.ru etvnartm.Tn au^ufta CI- 0RA-T10 OOR-A^L OHO ETJ Incus ^pO|iis.uqwtni);tejnxni9iTir lnwHap opojiipufcup.abtncusnouum <|Uit-St^illlS SfpcttntD ejtommumm^ce jitopum plftirruStntT-olnpcunarum' Qu03 u|ip oS pecs Stone fi- ^supjiemcmflnXpT raeam#clamor meuf VII . ■jM?ese 'O11C0 DC .p.M'Z eb-1ifrtp!» cbl^lnthKf^trcpap^iaia^rniTirrc, Orca A D SSS. Tf.JlO. Chap. V. OF WRITING. Abbot of Glaftonbury, which was between the years 940 and 962. The following entry is in a contemporary hand. " Dun/Ian Abbas hunc hbellum Jcribere jujfit" " Et vidifupra dextram fe dent is in throno Ubrum fcrlptum intus et for is. Utrumq; teji amentum hit e liege, a for is vet us ab intus novum quod intra vetus latcbat ; fignaium inquit figillis feptem id cjl omnium myjicriorum p/enitudine objcuratum. £>uod ufq; ad pajjione et refurredlionem Xpi manjit fgnatum." The third and feventh fpecimens in the twentieth plate are alfo in mixed characters. The third fpecimen is taken from a MS. in the library of Cor- pus Chrifti College in Cambridge (N 17,) written in the tenth century, which contains a copy of the works of Martianus Capella of Carthage. De Connubiis Deorum. De Nuptiis. De Grammaticd. Dialediicd. Rhe- ioricd. Geometrid. Arithmeticd* AJlrologia. Mufica. * c At que in pfallcntem thalamis quern mat re camera. « Progenitum \>hibent copula facra deum.' 1 The feventh fpecimen in this plate, is taken from a copy of the Gofpels, in the fame library (S. 4.) and is written about the time of King Edward the Confeffor. Ego JElfricus fcripfi banc Ubrum in Mona- flerio Baththonio, et dedi Brithwoldo prepofto. Quifcripjit vivat in pace in hoc mundo et in futuro felo et qui legit legator in eternurn. The feventh fpecimen, in the nineteenth plate, is taken from a MS. in the Royal Library (5. F. 3.) intituled, Aldbelmi Shirburnenjis- Epifcopi, de Laude Virginitatis, liber Profaicus, ad Hildelitham Virginem y &c. Mr. Cafley is of opinion, that this MS. was written in the eighth cen- tury, but we do not fuppofe it to have been written till the ninth, the characters are rude and barbarous, and are very difficult to be read. Revere?itijimis Xpi virginibus omnique devotae germankatis affedlu venerandis ; et non folum corporalis pudicitiae praeconio Celebrandis quod piurimorTi eft, verum etiam fpiritaiis cafiimoniae gratia gkrifkandis quod paucorum efl. V z The ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Elegant r The elegant Saxon writing which took place in England Saxon, \ early in the tenth century,, and which laffced till the Norman conqueft, but was not in ti rely difufed till the middle of the twel th, is more beautiful than the writing in France, Italy, and Germany; during; the fame period. Several fpecimens of this kind of writing, are given in the twentieth plate, N cs 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10; and in the laft column of the twenty-firft. plate. N 8, in the nineteenth plate, is alfo of this kind. N° 2, in the twentieth plate, is taken from a fair book of Saxon Homi- lies in the Lambeth -Library, (\° 430) written in the tenth century. Kl. Novembris Nat ale omnium SanStorum. Halige lareowas r addon that feo geleajfulle gelathung th'ifne dag eallum halgu to wurthmynte mar fie £s? arwurthlice frecljie,. forn- than- the h'me mihton heora aelcum fynderlice freoh-tide. gefettan, nenanu. Which tranflated into modern Englifh is,. The holy Dotlors conjecture that the Congregation of the faithful celebrate this day, and folemnly obferve it as a feajl in honour of all the Saints,, becaufe they could not appoint afejlival to each of them feparately, nor to- none* N° 5, in the fame plate, is taken from the Homily of Elfric, Archbi- fhop of Canterbury, intituled, De fide, which, Mr. Wanley is of opinion,- was written in the year 960. That that la tor bit h, that hafth an gin and God nafth nan ang'm Nis nu fe Father ana thrynys o'&'Se fe funu thrynys, o'^ySf fe halga gafl thrynnys ; ac thas thry hadas fyndon an God, on anre Godcundnyffe, t bonne thu gehyrft nemnan thone Father, t bonne underjlentjl thu that he hafth funu ; eft t bonne thu cwyjl funu, thu waf abut on tweon that he hafth .... Which tranflated into modern Englifh is, That which is latef fin order of fuccejfion ) that hath beginning, and God hath no beginning. Now the Father alone is not the Tiinity, or the Son the Irinity, or the Holy Gho/l the Trinity. But thefe three Perfons are one God in one Godhead.. When thou hearefl fpeak of the Father, then underfandejl thou that he hath a Son. Again, when thou namejt the Son, thou knowell without doubt that he hath . . . &c. The- ^^ffiWEEK*MSS.-AJV ^AxGLIA EXARAT: a SjZC* X . at/ l $J2C XVI . WtM./iJ08. tuuict: die m&ukt- mdmAAdmeviu rtUituI; HrS0i)e».6R»S MittoJMilUJJt SCOT?. JL JL^uUejelaJiuJiJ jnpie ;>nj- eallu kiljil ropuni'ms'ijcrtiiff)>j-if")a^fu|i'Slicfj|iK'l p£ppjxmj>etaneniiliconlia>jiaaJaim quern iiiame camerlA yittagpmcum -pliiljenc '/>j<>. onunrie^ctocunt* n\Y|«--|joii]utge"hyp|"rnemnun|3onc pcebqv |'on unt>q\rTrnq-r jnt- Wichve^T yunu tpc tniMrff r-urfum- sepJi)aumcaun»ap«biMi- iW^mfj^m. Pnoh- ^phtji -jj-aiil Chana ruber r u,M "ll&wlejT- Suef. puna . iepj-ort "jcliatdi **|yucus Smpfi V>unc Vibvum irrmond/ fceno kt^ponio cS."cJedi fyibrpolooprepoliro^ tcrvpfiir uiuax irrpvce: inr>oc rnun&o <<.-,„ fircuro £tf -j Hag ivw i«» nVnK1 T PtTyt IW^flfl T tb,S.jp«&M mi matter of S^a|itNp»"l> R'^^W^^y/ •nor tic nuj'^itmo jalureni , lJ Y).\vfi\ 5?Mj.iui aWrfanW" kv^rarK; ^xettealkinme biflcco pefrj eallmme {Djifef .7 eallrmine fctjtjiqvaan .-j callr mute Se^ff jwncifct f ccnjUfce'.otv (>dm fcijtdn k Pilldm *r&inuitc Mode » ti i«Se Chap. V. OF WRITING. zo$ The fixth fpecimen, in the fame plate, is taken from a MS. in the Cot- tonian Library, (Claud. B. 4.) which was written in England a fhort time before the Conqueft. It contains extracts from the Pentateuch, and the book of Jofhua, in Saxon, and is dedicated by yElfric to iEthelward the Alderman. In this MS. are many drawings. Sot bike this Jynd yfrahela naman the in for on on Egypt a lande. He mid his Sunum. Se phrum cenneda, Ruben Rubenes /una, Enoh, . and Phallu and Charm. Simeones /una, Gamuel, and Dumin, and Achod, and fachi-n, and Sa'.er, and Saul Chananides funa, and Leuies Sues (ij funa Jerfo* and Chaath .... Which tranflated into modern En glim is, Verily thefe are the names of the Ijraelites that entered into the land of Egypt, he and his fans. The firf-born, Reuben ; the Jons of Reuben^ Enoch, and Phallu, and Ch rmi. The fons of Simeon, Gamuel, and Diamin, ana Ac hod, and fachim, and Saber, and S.ail fon of a Ca~ 7iaanitijl> woman s fon ; and the fons of Levi, Jerfon, and Chaath. N° 9, in this plate, is a fpecimen of. the charter of King Henry I. to the church of Canterbury. This charter is written in Latin and Saxon a upon the fame piece of parchment, in the centre of which, on the left fide, . the great feal of King Henry I. is appendent. H. thurh Godes genu lEnglelandes Kyning grete ealle mine Bifceopes? and ealle mine Eorles, and ealle mine Sciegereuan, and ealle mine Thegenas, Frencifce and /Englifce, on tham Sciran the WW elm Mrceb. and fe Hired at Xpes Circean on Cantwaraberig habbath hand inr.e freondlke* i. e. H. Dei gratia Anghrum rex faluto omnes meos Epifcobos, et omnes ?neo$ Comites,, et omnes meos Vice comites, et omnes meos thanos Francos et An- glos in if is comitat'bus qnibus IViiielmus A*ch'ep\ et conventus apud Chrifi Ecclefam in Cantuaria habent terras amicabiliter. N° 10, is a fpecimen of the charter of King Henry II. to the fame church, written alio in Latin and Saxon ; with the great feal appendent, in , the fame manner as the laft mentioned charter. Thefe two charters are in the Author's library. This fecond charter is made in favour of Archbimop (1) See Genefis, c. xlvi. y. 8, ji, Theobald, . no ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Theobald, and the Convent at Chrift Church. This charter is nearly in t-he fame words as the laft. The eighth and laft fpecimen in the nineteenth plate, may be claffed among the elegant Saxon writing, it is taken from Casdmon's Poetical Pa- raphrafe of the books of Genefis and Daniel, now preferved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, (Junius 1 1) and was written towards the end of the tenth century. This book formerly belonged to Archbifhop Ufher, who lent it to Mr. Somner, by whom it was made ufe of in his Saxon dictionary The Arch- bifhop gave it afterwards to Fr. Junius, who publifhed it without the draw- ings, at Amfterdam, 1655. About the year 1756, the drawings in this MS. were engraven by J. Green, but as this was done by private fubfcription, a few copies only were taken off. This fpecimen is to be read. " Vs 18 right micel thjet we rodera weard, wereda wuldor Cining 'nvordum herigen, modum lufiem. He is mcrgna fped, Heafod ealra heah gefceajta, Frea telmihtig Ntvs him fruma cefre, or-geworden ; ne nu ende cymth ecean Drihtnes fruma afre or-geworden; ne nu ende cymth ectan Drihtnes: ac he bit h a rice ofer beofen Jiolas, heagum thrymmum. Sothjafi and fwith ferom jwegl-bofmas heold." 1. e. It is very right for us that we the Ruler of the Jkies, the glorious King of armies, jhould extol with words, and love in our hearts. He is the pattern of excellence ; the fupreme head above all creatures ; the Lord Almighty ! Never was to him a beginning, being uncreated ; nor yet fhall an end ever come of the eternal Lord : but he Jl:all be for ever ruler throughout the manfions of Heaven with exalted majejly. Righteous and excedingly powerful, he occupieth the re- cedes of the fky, SsV. The twenty fir ft plate furnifhes our readers with a variety of fpecimen s of writing in England, from about the year 693, to the middle of the ele- venth century. Thefe fpecimens are deduced from inrollments of proceed- ings in the Saxon fynods, councils, ^lrena-^emotf or legiflative aflemblies, and from Placita, Chartae, Teftamentary difpofitions, and other authentic documents in the Author's library (1). (1) Except N° 2 in the firft column, which is taken from the Cottonian library, (Aug. 2.) und which feems to be a copy. We Chap V. OF WRITING. We recommend to our Readers to compare" thefe fpecimens attentively with thofe of the Anglo-Saxon writing in the preceding plates; fuch atten- tion will be ufeful to thofe, who wifti to be acquainted with the different modes of writing pradtifed by our remote ancestors, and will, in our opi- nion, be the beft method of enabling them to judge of their age and au- thenticity. For although thefe charters, and conveyances of property, are generally written in a more free and expeditious manner than the books written in the fame ages, yet a fimilarity of character is obfervable, be- tween charters, and books, written in the fame century, and they authenti- cate each other ; but it will be neceflary for the ftudent himfelf, to take fome pains in contemplating the different, forms of the characters, ufed in the documents which we have delineated for his information, or he will not be an adept in this fcience. This attention will affiil: him in judging of the age and authenticity of MSS, written on the Continent, as many of thefe hands were ufed in France and Germany, between the feventh and eleventh centuries,. Explanation of the twenty firft plate. ►J< In nomine dm di nojlri Jhu Xpi Ego Uihtredus Rex Cantuariorum • Fro ignorant ia Liter arum ►£< Signum fese cruris expreji, A. D. .dcxciii. Quapropter Ego Of fa caelica fulciente dementia Rex Me r riorum, Jimu/q; aliarum circumquaq; nationum Anno au\ Dominice Incarnationis' , dccxxx conferipta eji haec Donatio >$* Ego Ojf'a Dei dono Rex . . In nomine J/jTt Xpi- Ego Oyya Rex totius Angle) -urn patriae, daho ■ Anno Dominica Incarnationis, dcclxxihi. In nomine unigeniti filij Dei Ego Off A Rex Mer riorum-. Actum Anno Dominicae Incarnationis, dcclxxxv. In nomine Redemtoris Mundi. . Ego Coenuulf gratia Dei Rex Merciorum. Facia eji autem haec uWumque donatio Anno Dominicae Incarnationis, dccxcviiii. In Vicum Regio at Tome-Worthige [Tamworth.'} >£< In nomine fa falvatoris Dei et Dm mi Jhu Xpi. Ego Coenuulfus gratia Dei Rex Merciorum Actum, eft hoc Anno Dominicae Incarnationis, dcccxiiii. *h Anna era ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. >J-» Anno vera Dominicae Incarnation! dcccxxiiii. Indie n. Congre- gation eft Jj nodus in loco celebri uhi nominatur aet ClofeJJjoum. Regnante in perpetuum Dnd Do ro Sabaotb Anno Dominicae Incar- tiationis, bcccxlv. In nomine almotrino divlno Ego Elfred Rex cu confenfu et Ucentia atque confilio fapientum- Anno Dominice ab Incarnationh, dccclxxiii. Regnante in perpetuum Incarnaiionis Anno dcccciii Contigit quod ..ZEthelfrido Duel omncs bereditarij libri ignis vajlatione combujli purij^knt . In nomine See Trinitatis Ego Eadmundus Rex Anglorum-—— Atl a ejl haec prefata donatio Anno ab Incamatione Dm nn Jbu Xpi, dccccxliiii. Annuente Ego Eadgar totius Brittannia? Bafileus Anno Dril cat Uncarnationis, dcccclxiii. Script a ejl haec Carta. ASla ejl autem hac prajata emptio Anno Dominice Incarnationis^ •DCCCCLXXVIII. Hoc autem donum prerogative donationis Anno Dominicae Incarnaiionis, TXCCCCLXXXVI. =ul^ JEr helred primicenm^ et Bajileus gent is Anglorum c once do Script a ejl Anno Mill. Indicl. xv. AepacJe iv. Data Die v. ict. JuL Luna xxvn, Cnut Anglorum Rex venerabili Archiepo Aeljflano Script a ejl haec -Carfula mille decurjo, Anno xviri. A. D. mxviij. In nomine Dei Jummi Ego Cnut divina miht concedente dementia Rex Anglorum ABa ejl bee prefata donatio Anno ab.Incarnatione Dm Mi- lejimo xxx°v°. The laft column of the twenty firft plate is deduced from authentic do- cuments in the Saxon tongue, preferved in the Author's library, which are to be read as follows : ^ XF (Chrijlus) Jc Elfred Dux hatu writ an and cythan an thijfum gewrite Elfredc Regi and allum his JVeotum, and -Gsiveotan, and ecfwylee *» minum ElCE^ffJj^iM InU rum enlorum emJietfttm E.v brip i?i Bil'OT.. ifttc Jlrrn : ^jJnommedBtcirtiosxTutliuxpi Cjouihcnedua noccanmaaaowim — puoigiouccncux ba*Rccnumt 4r ftpo^cc^ei^ono jiOc ad 730. -pJmioTtirtie-iKuxpi — £go ofpajiijc roauratnWui p a •j- |jsJnowitie-utii5^mf -pin dT— ofpa^tw^vcio^-uw ■f^^ wA^cvlw,OKfiW()i.Mivio 656 fly? ^ -fife ctj con.f felt (tfjsKV c*« 4? am-^U©f -p^-tpittxitgp — ftp .&C5(WKCVS . <2inm<*-t,trccelo— §crvpot,.e: Anno cb iiT lndwxr.> v - ChuT .Sn^Lomm rex: ucnerocbili arcbi epoieltsi =A-NOr-Scnpcaeft baec GifTuk mi\Le decurfb.lnno^ tntiri concedenre. cUmencta-rW 3Lne tn-)ie-p^>ervttui?>-itoc -^xt tie aj}.s6o. ^qtifonjio (firoflunj liu<(l):Kflm lii[atif-ll«{iA!a ( 5euor ^ (craujufnne-. Vxecepji la Chap. V. OF WRITING. w m'mum megum and minum gefeorum tha men the ic mines Erfes and mines Boclondes. i. e. X F. 1 /Elf red the Duke have directed it to be notified in this deed to El- fred the King, and to all his Council, and alfo to my own kinfmen and bailiffs, to what perjons I bequeath the principal part of my real ejlate. 2. This is JEthelwyrdces Cwithe, mid gethahte Odan JErce-bifcopas and thas hioredas at Crifas Cirican. That is thonne that JEthelwyrd bruce thas landas (\) on Geocham, l. e. This is JEthelwyrd' s will, with the confent of Odo the ArchbiJJjop and the Convent at Chri/l-Church. That is, that JEthelwyrd Jhall enjoy the land at 3. ^ Eadgifu cyth tham Arch-bifc and Crijles Cyrcean hyrede hu hire "Land com at Culingon. That is that hire lafde hire Fader land and boc fwa he i. e. Eadgif declares to the Archbijhop. and to the Convent at Chrijl-Church, the manner in which the lands at Cowling came to her, ( to wit ) that her father left to her the land and charters as he (2) • 4. Gode JElmihtigum rixiende the rat and gewiffath, eallum gefceaftum thurh his agenne IVijdom, and he ealra cininga cynedom. 1. e. To God Jllmighty the King, who ruleth and governeth all creatures through his own wifdom, and he all kingdoms. 5 ►£< On Godes JElmihtiges naman. Ic ,/Ethestan JEtheling gefwuteligc on thyfum gewrite. hu Ic mine are* and mine ahta. geunnen habbe Gode to lofe and minre Saule to ( 1 ) Geocham his daeg on freodome. (2-) Mid righte beget, and his yldran lefdon. Ickham for his life with freedom. i. e. With right acquired them, and his anceftors left them to him. H4 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. i. e. In God Almighty's name> 1 ^Ethelstan the Prince, declare in this writ- ing, how I have difpofed of my Jubjlance and eflates, jor the praife of God, and the redemption, of my Soul ( 3), 6. Her is cn fio fwutetung hu ^lfhelm his are and his ahta geuadod hafth. for Gode and for Wur tilde. 'That is, thonne arefl his hlaforde an hand Mancofa Goldes, and twa Swurd, and feower Scyldas, and feower Sweru, and feower i. e. Here is, within, the declaration how JElfhelm hath difpofed of his goods and pojfejjions with refpeSl to God and as to the world: That is, imprimis, To his Lord an hundred mancufes of gold, and two fwords^ and four Jhields, and four fpears, and four 7. Her ge fwutelatb on thifn gewrite thatCtiuT Kyniglat that Land at Folkenjlane into i. c Here is declared in this writing that Cnuty King, granted that land at Folkeflom unto 8. ^ Her fwutelath on thifutn gewrite that Eadfi Arce-bifceop hafth ge- unnan Gode and Scs Augufline V JEcera landes butan reada gatan, and tha mada withutan Wiwer. 1. e* Here be it known by this writing r that Eadji, the Archbi/hop, hath granted to God and St. Augufiine v acres of land without Riding-Gate (in Canter bury ), and the meads without Wiwer ( Gate)* 9. Eadweard Cynge great ealle mine Bes and mine Eorlas and mine . . » 2. e. /, Edward the King, greet all my Bifhops, and my Earls, and my . , {3) The wilJ goes on» and my father King ^Ethelred's from whom I received it. O F Chap. V. OF WRITING, 115 OF WRITING in the Northern Parts of Scotland and in Ireland. TH E MSS. written in the northern parts of Scotland and in Ireland, are in characters fimilar to the Saxon, and therefore we lhall fpeak of them, before we treat of thofe which were written in Eng- land after the Norman conqueft. • We have already obferved that the Saxon, Trim, and other characters ufed by the weftern nations of Europe, were derived from the Roman. The literati of Scotland generally fubferibe to this opinion ; but as feveral writers on the antiquities and learning of the ancient Irifh have adopted dif- ferent fentiments, it may be neceffary to enter into a more full difcuffion of this fubjedt. We have (hewn, that the ancient Britons had no letters, till they borrowed the Roman alphabet from the Romans themfelves. The firft characters we find in Britain, as well on coins, as on ftone monu- ments (1), are Roman ; andthefe characters were extended over the ifland of Britain, as is proved by Mr. Whitaker, (vol. I. p. 371 & feqq.) who is of opinion, that from the more of Caledonia, they were in a fhort time wafted over into Ireland (2 ). The early hiftory of moll: nations abounds in fables, and it would be ex- traordinary if the annals of Ireland were free from them; but there are fo many abfurd and improbable tales reported, concerning the early popu- lation and civilization of that country, that the bare relation of them muft effectually deftroy their credit. A book called Leabhuir Drom- nafnachta, or Book with the white cover, hath been quoted to prove, that Cain*s three daughters took pofleffion of Ireland, and that the eldeit of thefe ladies, called Bamha, gave her name to that ifland. Dr. Parsons Ii*/a?u// fays, (3) that ifland was peopled about three hundred years after the flood. (1) Borlafe's Cornwall, chap. vi. p. 391, Scotland and thofe of Ireland, as it is but a on inferibed monuments, and Whitaker, few hours fail from Port Patrick to Carrick- yol. II. p. 331. fergus. (2) It is probable there was an early inter- (3) Remains of Japhet, p. 153. courfe between the ancient inhabitants of Q^. 2 According n6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. According to Doctor Keating the giant Rartholanus, who was de- fcended in a right line from Japhet, landed on the coafi: of Munfter the 14th day of May, in the year of the world 1978 (4). The fame learned Doctor, and likewife Mr. Toland, Dr. Parsons, and other modern au- thors relate, that Fen 1 us Farsaidh or Finiusa Farsa, great grandfon to Japhet, fet up a fchool in the plains of Senaar or Shinar, about 1 50 years after the deluge, and firft invented the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Irifh letters (5). The works of Keating and Parsons evince thar they had a large portion of faith ; but it is fingular, that Toland, who was fo exceedingly incredulous in many refpedts, and par- ticularly in his belief of revealed religion, mould profefs to believe thefe incredible ftories concerning the inhabitants of Ireland. Such of our readers as may wilh to know more relating to the traditions of Ireland, may find much entertainment in perufing the works of Mr. OFlaharty, Mr. O'Conner, and Mr. O'Halloran's Hiftory of Ire- land (6). This laft Author is fuperftitioufly devoted to the legendary tales of his country. His firft book commences with the fuppofed landing of Partholan about 278 years after the flood, and ends with the Mileliaa ex- pedition, about the year of the world 2736. He tells us that Britain was peopled from Ireland, and adopts all the fabulous opinions laid down by former writers. As to the antiquity of the Irinh MSS. Keating fays, that the pfalterof Tara was written in the reign of Ollamh Fodhla about 922 years before Chrift, which Prince was the feventh in defcent from Milefius, and Dr. Parsons endeavours to fupport this opinion. We have not been fo fortu- nate in our refearches, for we have not been able to difcover an Irifh MS. older than the tenth century (7). The (4) See Dr. Keating's Hiftory of Ireland, p. 13, 14. This Author relates, that tho' Partholan us fucceeded in his enterprife, the loofe behaviour of his wife rendered his do- nieftic life very unhappy, and provoked him to Inch a degree, that ! he killed her favourite greyhound. This, the learned Hiftorian afiures us, was the firft inftanceof female in- fidelity ever known in Ireland. (5) See Keating's Hiftory of Ireland, p. 59 to 64. Toland's Pofthumous Works, torn. 1. p. 38. See alfo Innes's EITay on the ancient inhabitants of Scotland, vol. II. p. 420, and more in the remains of Japhet by Dr. Parfons, p. 115. (6) Two vols. 4to. 1778. (7) Several alphabets have been engraven both in France and in Ireland of characters which 5 Chap. V. OF WRITING. i, 7 The learned and ingenious Colonel Vall ancey thinks, that the Iberians who migrated from the borders of the Euxine and Cafpian Seas, and fet- tled in Spain, learned letters and arts from the Phenicians ; that a colony of the ancient Spaniards, by the name of Scots or Scythians, fettled in Ire- land about a thoufand, or perhaps fix hundred years before Chrift, and that they brought elementary characters with them into Ireland. He obferves,. that the Irifh alphabet differs from that of all other nations, in name, or- der, number, and power, and fuppofes, that they might have received' their alphabet from the Carthaginians, who alfo fettled a colony in Ireland about fix hundred years before Chrift, and adds, that this opinion is the more to be credited, as the Irifh language appears to have a radical identity with the Punic (8). This Author hath lately publifhed a new edition of his Irifh grammar((>), to which is annexed a curious Eflay on the Celtic language. He (hews, that all the European languages are of Celtic origin, and he hatli given us a very learned account of the different dialects of the Celtic language ; namely, of the Welch, Cornifh, Armoric, and of the Irifh. This gen- tleman has eftablifhed many ufeful and important facts, relative to the po- pulation, and to the languages formerly fpoken in molt parts of Europe : but although the lberno-Celtic, or Irifh language hath in it many words which are of Punic original, this by no means proves that the Punic letters were carried immediately into Ireland, by the Milefians ; the Iberno- Celtic language was fpoken, long before it was written, and we cannot admit, that what he hath advanced, will induce the hiftorian, or the critic to al- • low, that the Milefians brought the Punic letters into Ireland. As the weftern parts of Europe were probably firft peopled by emigrators who had originally travelled from Pheniciaand the adjacent countries, it is obvious that thefe fettlers would bring eafiern manners and cuftoms with them, as many Authors have (hewn they did. The learned Mr. Borlase . (i) gives a particular chapter, concerning the refemblance which the ancient which are called Iri/h, but I confider them of (8) Vallancey's Iriih grammar, firft' edit,', no authority, as I never could difcover fuch p. 8. characters on any ancient document. (9) Dublin, 1782, 8vo. (1) Hift. Cornwall, chap, 6. p. 21..' Cimbri,. n8 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V Cimbri, or Celts, bore to the eaftern nations ; but though this inquiry may prove their eaftern defcent, it doth not pretend to prove that they had the ufe of letters. The rude ftate of the Britons was fuch, that they had no- ufe for letters ; befides we are told that the Briti/h Druids did not com- mit their precepts to writing, but impreffed them on the memory of their pupils. Mr. Borlase informs us (2) that the Phenicians came to this Hland for articles of commerce, more than 600 years before Chrift, but it doth not ap- pear that they taught the inhabitants the ufe of letters, indeed the contrary hath been {hewn by Mr. Whitaker and others; and adds* that they car- ried on their commerce with the Britains with the greateft fecrecy ; fo much fo, that a Phenician veflel, if purfued by a Roman, chofe to run upon a fhoal and fufTer mipwreck, rather than difcover the coaft, track or path, by which another nation might come in for a mare of fo beneficial a com- merce, and therefore it is to be prefumed, that their policy prevented them from inftructing the ancient inhabitants of Britain in the ufe of letters. An opinion daily gains credit among the learned, that arts and letters firfi took their rife in the northern parts of Afia, and that they were cul- tivated in thofe parts, long before they were pra&ifed in Phenicia or Egypt (3). Some travelled fouthwards, others ftaid behind, and thofe who afterwards emigrated from the eaft, were generally called Scythians, and fometimes Hvnns, who overlpread the northern parts of Europe. Many fettlements were made in Germany long before the Chriftian asra (4). The mod ancient Greeks comprehended two thirds of Europe, under •the name of Celto-Scyth^s : Veteres Gracorum fcnptores (fays Strabo, lib. 2) unlverfas gentes feptentrionales Scythas et Celto-Scythas appellaverunt. This Author fays in his firit, book, that the name of Celtiberians and Ce/to- Scythians^ were given to thofe people who lived towards the weftern parts of Europe ; his words are, Celt/e et Iberia cut mixto nomine Celtiberi ac Celio-Scythee appellati funt. It feems that the provinces of Europe, as well (2) Ibid. p. 28 and 30. cou's Hift. of the ancient Germans, and by (3) See Buffbn's Natural Hift. Strahlen- Mr. Gibbon in his Hiftory of the decline and berg's travels. Mr. Wife has introduced fe- fall of the Roman Empire, vol. ii. p. 561, vcral fa£ts which favour this opinion. 577, 582, and vol. iii. p. 160. (4J This is abundantly proved by Maf- 4 towards Chap. V. OF WRITING. u 9 towards the weft as the north, were full of Celtae ; for Ephorits, who lived before the reign of Alexander the Great, fajs, Celtica was of a pro- digious extent. It feems probable, that the interior parts of Europe were immediately peopled from the northern parts of Afia ; and the maritime parts from Phenicia, and the fouthern and weftern parts of that quarter of the globe. If this be fo, it is- not furprizing that fome eaftem cuftoms prevailed in Great Britain and in Ireland, and that many Celtic words are ftiil pre- ferved both in the Irifh and in the Welfh languages ; in truth it would ' be extraordinary if it was otherwife. In order to difcover what real pretentions the Irifh have to the early life of letters, for which they fo fervently contend, it is neceflary to examine their Stone Monuments, their Coins, their MSS. and to apply to the Historians of that country. There are great numbers of pillars and monuments* of ftone in Ire- land, as well rude, as wrought with various knots, figures and devices, and fome ofthefe latter fort,. are evidently of Pagan antiquity. There are alfo a great number of inferibed monuments of ftone ; but the letters upon the moft ancient of them, are apparently of Roman, and Romnn- Britiih original ; and none of thefe inferibed monuments are fo ancient, as to prove that the Irifh were poffefted of Letters before the Romans had intercourfe with the Britons (5) ; though they prove that they had Letters before the arrival of St. Patrick in that kingdom, . which Mr. Whitaker, with great probability of truth, fays, were wafted over from 1 the Caledonians, who ufed the Roman Letters. The learned and induf- trious Sir James Ware, who was the Camden of his age and. nation „ fays, that the Irifh Alphabet was borrowed from the Britifh, and that the Saxon characters were nearly the fame as the Irifh ; and adds, that Mr. Camden inclined to this opinion (6). With refpect to the ancient Coins of the Irifh, the fame learned an- tiquary, Sir James Ware (7), mentions feveral fabulous accounts of (5) See my tw©v volumes of drawings of edit. Harris, vol. ii. p. 127. 135. 143, 144, Antiquities in Great Britain and Ireland; (6) Ibid. p. 18, x and Sir J. Ware's Antiquities of Irelaad, (7) Ibid, p. 204, ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. mints, for coinage of money amongft the Irifh, before the Chriftian sera, which he reprobates ; and adds, " Thefe notions feem to have been * 4 taken up from a fondnefs to which the Irifh have been much ad- 44 dieted, -of {training facts out of Etymologies ;" and obferves, 44 that it "would be more to the purpofe to (hew fome -fpecimens of the coins of 44 this early mintage, which yet hath never been done, or attempted to " be done, at leaft with any degree of certainty." He then proves, from the Annals of Ulfter, 44 that when gold and filver were paid and given 44 upon different occafions, fo late as the 12th century, it was reckoned 44 by weight ; and that it did not appear whether it was coined or « not." There are no Irifh coins, inferibed with letters, till long after this time, except the coins ftruck by fome of our Saxon Kings, who made incurfions into that country, and ftruck money there in the Saxon man- ner (8), Hence it appears, that the Trim have neither written monuments, nor coins, to prove their pretenfions to the ufe of letters at fo early a period as they contend for. The tables of Wood, upon which they are laid to have written, -no author of any authority ever pretended to have feen. But the evidence which we might have expected to have derived from antient manufcripts is defective indeed ; for the oldeft Irifh manufcript which we have difcovered is the Pfalter of Cafhel, written in the latter end of the tenth century (o). We mult have further recourfe to the teftimony of Hiftomns, con- cerning the ufe of letters amongft the antient Irifh. The laft mentioned author obferves, that the antient hiftory of Ireland is involved in fables ; and he adduces ftrong arguments to prove, that Ireland was firft peopled from Britain ; but the Irifh writers lay great ftrefs upon the authority of a book called Lecane (i) a MS. not 360 years old ; a mifcellaneous col- (8) My friend Mr. Duane informs me, (9) Ware's Antiq. of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 64. that he hath feen coins ftruck in Ireland by (1) This MS. Mr. E.. Lhuyd (in his Anlaf King of Northumberland, Cythric Arch;cologia, p.. 435) fays, was in his time and Ethehed. in the library of Trinity College, in Dub- lin, Chap. V. OF WRITING. in collection which abounds fo greatly in fables and abfurdities, that an in- telligent reader would as foon believe any of the tales related in that colleo iin, (D. 19.) and as great ftrefs has been laid upon it, by the advocates for the fabulous hiftories of Ireland, our curious readers may vvifh to fee its contents, which are as follow: 1. A Treatife of Ireland, and its divifion in- to provinces, with the hiftory of the Irifh Kings and Sovereigns, anfwerable to the ge- neral hiftory ; but nine leaves are wanting, p. 10. — 2. How the race of Milefius came into Ireland, and of their adventures, fince Moles's paffing through the Red Sea, 1 1. — 3. Of the dcfcent and years of the Ancient Fathers, 13. — 4. A catalogue of the Kings of Ireland in verfe, 41. — 5. The maternal genealogies and degrees of the Irifh Saints, 43. — 6. The genealogies of our Lady, Jo- leph, and feveral other Saints mentioned in fcripture, 44. — 7. An alphabetical catalogue of Irifh Saints, 56. — 8. The facred anti- quity of the Irifh Saints in verfe, 58. — 9. Cormac's life, 59.' — 10. Several tranfac- tions of the Monarchs of Ireland, and their provincial Kings, 60. — 11. The hiftory of Eogain Mor Knight, as alfo of his children and pofterity, 62. — 12. O'NeiPs pedigree, 64. — 13. Several battles of the Scept of Ci- net Ogen, or tribe of Owen, from Owen Mac Neil Mac Donnoch, 67. — 14. Manne the fon of King Neal, of the Nine Hoftages and his family, 69. — 15. Fiacha, the fon of Mac Neil, and his fcept, ib.— 16. Loega- rius, fon of Nelus Magnus, and his tribe, 71. — 17. The. Connaught book, 72. — 18. The book of Fiatrach, 78. — 19. The book of Uriel, 86. — 20. The Leinfter book, 93. — 2.x. The defcent of the Fochards or the Nolans, 105. — 22. The defcent of thofe of Leix, or the O'Mores, 106, — 23. The de- fcent of Decyes of Munfter, or the Ophe- lans, 109. — 24. The coming of Mufcrey to Moybreagh ; and of thofe of Mufcretire, 112. — 25. A commentary on the antiquity of Albany, now called Scotland, 1 18. — 26. The defcents of fome Scepts of the Irifh, differ- ent from thofe of the moft known forts, that is, of the pofterity of Lugad Firth, 1 19. — 27. The Ulfter book, 123. — 28. The Brittifh book, 148. — 29. The Uracept, or a book for the education of youth, written by K. Comfoilus Sapiens, 151. — 30. The ge- nealogies of St. Patrick, and other Saints , as alfo an etymology of the hard words in the fame treatife, 163.— 31. A treatife of fe- veral prophecies, 166. — 32. The laws, cuf- toms, exploits, and tributes of the Irifh Kings and Provincials, 184. — 33. The treatife of Eva and the famous women of ancient times, 839. — 34. A Poem that treats of Adam and his pofterity, 198. — 35. The Munfter book, 203. — 36. A book contain- ing the etymology of all the names of the cheif territories and notable places in Ireland, 231. — 37. Of the feveral invafions of Clan Partholan, Clannanvies, Fir. bolg. Tuatha de Danaan, and the Milefians into this land of Ireland, 264. — 38. A treatife of the moft confiderable men of Ireland, fince the time of the Miietians, to the time of Dathi Mat Fiachrack King of Ireland, 286. — 39. The reigns of the Kings of Ireland from the time of Leogarius, the fon of Nelus Magnus, alias Neale of the nine hoftages, to the time of Roderick O'Connor, Monarch of Ire- land, 306. Bifhop Nicolfon fays, that this book was not in the Dublin library in his time, and adds, that Dr. Raymond allured him, that it was lodged at Paris, by Sir John Fitzgerald in the reign of King James II. See Nicolfon's Hiftorical Library, part iii. p. 18 and 56. R tion, I 22 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. tion, as the one fo much inlifled on by the Irifh, namely, that the Mile- fian Colony taught the ufe of letters in Ireland many centuries before the Chriftian aera. Mr. Innes, in his Effay on the Antiquities of Scotland and Ireland, and Mr. James Macpherson, in the third edition of his Intro- duction to the Hiftory of Great Britain and Ireland, produce in con terrible evidence to invalidate the reports of the Irifh. Thefe authors contend, that Ireland was firfr. peopled from Britain ; that the former nation was fo far from being the feat of polite learning for many ages before the neighbouring nations, or even Greece itfelf, had emerged from ignorance, as hath been pretended, that they were generally deemed by the moll: re- fpeclable writers of antiquity, to have been lefs civilized than any of their neighbours. That the manners of the old Irifh were inconfiftent with the knowledge of letters ; that the Ogum was a fpecies of Stenography* or writing in Cypher ; and thefe authors conclude, with decifive proofs againff. the pretended literature of the antient Irifh. They invalidate the accounts of the emigration of the Milefian Colony, and difpute their pre- tended extraction from any of the nations of Scandinavia. Great ftrefs. hath been laid, as appears above, by the advocates for the antiquity of letters amongfr the Irifh, that their alphabet differs from all others in name, order, number, and power. Thefe arguments were adopted by thofe who contended for the antiquity of the Runic letters, which have been confuted. Mr. Innes, in his eflay above quoted, p. 446. delivers it as his opinion, that the Beth Louis Nion, or Alphabet of the Irifh, was nothing but an invention of the Irifh Seanachies, who, fince they received the ufe of Letters, put the Latin Alphabet into a new arbitrary order, and affigned to each letter a name of fome Tree ; and that this was not a ge- nuine alphabet of the Irifh in ancient times, or peculiar to them ; but was a bare inverfion of the Latin alphabet. Colonel Vallencey (1) gives three different alphabets of the Irifh lan- guage, which vary from each other in name, order, and number ; the firfl confifts of twenty-five letters, the fecond of twenty- fix, and the laffc of feventeen. As for the Irifh letters being different in power from thofe of other nations, it mufl be obferved, that the powers of letters differ in (0 Irifh Grammar, p. 9, 10. & 28. every Chap. V. OF WRITING. 123 every language, and the mode of pronouncing the fame letters is various in different countries : the Irifh Characters are faid to be of Afiatic original — granted — But they appear to have been tn.nfmitted to the inhabitants of that country from thole who had adopted the Roman letters. We have given decifive proofs of this fad, from feveral Irlfh MSS. which are engraven in the twenty-fecond plate. It is fingular, but it is no lefs true, that the Norman characters were generally ufed in England from the coming of William the Firft, and that the Saxon characters were intirely difufed in the very beginning of the twelfth century ; but the Irifh and Scots preferved the ancient forms of their characters till the end of the fixteenth century (2). The Gaelic^ or Erfe language, ufed in the Highlands of Scotland, and the Iberno Gaelic, are nearly the fame, and their letters are iimilar to each other, as appears by comparing the different fpecimens in the twenty- fecond plate (3). In the firft column of this plate, are fpecimens of eight different MSS. written in the Gaelic or Erfe tongue, which is confeffedly a dialect of the Celtic, Thefe MSS. are now in my library, by the favour of fome friends, who procured them from the Highlands of Scotland (4). The firft and moft ancient fpecimen of the Gaelic or Erfe language which I have feen, is taken from a fragment of a work, intituled, Eman- nuel, which, from the forms of the letters, and from the nature of the vellum, may be as old as the ninth or tenth century. The reading is, N° 1. Nirfatimini curio annjo. Iriafin don inntimmairece urgaile ro fas iccrkchaibh tin Haffraici muinntiraibh nairigh aadna IS amhlaidh (2) The Englifh Monks ufed corrupted' foreign Ecclefiaftic, who was refident in Ire- Saxon Chara&ers till the fifteenth century ; land, in the latter end of the ninth, or in but they are fo deformed that they have verv the beginning of the tenth century. little refemblance to their prototypes ; as will (4) N° 2. 7. 8. of thefe fpecimens relate to appear under the head of modern Gothic the affairs of Ireland, and may have been Writing. written there, or transcribed from fome more (3) N* 10, in this plate is in different ancient copies, characters, and was probably written by fome R 2 laramht i2 4 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V, iaramh tar la fin. i. alrlgh duairrighaibh nocu'tr cehs buadha agus leigion, &c. Tranflation. Obferve thu, or" Nota bene. Such difjentions grew ttf between the nobles of Africa as had not happened before this time, i. e. a certain noble of power and of learning who had often been victorious, &c. The feconcl fpecimen is taken from a MS. on vellum, in fmall quarto* containing Annals of Ireland, and of fome of the Northern parts of Scotland, genealogies of Scotch and Irifh families, with relations of achievements performed by their anceftors. This MS. feems to have been written in the thirteenth century. It is to be read. Ri ro gab a/lair righi for Kir inn featl nail/ iodhain Eochaid feidlech mac Finn mac Roigeain ruaigh, mac Eafamhain eamhna do fil ri faith fquit on tur neam ruaigh a lie or us do fil R faith fquit gach gaibhail do gabh Eirinn ach ceafair na ma. Is air at bearta Eochaidh feidhleach each he. i. innraic la each in ri sin. Tranflation, There was formerly a King who reigned over Ireland, viz. Eochy Feileach, fon of Finn, fon of Roigh ruaigh, f on of Eafaman Eamna of the feed of Rifaith Scuit, from the Tower of Nimrod ; for Ireland was never conquered but by the Seed of Rifaith Scuit, except by Keafa>\ He was named Eochy Feileach, for his generofty, honefly, and faith- fulnefs, and was beloved by all. N° 3. is taken from a moral or religious tract, which feems to have been written in the thirteenth century, and is to be read A Thighearna cred he fud urt. Is i Jud do phianfa agus plan i marbhaidh dom hie afumhla ur in taifgeul. Gidh be Chap. V, OF WRITING. be do ni gold beg no mor aca nach inan pian doibh ach aft fud is dig halt us do luchd bheireas ni a haitibh coijearca ogus cohairidhe in luchd . . . . Tranflation. 'Lord what is that from thee. That is the punifoment appointed by thee, even the punijhment of death to the dijobedient children of the Gofpel. Whoever of them fhall feal hfs or more fhall not be fubjetied to the fame pains ; but that is the vengeance appointed for fuch as /kail flea I any thing out of confecrated places, and efpecially thoje .... N° 4 is taken from a treatifeon Grammar, written in the Gaelic or Erfe tongue in the latter end of the fifteenth century ; and is to be read, Deinimh deineamh fear deanuimh deinimh beas denta dhamh ni dhuit aca uile as fear deanta neith me doibr cu as fear denaimh agus deanmha on denamh as fear deanmha on deineamh as fear deinimh agus deinmhe on deineamh as fear deinmhe on deinimh anuair at a taoibhreim gan chafadh aca mion eadrum. Tranflation. Deanamh, deineamh, mafculine : deainimh, feminine. As denta dhamh ni dhuit, (i. e. made for you y not for me) is common. As fear deanta neith me, (i.e. I am a working man). As fear denaimh 7 deanmha, came from denam, to do, to make, to work. So deinmhe from deainim, when the genitive cafe makes no alteration. N° 5 is taken from a fair MS. on paper, written in the latter end of the fourteenth, or in the beginning of the fifteenth century, the initial letters of which are much ornamented. The fpecimen is to be read : Foghal foghail ort a tuag foghal agus ag foghail an baile, C. pearfana oibridh gan do nith iad uile foghal foghail faghal faghail, fealg feilg, uaim ed raineis eirghe in meirghe teas bhail liamhuin coimhling deithfir athchuinghidh oirbeart oirbheairt ob bron dionim, Tranflation. ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Tranflation . Foghail, plunder ; foghail ort, thou art plundered ; atu ag fog- hall, (is here written for ata tu ag foghallj thou art plundering^ and robbing the town, are the frflferfons acl he without d (5). N° 6, is taken from a MS. containing fome poems in the Gaelic or Erfe tongue, written in the fifteenth century. This fpecimen is to be read, • orM»cMuir- Qathal Mac Muirnuigh * cec'mit (6). Do ijlich onoir Gaoidheal, t sgaoikann. Snaidhm a raith do rofgaoil, f Seol an arduighthe ar n dol diobh, Ambun laghduighthe alain ghniomh. Thug an eighnamh ceim argoul, Ortha do fhill a bhfortun, Crioch araith am abhrath bheas ; Do chaitb a rath a reimheas. Do chlaochlo a los a leagtha X Anuais Cadbus Uird annas t leachta ; y Nach. j$ ac \ \feas liaidh chabhartha a geneadh, An diaidh an orcra anminead. Tranflation. Cathal (Charles J Mac Muirunigh fung. The honour (renown) & the Gael is lowered, vf/ § Knot of their f fo; r p ro tec~lors & are difberfed wide, profpenty is (111- 1 « "A* J 7 foived. cf/ je me thod (means) of raifing themf elves has failed them Their chief (flock) of renowned actions is diminijlied. Their wifdom has fflepped back) retired t Fortune has turned upon them, «* End. cfh e fpecial confequence ** of our dark (black) morals ; Their pro/per ity has fpent (run out) its period. (5) There appears a ftrange confufion of nold, the land was taken from their reprelen- perfons in this fpecimen. tative. They wrote in the language and cha- (6) A family of Mac Munich's were bards rafter of our original : whether one of them to the family of Clanranold for centuries was the author of it, it is hard to fay. back, till upon the death of the late Clanra^ 4 The Chap. V OF WRITING. 127 The priviledge of the order of their nobility -H-, tt Nobles. Was changed with the defgn of throwing it down ; W ill not relieving Phyjicians examine their wounds After their fudden deflrufiion tj. ?ii? rBr:ef ° F N° 7 is taken from a MS. containing fome memoranda relative to the affairs of Ireland and Scotland, written iifthe fifteenth century ; and is to be read, As fo drong dona hug dairibh ro choimhed feanchas na h eirann theachd mhac Milidhe innte gus an aimfrfe Eimhirigh in gluingheal mac Milidhe as ba e Athuirne Ailgeafach Seancha Mac Oille Alia Ceannfaoladh Mac Oille Alia Neidhe Mac Aghna Feircheirtne fie Fitheal fiorghaoth Flaithri Mac Fithil Ciothruadh Mac Firchogaidh Roighne Rofgudhach Laidhchenn Mac boirchedha Torna. Tranflation. Thefe are fome of the authors' by whom the hi/lory of Ireland was recorded from the coming of Milefius^s fon into it till the prefent time. Eimhirg the white kneed, fon of Milefius who was called Athuirne Ailgeafach Seancha the fon of Oile Alia Ceannfaoladh the fon of Oile Alia Neidhe the fon of Agna Feirchtirtne file Fitheal fiorghaoth- Flaithri the fon of Fitheal Ciothruadh the fon of Firchogaidb Roighne 123 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Roighne Rofghudhach Lach/ane the Jon of Borckedha "Forna. N° 8 is taken from a MS. containing annals of Ireland and Scotland ; the reading is, Anno Mundi,^ Do ghabh Nuadhad fonnfail mac gealhhofa 3304. \ do Jhiol Eiremhoin Righe Eirenn 60 bliaghuin J no fche bliaguin gur thuit le Breifrig Mac ArU Tranflation. In the year of thei Nuadhad fonn fail the fon of Gealcbofa of the race of world, 3304. J Herimon, enjoyed the kingdom of Ireland 60 years or 20 years', he fell by Breifri the fon of Art. N° 9 is an alphabet collected fr-om the ipecimen, N 3 5 ; the abbrevia- tions at the end are, ao, ei, fr, quam quod, qui, ft. The tenth fpecimen in this plate is taken from a MS. in the library of Corpus Chrifti College in Cambridge, {O. 20 ) which contains a copy of a collection of Canons made in a fynod of three Bifhops, namely, Patricius, Auxilius, and Isserninus, for the ufe of the Irifh. Thefe Canons feem to have been tranferibed about the tenth century, by fome Roman ecclefiaftic who was refident in Ireland, becaufe the title is in Uncials, and the laft line, is in the mixed characters of that age, of which we have fpoken above. The reft of thefe Canons are written in the fame characters as the laft line of this fpecimen. Gratias Agimus Do Patri, et Filio et Spui Sco Pre/biter is et Diaconib et omni Clero. Patricius, Auxilius, Isserninus, Epifcopi fa/utem. Sati'i nobis negligentes. The eleventh fpecimen in this plate is taken from a MS. in the Bodleian library, (Laud. F. 95, fol. 75.) which is to be read, Hibernia infula, inter duos filios principales militis, id efl Herimon & Eber in Juas partes divifa eft. Eber hie aufralem partem Hibernice accepit. Herimon 1 quidem N- 'ili/ar MS'S. ScoTOxrM /t />////C If,' ' X Immtljlfclurjjtia ciiaiii^neamTi.p.xjfimTlh^iiimi-arXjencu me &fpiah xtetxqiii ajitpofmira cniwn ^ ' ; fli 9m| rm f i j ■""•MET ■wwpir Jn^u.y».uli 1 ^rfww T1AS pC^ "Cob <7T]^ TOI TTT»tTTKTdTTO?''mitH-vTT<^K»t 7 ^ TTttll libevintiWliliiTrTnuTp piifR#fl>aifiinicitW|if'Muccepir1ieTiim(>i) 1, sjo e»6WM ««^.^ pon.fs'S ItWC : b])lm • Wine iy^-lnie.iUF Aft, rn (ttfJAnbrn- Chap. V. OF WRITING. 129 quidem Septentrionalem partem cum Monarcia accepit, Herimon hie primus de Scott Is omnem Hiberniam regnavit (^S. The following account of this MS. is parted within the cover. "Oxford, Auguft 9, 1673. This book is a copy of the greater part of the book of St. Machuda of Rath, in c. Lifmore, and the chronicle of Congn, wherein is contained many divine things, and the moll: part of the antiquities of the antienteft houfes in Ireland ; a catalogue of their Kings ; of the coming of the Romans into England ; of the coming of the Saxons, and of their lives and reigns ; a notable calendar of the Irifh Saints, compofed in verfe, eight hundred years ago, with the Saints of the Roman Breviary until that time ; a catalogue of the Popes of Rome; how the Irifh and Englifh were con- verted to the Catholic Faith : with many other things, as the reader may find out, to underftanding what they contain, let him re member TULLY CONRY." The twelfth fpecimen is taken from a MS. in my library, containing two Treatifes, the one on Aftronomy, the other on the Art of Medicine, written in the latter end of the thirteenth, or in the beginning of the four- teenth century, which is to be read ; Si autem fol minor is ejfet candidal is, &c. iodhain, Dam badh lugha taindegheachd na greine na na tahnhuinn gach uileni . . . dofulaingidh a Dub bra . . . leo da thigemadhas ann oir da bith fcaile na talmhuinn ag Jir fhas air meid agus air leadas on talamh amach go fpeir na n ard riunnacadh do a dhorchaidh fe a chuid budh mho aca agus do thigcmhadh eclip. Tranflation. If the light of the fun was lefs than the earth, every thing would be covered with its JJjade ; as it would proceed northward, the Jhadow of the earth would be fill increafmg in fize and breadth from the earth forward to the firmament of the fixed Jars, and would darken the mof of them, and there would be an eclipfe. (l) Mr. OTIalloran above quoted, gives a Heberand Herimon, which, as he fays, diftracl- full account of the conquers and quarrels of ed their pollerity for 30 centuries afterwards. s The ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. The figure defcribed. In the middle of the figure is terra, towards the lower part is fol ; be- twixt terra and fol is, folus na greine, ( the light of the fun.) To the right hand of which is, Scaih na talmuinn dubh ann fna reulana, ( the Jhadow of the earth black among the fiars ) ; and to the left is, Speir na greine ( the firmament, or orbit of the fun.) Within the outer circle, towards the right hand is Speir na nard riunnaga daingin, ( the firmament of the fixt fiars J ; and on the left is, Na h ard r'mnaca air nan dorchadh o fcaih na talman, ft he fixt fiars darkened by the Jhadow of the earth ). By the Latin text at the head of each chapter, the Agronomical Treatife appears to be a tranflation ; yet by the argument, it mould feem that the writer was the Author, becaufe the words " As I have often faid" frequently occur ; yet it may be partly a tranflation, and partly original. The titles of the chapters are in Latin, and the greateft part of the work is in Irifh. Many Latin words feem to have been tranferibed from fome very ancient Latin MS. for I find C S ufed inftead of X, as macfimum for maximum ; c is generally ufed inftead of q, as catuor for quatuor, aca for aqua, acarius for aquarius, &c. ; d is written inftead of /, as ficud for ficut. The name of the Writer or Author of this treatife, Donncha O'Connill, is written at the end in corrupted Roman Capitals. The medicinal treatife was written by Mafter Petrius Mufantini, or Mu- fartini, and begins, ^uoniam in arte medicinali plura inveniunt, vocabla obfeura fignificationis. The thirteenth fpecimen is taken from a MS. in the Harleian library, (N° 5280) which contains feveral treatifes, of which the following ac- count is given in a memoir prefixed to the volume. " This MS. is a copy, as appears both by the note in fol. 65. and at the bottom, wherein the tranferiber gives his own name, viz. Gillo Tran- colourd, fon of Tuathall, fon of Teig, nicknamed the Crooked O'Clery, and the contents, moft of which are contained in other books that are much older, but the language is all of the old ftamp, and not eafily now to bemafter'd. It formerly belonged to Cassarlic Mac Naoisi, for fo it is fetdown in the margents of folio 9, b. and folio 65, b. which at Chap. V. OF WRITING. at firft view, made me imagine it was written before the beginning of the eleventh century, at which time furnames came firft to be generally ufed in Ireland, Mac Naoiji being none, and confequently added, as it feemed, by way of diftindYion to the proper name Cassarlic, as in like cafes the cuftom was before. The book does not run much upon any one fubject in the whole, but a rhapfody or variety of fmall tracts, fome romantic, fome hiftorical, and fome mixed of both ; fome moral, and fome that feem to be purely le- gendary, as intirely depending upon the faith and veracity of the Authors of them. The i ft treatife extends to folio 9, b. it contains feven months failing in the ocean, about the year of our Lord 700, and the wonderful iflands and things there feen during that courfe by the adventurers, whereof Maol- duing, defcended of the Eugenian Sept, was the chief leader, who feems to have been a Monk, of the order inftituted by ColumCill, for manufcripts quoted by Colgane and others appropriate the laid difcovery and expedition to fome of the followers of that Saint. The 2d is tcclefiaftical, handles the books of the Old Teftament, and efpecially that part of the book of Kings, which relates to the Royal Pro- phet ; wherein the Nabla and other mufical inftruments ufed in church fervice are defcribed. This tract takes up three intire leaves, that is, from the end cf the former to folio 15. The 3d is hiftorical, relating to Guary, fon of Colman, Prince or Governor of the province of Connaught, who flourished about the begin- ning of the feven th century, and was a very pious man, as appears by the paffages here related of him. It takes up two leaves, and ends at folio 1 7. The 4th is hiftorical, and takes in many occurrences of the administra- tion of Canchobhar, Prince of Ulfter, who lived before the birth of our Saviour. It has the defcription of the prime feat of that province, called Eamiun Macha, and the exercifes and functions of the Pugiles or great Combatants in thole parts, at that time. It ends at fol. 26, a. The 5th is eccleiiaftical, relating to the difcipline and canons of the Swtican or Irifh church. Ends in fol. 29, a. The 6th is moral, and contains the pious admonitions and remarks of Colman, the fon of Beogna, a religious and holy man. S 2 The %3% ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. The 7th is prophetical, and relates to fome particular monafteries and churches of Ireland, there named. It is the work of Beg, fon of Delth, to which is annexed a prophecy of the pious Furs a (whereof Venerable Bede gives an account) of the fame kind, and after this a moral poem of the Abbot Adamnan, oneof the fucceflbrs of Colum Cill, in the mo- naftery of Ity, with whom the faid Bede hath converfed, as appears in his 3d book, Hilt. Eccl. &c. Thefe pieces ftretch out to part of the faid page, fol. 32. The 8th is an old poem, containing the names of many of the Iriih. Saints. The 9th is a moral treatife, part profe and part in metre, extending- to fol. 34, a. The reft of that page is concerning theUltonian Pugiles afore- faid. The following page contains an hiftorical poem of fome tranfa&ions of the reign of Aed Si.aine, King of Ireland, in the eighth century, or thereabouts. The 10th is a prophecy, foretelling a great calamity in Ireland. It is couched by way of dialogue, between Bricin t , or as he is commonly called Barachan, aholyman, and an angeL It ends in fol. 38, a. The nth is hiftorical, it relates to Dalmbuain and Dalcuerb, two great families of the province of Ulfterin thofe days ; to which is annexed, part of the amours and courtfhip of Bais Bandruad, daughter of Uchta Crummaoil and Fachtna Farrahach, fol. 38, b. The 1 2th gives an account of the Irifh militia, under Fionn Mac Cum- hail, in the reign of Cormac Mac Airt, King of Ireland, and what courfe of probation or exercife each foldier was to go through before his admiflion therein, fol. 39, a. Hereunto is added, an account of the fix moft famous places for hofpitality of Ireland in the times of yore, being in the nature of inns, wherein free entertainment was given at the charges of the public, fol, 39, b. Alfo another hiftorical poem of the {laughter of three Princes, each of them bearing the fame name of baptifm, viz. Aed Slaine, King of Ireland, Aed nicknamed the Yellow King of Imany, and Aed Ron, King of Italy, perpetrated by another Aed, fofter brother to Connall Gutbing, a Prince of the Cohatian Sept, and in different places all in one day, 39, b ; here is a label or fmall piece inferted, which contains an ac- count of Ni all, of the nine hoftages, King of Ireland, and his eight funs. The Chap. V. OF WRITING. r 3I The 13th is hiftarical, giving a paflage of one Macdatho,. a rich inmate and fportfman of Lynfter, who bred and reared up a greyhound, which' became fo famous for beauty, ftrength, and fwiftnefs, that it outdid the reft of that kind in the ifland, whence it was fought for at any price by the Princes, fo that at one time meffengers both of Olil and Meibhe his. confort, Prince of Connaught, and Conchobbar, King of Ulfter, hap- pened to meet at faid Mac Dathos houfe for the fame purpofe, and this affair has occafioned a great mifunderftanding between the faid Princes.. The 14th is called the concern, or grief of Ulfter ; the fubject is a per- tain woman called Macha, wife to Crummhic Agnoiv, which being extolled, by her faid hufband, at a public meeting of Ulfter, in diminution of two choice courfers of Conchobhar, Prince thereof, upon their carrying, a prize fet from all the horfes there at that time, as if the faid Macij a could outrun them ; hereupon the man was feized in order to be punifhed if he did not make good his words, to redeem whom his wife was fent for ; the woman offered feveral excufes to avoid the match, and amongft the reft, that me was then quick with child ; but the hulband's liberty being not other^ wife to be had, me entered the lifts at laft, and got the better of the fteeds, but from the violence of the action and pains following, Ihe imme- diately mifcarried, and died in a few hours, leaving her curfe to the faid Prince and province for ever, which is faid to have ftuck clofe by both^ and to have brought heavy judgments upon them, whence the reafon of the title aforefaid, viz. The concern or grief of Ulfter, it ends folio 43, a- The reft of the page has an account of Con a ire, King of Ireland, and his long reign of 77 years, wherein fome Irim writers place the birth of . our Saviour. The 15th is hiftorical, and comprehends the circuit of Ireland, made, by Athrinne, fqn of Fortchfrne, a famous poet, who flourifhed be- fore the birth of Chrift ; part of his poems and others of the fame date being here recited, it takes in fome of the atchievements of the Ultonian pugiles or combatants mentioned, above. The 1 6th is a romance, the main fubject being the taking and lacking of the town or palace of Maolscothack, a fictitious name of a Prince, imply- ing tongue charming, or of the fweetand prevailing eloquence. Maccoisj, a bard or poet, recites it to Domnal O'Neil, King of Ireland, it being fo required.. * 3 4 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. required by the faid prince, who made choice of this out of many there named by the bard, fol. 52, fub initium. The 1 7th is another romance, the title of it is the fight of Maige Tuire, viz. (the name of a plain), wherein there is an account at large of the Tuatha de Danans, the Clara Neimhs, and the Ferbolgs, fuppofed to have fucceffively had fettlements in Ireland before the Milefians or an- cient Irifh, which modern Irifli writers, as it feems, took for good hiftory, and fo paumed it upon many of the natives for fuch. It reaches to the end of folio 59. The 18th is mixed of hiftory and fable j this part touches upon the fatal Hone, and the manner it was firft brought into Ireland, by the faid "Tuatha de Danans the other recites fome paflages of Coun Ceadca- thack, King of Ireland, towards the beginning of the fecond age of Chnftianity, and of fome of his fucceiTors, giving the years of their refpec- tive reigns, ends folio 16 1 , b. The 1 9th treats of the Ultonian combatants in the reign of Conchobar ■fo often mentioned ; to which is added, fome account of the royal pallace -of Tara, and a paflage of Olil Olom, King of Muivfter, and Saidh his confort, daughter to Conn Ceadcathack, King of Ireland aforefaid. The 20th feems to be romantic ; it relates to one Sanchan, a native of Manning, called the Ifle of Man in Englim, fol, 64, a. b. The 2 1 It is hiftorical; treats of an expedition of Caibremusc into -iNorth Britain, in the contemporary reigns of Cormac Mac Airt, King •of Ireland, and Olil Flannbeg, King of Munfter, ends folio 65,3. The lafl is part fabulous and part hiftorical ; the firft relates to Art aenir,, King of Ireland, and a woman come from an ifle where the inha- •bitants are faid to be always in their blooming youth, and never to dye, who gives him an account thereof. The fecond is a paffage of the poet Arthrinne, treated of in the fixteenth tract, above, With which the MS, enas. From the above account of this MS. our readers will perceive that little credit is to be given to books which abound in fuch marvellous and abfurd ^relations. The fpecimen is to be read ; Pol ri aumrau aireagdai andcamha'm macho fecht naild edhon Concopbnr mac Fauctnne. Bai mar deamro inaflaith lie hulto Pole jiodb, ocus Jaine 7 fuboidbe. Boi meafs rgus claus ocus murthotadh Pol jmacht ■j recht ocus dechjlalthius rie re'tmeajs lia ba/lo, Boi mor dordan J 6 doircabut Chap. V. OF WRITING. i 3S doirechus ocus 7 dimad [fan rkhtoigh andemhoin. As amhloidh ieromb boi in techfoin edhon in craebbruadh Conchobhoir fo intamhoil tighe midhcordai Noi nimdodai tean co fraich. Triucho troicchid ind airdiu cecb airaenoice credbumai boi ifan iigh, Err/cor didcciuar and Stial Areabor* Tranflation. There was a noble and famous family of Em an Macho named Concop ^Concobhac) Mac Factnae, tn isohofe reign the Ultcnians* were a happy people, enjoying peace and tranquillity \ and the land and the feas yielded their produce in abundance. There was at that time law and good government among the Ultonians, and crimes were feverely punifjed, fo tha' they lived in great love and friendfip among themfelves. In Eamoin (L e. Eman Macha) was a royal palace, abounding in all things neceff'ary ; it was of the order of the Red- branch of Conncobar (Connor). All people were there entertained with the necejfaries of life, and no houfe within the limits of the fea could be compared to it ; it war thirty jeet high, the windows ornamented with credumai {copper manu- factured, I believe brafs) it was a noble houfe {built) of yew timber, and black oaken floors* The fourteenth fpecimen in the twenty-fecond plate, is taken from am ancient tranfcript of fome of the old municipal laws of Ireland, and a tradr. called the Great Sanction, new Law or Confitution of Nine, made in fa- vour of Chriftianity, by tjiree Kings, three BifhopS, and three Sages- At ■ the top of pages four and eleven in this MS. are certain perpendicular and parallel lines, which the Irim call Oghum, of which fpecies of writing we . fhall fpeak hereafter. This fpecimen is to be read, Js afenchas mar conamus arnar maith. i. e. eneclann mor dotidligeas eneil beg no maith eneB, doule donii na dligheann enedi, no diri aioie dop- fain doeib utlha maith do ulcc, y olc dimaith. Tranflation. This is the Seanchas mor, pointing out good from evil, and evil from good, &c. (8). (8) Colonel Vallancey has mentioned thfa of laws, much referred to by the title of book in a number of his " Colk£lanea de Seancas, or book of great antiquity, rebus Hibernicis."— It is a very ancient cods N" » S ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. N° 15 in the fame plate, is taken from the Annates Tigernaci, amongft •the Clarendon M5S. at Oxford (N° 3), which annals end in 1407. This fpecimen is fuppofed to have been written about that year. 4 udcxi K\ en. M°c c , c c°vii — Danenn mar ecus dith for ceithribh ifn bliaghain Jin Mac Uilliem oig. i. concobhur ua Che allaidh faidh an mic righ dir m c . tnathamhna. h. nechtain da marbhadb la Fearadach mac mic Domhnaill. h. ce allaidh aclaind mic in e again a Fill. Catal. h. Concobhuir. mac Righ h. Failghi Jaidh an mic righ, h. gaifgedhach kit hi mogha do mharbhadh la clainn Fearais. Tranflation. Kalends of January, 1407. very hard weather this ye at m which great numbers of cattle periled. Mac William og. i. e. Conner OXelly, a noble gentleman, was murdered by Fearadach, fin of M'Donall O'Kelly, at ^Clann, M'Eogan. Cathal OConner, fin of the King of O'Faily, a generous noble, and the champion of Leith. Mogha was murdered by the Clan Feorais (9). The fixteenth and feventeenth fpecimens, are taken from the annals of Ulfter, in the Bodleian library, amongft Dr. Rawlinson's MSS. (N°j$i). (0- K\ Jan AnnoT)m. Mccccclxxx^iiii . Brian mac Donnchaidh Meaguidhir in mac righ dob fearr eineach &f Eanghnaina, Gal gaifecidh ogus do bhearr aithne air gach tiealadhain, a Kg in btr, ocus •(9) Thefe Feorais afterwards took the Clarendon, and was afterwards pofTefTed by name of Birmingham. the Duke of Chandos, after whofe death it (1) This MS. is written on vellum, and was purchafed by Dr. Rawlinfon. See was formerly in the pofleflion of Sir James lnnes's effay, p. 453. Ware ; theni n the .library of Henry Earl of talhradh / Chap. V. OF WRITING. 137 tabhradh in tl leighfeas beand- acht air Anmuin. Tranflation. Kalends of January, in the year of our Lord 1484. Brian Mac Donchu Mac Guire, a noble and valiant Prince, and /killed in all fciences, died. Let the reader pray for his foul. Kl fan anno Dm. 1588. In Giolla dubh m c Seain mc philib m c guidhir do mharbhadh daonorchor peileir le Saxonchaibh do bhi ag oirghiall, ar ndol do m c Meaguidh- . < ir. i. e. Aodh m c conchonnacht m Q conchdnacht, m c conchonnacht air creicb orra, agus brifeadh ar oir- ghiollaibh agus ar Saxain doibh, gan dioghbhail doibh pfin duine maith uafal fn. Tranflation. Kalends of January, 1588. Giolla Dubh M c Seann M c Phil- lip M e Guire, was killed by a bullet pot by a Saxon fEngliJhman) a hireling of the Orgiallachs in Ulfter, as M c Guire, u e. Hugh M c Conconnact, fon of Conconnact, was plundering them* And the Orgiallachs and the Englijh were defeated without any other lofs, but the death of this good gentleman. The eighteenth and laft fpecimen in the twenty-fecond plate, is taken from a fragment of the Brehon laws, communicated by Lieutenant Col. Vallancey, which is to be read, Dearbthar feitheam fortoig cuithe arach, i. e. Certain rules for the election of a Chief T Our 138 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Our thanks are due to the Rev. Mr. James Maclagan, Miniiter of Blair, in Atholl, Perthfhire, and to the Rev. Mr. Stuart, of Killin, Perthfhire, and to Colonel Vallancey, for the tranflations of the Scotch and Irifh fpecimens engraven in the twenty-fecond plate. The alphabet beneath the fpecimen laft mentioned is felected from this MS. and differs only from the alphabet N° 9 in the fame plate, as one hand- writing doth from another. The abbreviations are, ae, ae, do, Ji, Ji, ar.. It is lingular that in a work fo magnificent and expenfive as the Diplomata Scotia', no fpecimens mould have been given of the Gaelic language and characters ; however it appears from the exemplars in the twenty-fecond plate, that the letters ufed in the north of Scotland and in Ireland are the fame with the Saxon, but fomewhat more rude and angular in their forms.. To conclude this head, it is impoffible to fay, whether all which hath been advanced, will operate upon the minds of thofe of the Irifh nation, who are fuperftitioufly devoted to the legendary tales of their anceftors,. for it is in vain to oppofe rational doubts, arguments, or even facts, to popu- lar credulity ; although we may with jufl reafon fuppofe, that the fictions which the vanity and patriotifm of the Irifh have been raifing for ages, will gain no credit with the fenfible and judicious part of mankind, but will vanifh before the ftrong beams of hiftory and of criticifm : in truth, all fcepticifm mull vanifh by an inflection of the twenty-fecond plate, wherein we have ocular demonftration that the Erfe and Irifh characters are the fame ; and that they are limilar to thofe ufed by the Saxons in Britain, ap- pears from feveral Saxon alphabets in the preceding plates ; fo that thofe who obftinately perfift in aflerting that the Irifh characters are not derived from the Roman, after what hath been laid on this head, muft deny the evidence of their fenfes (7). (7) Colonel Vallancey hath fubjoined to author are fimilar to ours in plate twenty-two, the laft edition of his grammar, feveral tables which are derived from the Roman. It ap- of the abbreviations which occur in Irifh pears from Bede's Eccl. Hilt, that there were MSS. Thefe will be very ufeful in facilitating fome lenrned men in Ireland in the feventh the reading of the ancient documents written century, but this doth not authenticate the in that country, and in the northern parts of Irifh traditions concerning the Milelian co- Scotland. The characters engraven -by this lonies. O F Chap. V. OF WRITING. i 39 OF NORMAN WRITING. HAVING (hewn that the letters ufed in the northern parts of Scotland, and in Ireland, for the notation of the Gaelic or Celtic language, are derived from the Roman ; we fhall proceed to fpeak of the feveral kinds of writing which prevailed in England, from the coming of William I. till the feventeenth century. The writing introduced into England by that Prince, is ulually called Norman, and is compofed of letters nearly Lombardic, which were generally ufed in grants, charters, public inftru- ments, and law proceedings, with very little variation, from the Norman conqueft, till the reign of King Edward III. as will appear by infpecting the fpecimens of royal charters in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth plates. This kind of writing was generally praclifed by the Irim when they wrote Latin, as appears from their MSS. and records, and in Scotland during the fame period of time, as the numerous fpecimens publilhed in Anderson's Diplomata Scotiae abundantly tefUfy. Several fpecimens of Norman writing, are given in the twenty-third plate, with alphabets, both of capital and fmall letters ; the firft of which, is taken from a fair book of inquifitions, made in the county of Lincoln, which is preferved in -the Cottonian Library (Claud, c. 5 ). Thefe inquifitions were taken in the reign of King Henry the Firft, for Robert of Caen, the King's eldeft natural fon, is mentioned amongft the great land-holders in the county (8). They muft have been taken before the year 11 04, becaufe Stephen Earl of Brittany, whofe name appears in the plate, died in that year ; from feveral circumftances, I conceive them to have been taken in the firft year of this King's reign, if fo, they were made about fourteen years after the compleating of Domefday book (9). (8) He is called Rodbertus Filius Regis. Cottonian Library, fays, that thefe inquin"- See an account of him in Sandford's Genea- tions were taken in the reign of K. Henry II, iogical Hiftory, p. 45. but he is evidently mivb.ken. (9) Dr. Smith, in his Catalogue of the This Ho ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. This Specimen is to be read, In Coringeham Wap Habent . v . Hundr. Nigellus de Albaneio habet in Glemefburc viii . c . 7 in Jultorp . 1 . c . in Surhdebi . 1111 . b. q Comes Stephan Eritannie in Le . 7 Surhdebi . 7 Jopheim v . c . quas Goffr fit Treatune . n Robt de Infula in Coringheha . 11 . c . quas . Ric dem . pine . tenet. Eps Line in Greingheha . 1 . c . q Ric fit raalg tenet (1) Ran Dunelmfis Eps in Cletha . vi . b. (2) Hugo de Vallo in Torp . vi . b . 7 in Cletha . vi . b. Alan de Credun in Blituna . 1 . c . 7 . vi . b . 7 in La&una . 111 . c . 7 . 11 . b . 7 . in Scottuna . 1111 b. The fecond and third fpecimens in the fame plate, are taken from the great roll of the pipe of the fecond year of King Henry II. re- maining amongft the records of the pipe at Weftminfter, and are to be read, Hurtfordscira Ric de Luei redcl Comp. de firma de Hurtfortfef et in elem novit. Conft*. Militib' de Teplo xiii s. & iiij S. In th. lvj IS* & xvii. s. et Dorseta. Idem Ric redd Comp de firma de Dorfeta. A number of fpecimens of Norman writing are given in the twenty- fourth and twenty-fifth plates, which, we conceive, will give our readers a clear idea of the kind of writing which prevailed not only in England, but in different parts of Europe, from the tenth till the fourteenth cen- tury (3). Thefe plates are taken from original charters of the Kings of England ; they furnifh authentic fpecimens of the modes of writing ufed in patents and charters, from William I. to Henry VIII. From them we learn the (1) He is called Rodbertus in feveral was confecrated June 5, 1099, fo that thefe places in the MS. He was Bifhop of Lincoln inquifitions were taken after this time. from 109210 1 123. (3) See Walther's Lexicon Diplomaticum (2) Ranulphus (or Ralph Flambard) he Gottingen, 1756. flyles , Iab.Jmp.240. ■W- hi- , ill . ,Tai?jmri>j-/j . JfJu wn /i la r CAR TjIM VMltedu m -A twy* jrja fcp dai^o^ novu pfefo onriL? fo&Soj fancy 1W$lc . ifoitjiDlc. M;. §ctAnf (tomtit ^tmi!? ^uQ^. uccCUt^ JfiicJ J olio tints Chap. V. OF WRITING. 144 ftyles and titles of each King (4). The reader will obferve, that the dip- thong a is diftinguiihed by a {mail ftroke under the letter e, particularly in the firft fpecimen, though this diftin&ion was foon afterwards omitted. It is not neceffary to fay more concerning thefe plates, as they have been al- ready mentioned. In Nomine SanSfa et individual Trinitatis E^Willelmus Dei gratia Rex Anglorum notum facto omnibus tarn pofleris quam prefentibus Archie- pifcopis Huh igilur sEcclcfia Sanfti Martini de Bello Hanc in primis dignitatem Rcgali autlorit ate concedo. (TJuil. I.) H^nricus Rex Anglorum Ricardo Buffet et Alberico de Ver et Vicecomhibm et Baronibus el omnibus fdelibus ft/is Francis et Anglicis de Ncrtfolc, Jalutcm Sciatis me ded'fj). -Ebrardo Epifcopo de Nortwic Centum folidatas apud Weftm. (Hen. I.) Stephanus Rex Anglorum Archiepifcopis Epifcopis, Abbatibus, Comitibus, Jiiflhiarijs, Vkecomitibus, Baronibus et Mini/iris, et omnibus fidelibus fuis totius Anglic , jalutcm. Sciatis quia concejji Deo et Abbati et Monachis Cifler- cienfis Ordinis de Parco de Tama — Tefle Roberto de Caifn (Caifineto, i. e. Che- ney) Archidiacono,et Ricardo de Luci, Apud Oxen. (Stfph.J Henricus Rex Anglia et Dux Normannia, Aquitanite et Comes Ande- gav'n-e Archiepifcopis Minifterium meum de Esnecca me a cum tibe- ratione que perlinet Apud Oxinefordam. (Hen. IL) Ricardus Dei gratia Rex Anglice Dux Normannia? Aquitanics et Comes Andegavia?, Archiepifcopis, Epifcopis, Abbatibus, Comitibus, Baronibus, Ju/li- ciarijs, , Vhecomitibus et omnibus Baliivis ac fidelibus fuis, falutem. Sciatis nos conceffiffe et hac Carta confirmaffe GUleberto ¥ abbot* pro fervhio fuo Manerium de Linton. (Ric. I.) Johannes Dei gratia Rex Anglic Do-minus Hibernie Dux Normannie Aquitanie et Comes Andegavie Tejle Galfridus film's Petri Ccmi&s Effcx\ Apud Weftm xi die Junij Anno Regni nofiri primo. (Johannes.) (4) The firft fpecimen is taken from the Library. The fecond is amongft the Char- Conqueror's foundation charter of Battle ters in the Cottonian Library, and all the reft Abbey, which is preferved in the Harleian are from originals in the Author's Library. Hemricus 142 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Henricus Dei gratia Rex Angliee Dominus Hybernia Dux Normannia, Aquitania, & Comes Andegavite, Arcbiepifcopis, Epifcopis Hijs tejlibus. Data per manum nojlrum apud Wodejiok Vicefimo primo Die Augufti Anno Regni nojiri Tricefmo fee undo. ("Hen. III.) Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglite Dominus Hibernioe et Dux Aquitania Omnibus In cujus rei tejlimonium. T fie me ipfo apud Cantuariam deci- mo Die Julij Anno Regni nojiri Tricejimo tercio, (Edw. I.) Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglia Dominus Hibernia et Dux Aquitania Omnibus In cujus rei tejlimonium Tejie me ipfo apud Norhampton Un~ decimo Die Augufti Anno Regni noftri fecundo. (Edw. II.) Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglite Dominus Hibern'ue et Dux Aquitania Omnibus In cujus rei Tejie me ipfo apud Wejlm 1 xvi Die Julij Anno Regni nojiri gtyarto. (Edw. III.) Ricardus Dei gratia Rex Anglie et Francie et Dominus Hibemie Omnibus In cujus Tejie Vicejimo tercio Die Februarii Anno Regni nojiri tercio. (Ric. II.) Henricus Dei gratia Rex Anglie et Francie et Dominus Hibemie Omnibus Ballivis et fdelibus fuis ad quos prefentes litere pervenerint In cujus ?T ejle me ipfo apud Wejlm duodecimo die Junij Anno Regni nojiri tercio. Per ipjum Re gem Rome. (Hen. V.) Henricus, &c. Script'' &c. apud Bury Sandli Edmundi xxv Die Fe- bruary Anno, &c. xxxv. (Hen. VI.) Henricus Dei gratia Rex Anglie et Francie et Dominus Hibemie Omnibus Ballivis et fidelibus Juis - -In cujus Patentes. Tejie me ipfo apud WeJlnC £>uinto Die OBobr Anno Regni nojiri Quarto. (Hen. VII.) Henricus Oclavus Dei gratia AngV et Franc* Rex, Jidei defenforis Do- minus Hibemie in terra fupremum caput Anglicane Ecclefe Omnibus. T ejle Ricardo Ryche Milite, apud Wejlm Vicefmo Die Marcij Anno Regni nojiri T ricefmo. (Hen. VIII.) About the reign of King Richard II. variations took place in writing records and law proceedings ; the fpecimens of the charters from the reign 'US 11 Hen3 JEawnfi lar CARTER UMliyum A n 'etijua© JgjTi. ISp IjiJiBt^^^^ ^^i|Sm ^jjuJW Camas auuryei *tcttTtno^-iitm ^xu^/Omtw^ fjti at? |^c*i "Cfcjttrn T me— 1 trur t * " i Ttt cva)y JE.dw.3 to JJein8 Chap. V. OF WRITING. 143, of King Richard II. to that of King Henry VIII. as given in the twenty- fifth plate, are compofed partly of characters called Set Chancery avid Com- mon Chancery, and of fome of the letters called Court-hand 1 which three different fpecies of writing are partly from the Roman, and partly from- ^ftfrmcta/ the modviii Gothic. See the alphabets in the twenty-fixth plate.- The / Chancery letter sfo called, were ufed for all Records which pafled the great feal, and for other proceedings in Chancery ; and the Court-hand letters were ufed in the courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas for fines, re^~ coverbs, placita, adjudicata, &c. The fpecimen in the twenty fifth plate of the 35th of King Henry VI. is taken from an original letter of that King in the Author's library, which, is written in the running hand of that time. Although the writing called the Law Engli/h, is a fpecies of Modern Gothic, we fhali mention it in this place, becaufe the inftruments written by the Englifh lawyers, in the Eng/i/h language, from the thirteenth to the fixteenth century, are in characters very different from thofe ufed by our Ec- clefiaftics and Monks, which laff. is defcended from the Saxon, as will pre- fently appear under the head, of modern Gothic writing. The twentieth plate contains leveral fpecimens of the firft kind of writing. The eleventh number in this plate, is taken. from the Patent Roll of the 4.-"d of King: Htnry III. (M. 15,) and contains a curious fpecimen of- the Englifh lan- guage, and chnraclcra of that time, which is to be read, Hen? thurg Godes fultumeKing on Engleneloande Lhoaverd on Yrland Duk on Norm, on Aquitam 7 Eorl on Aniow. fend igrctinge to alle hife holde ilaerde 7 ilaewedl on Huntendon Schir — that witen ge wel alle that we • willen and unnen that that ure rxdefmen alle other the moare del of heom that beoth ichofen thurg us and thurg thact loandes folk on urekuneriche habbeth idea and lchullen don in the Worthnefle of Gode and on ure treowthe for the freine of the loande thurg the befigte of than to foren ifeide radefmen beoftedefaft and ileftinde in alle thinge abuten asnde. - And we haaten alle ure treowein the treowthe that heo us ogen thaet heo ftede~ fafYiiche heilden and fweren to healden and to werien the ifetneffes that, beon i maked and beon tomakien thurg than toforen ifeide raedefmen. Which being tranflated into modern Englifh is, Henry, ly God's help. King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of - Normandy and of Jiamtain, and Earl of Anjou, fendeth greeting to all his 6 faithfut. 144 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. faithful Clerks and Laics in Huntingdonshire : 'This know ye all well that we will, and grant, that which our Counfellors all or the mojl part of them that be c'hofen by us and the people of our land, have done and foall do for the honour of God, and of their allegiance to us, for the benefit of the land, by the advice or confederation of our fore/aid Counfellors, be Jledfajl and performed in every thing for ever. And we command all our liege people in the fealty that they owe to us, that they jleadfaftly hold, and /wear to hold and to defend the Jlatutes which be made and foall be made by thofe aforefaid Counfellors. The thirteenth fpecimen in the fame plate is taken from a deed in Dr. Rawl in son's collection, now preferved in the Bodleian library, dated the 14th of Auguft, 1 8th Edw. 111. (1347). This deed'is a fettlement made upon the marriage of a fon of Sir John Mowbray, Knt. with Margery the daughter of Sir John Depden, and is to be read, This Indenture made the xini th day of Auguft the xvui th yere of Kyng Edward the thred, Wittnefleth that it is covennted. This instrument is engraven by Dr. Rawlinson, to which the feal of Depden is appendent. We take this opportunity of obferving, that wills and fettlements were firft written in Englim in this reign, which had been generally written in Latin from the Norman conqueft. The fourteenth fpecimen in the fame plate, is written in the Chancery- hand of the time ; it is taken from the Parliament Roll of the 2 ift of King Richard II. and contains 'part of the confeffion of Thomas of Wood- frock, Duke of Gloucefler, uncle to King Richard II. which is to be read as follows, / Thomas of Wcdcftoke, the vrn day of Septembre, the zeer of my Lord the Kyng on and t wenty, be the virtue of a Commijjion of my Lord the Kyng the fame zeer direbled to William Rykyll jujlice, the which is comprehende more pleynly in the forfeyd commijjion, knowleche, that I was on wyth ferying of other men to afent to the making of a Commijfwn. Alfo in that that I was in place ther it was communed and fpohen in maner* cf depofail of my lyege Loord. N° Chap. V. OF WRITING. i 45 N° fifteen, is taken from an original petition in parliament, in the Tower of London, in the reign of King Henry IV. and is to be read, Memoran& that the Kyng by t/jadvife of his counfeil hath ordeined y graunted^ and appointed, that al maner ajjignements by tallies rered or made. N° fixteen, is taken from another petition in the Tower, and is to be read, Befecheth humbly y our e pour e fervaunt Thomas Marchyngton, one of the Clerks of youre honorable Chapell to graunt hym the penfion of Ely, N° feventeen, is from a petition in parliament in the reign of King Ed- ward IV. and is to be read, Provided alfo, that the adle of refumpcion, or any other able, ejlatute, orde~ naunce or provifoun, in this prefent Parliament made or to be made. NT eighteen, is taken from a pardon under the fignet of King Henry VII. granted in the twenty-firft year of his reign to Thomas Barker, and is to be read, Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and of Fraunce, and Lord of Ir/and, to all our Officers true I lege- men and fubgettes, N° nineteen is from an inftrument of King Henry VIII. and is to be read, Henry the eight, by the grace cf God, King of England and of Fraunce, defenfour of the feith Lord of Ireland. The twenty-fixth plate, contains alphabets of the Modern Gothic, the Old Englifh, the fet Chancery, the common Chancery, and the Court- hand ; the firft of which, began to take place in England in the twelfth century, as will prefently appear; the fecond, about the middle of the fourteenth century, the third and fourth, in the decline of the fame cen- tury, and are {till ufed in the inrollments of letters patents, charters, &c. and in exemplifications of recoveries ; the fifth was contrived by the Eng- lish lawyers, and took its rife about the middle of the fixteenth century, and continued till the beginning of the late reign, when it was abolimed by law. The Court- hand characters, were nothing more than the Norman characters corrupted and deformed to fo great a degree, that they bore very little refemblance to their prototypes. In the fixteenth century, the U Englifh J 46 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. Englim lawyers engroffed their conveyances and legal inftruments in cha- racters called Secretary, which are ftill in ufe. Of Wntmg f The French call their writing, by the names of the dif- m France. I ferent races of their Kings in whofe times they were writ- ten : thefe were the Merovingian, the Car/ovingian, the Capeilan, the Vale- fan, and the Bourbonian. For inftance, the writings of France, from the fifth, to the middle of the eighth century, are called Merovingian, becaufe Merovjeus and his defcendants, exercifed regal authority in France, dur- ing that period. We have already obferved, that the Gauls adopted the Roman let- ters (4) ; the forms of the letters ufed in France, from the beginning of the eighth, to the middle of the tenth century, are very fimilar to thofe ufed in England, during the fame period, except in thofe inftances where we find the pure Saxon. This will appear, by comparing the ipecimens in the twenty-third plate, with thofe given us by the learned authors of the Nouveau traite de Diplomatique, in their hiftory of the writings of France. Various modes of writing were afterwards practifed by the French, of which feveral fpecimens are given in our twenty-feventh plate. The writing called Merovingian began in France foon after the time of Merovjefs, fon of Pharamond, who was made King in the year of Chritr. 460 ; this race ended with Childeric, who died in 752. The Caroline or Carolinian race, properly began with Pepin, who was made King of France, upon the death of Childeric. This Prince was fuc- ceeded by Charlemagne Emperor of the welt, A. D. 814. whofe line in France ended wirlx Lewis V. A. 987.. (4) The Sicambri from whom the pre- fect French Kings are defcended, were ori- ginally Scytbjans ; they were placed on the banks of the Danube ; Antenor their llrft King, died ante Chiift. 443. The kft King of this race was Anthar':u% y who began to reign about feventy-four years before Chrift, and was flain by the Gauls, thirty-nine years before the Chriftian aera; after this King's reign, thefe people were called Franks, from his fon and fucceflbr Francus, who pafTed an edict for that purpofe, at the re- quelt of his fubjefts. The kingdom of the Franks, ended with Marcomir, who was flain by the Romans, in 393, who ordain- ed, that the Franks mould eleft no more Kings, but Dukes. Pharomond, who mar- ried Argotta, the grand daughter of Marco- mir, was made King of France, about the year 420, and from him all the Monarchs or Fiance are defcended. The ALPHABET S a Tab. XXVI /?. /4d Oof //Sr. O/a 7 £?/mmon 1/iaencery. Court Jland. (>'r/.A.?. Secret ' Alphabets. It Ant' I TJ Mod. S SI^ \ //>;//' ^ * fCrflf . \JS. £ f/n'frf. K & a §1 a nA a ZI ^ A/ E 4 As Book I 13 CC B b C t B b 6 i £ B Vadi v orf t t Gfrc r r - ^« d eorye P 7" TI * E Yefi ec (P t Ce Ik s S B 2 1 Jf f tf f py py 3 3 z X (bS i s' ) p y Hi * H * id I E 1 or e IB 1¥ $ u Ml A ^ 1 FT K tore korc Xt M SB ■ ><0 1 ^ m / \ A I M M Mue/lefe m a? ft Jk i. KK^ : a N H -n XL f.r ■ f 0* LL/ 7v / O n O n Okn 6vo n o J > n mm UJ »» % ii f> III 1 II 1 m m f p Pokoy KM P r r « +■ « c J Oo OO, XI, ^ T Y T y Tvento Eek r u 00 p a q J? 1 ffh X X Kher a -A ^ "l u ? 0* X5 H in 7jrche/f Shan E_t 8 t # t (pm TIT ¥J Stfkaw ft J z LI *- n al( ' — « Ht'it v A « Al A b Yeer uz e Site ft % c f('nrw e 3 IO Yat ye . u Xe I J) p tn JI e Tiia & 2 ? 2 3 Z 2 V V r> * ■ I f Chap. V. OF WRITING, The Capet ian race began with Hugh Capet, who fucceeded Lewis V. and ended with Charles IV. A. D. 1327. The Valesian race, began with Philip IV. the fucceflbr of Charles IV. and ended with Henry III. the laft of this line, who was flain in 1589. The Bourboni an line, began with Henry IV. A. D. 1589, whofe defcendants now fill the throne of France. German C It is generally admitted, that the ancient Germans had not Writing. \ t } ie u f e f letters, before their intercourfe with the Romans j the teftimony of Tacitus is deciiive on this fubjecl:. " Liter arum fecreta viri pariter ac fcemince ignorant " Hence we conclude, that the Teutons, who anciently inhabited the neighbouring coaft, and iflands of the Baltic Sea, had no letters, till their defcendants, who fettled in Belgic Gaul, obtained them from the Romans. The Teutonic alphabet given in the firft plate, is evidently deduced from the Roman, and is nothing more than the Roman varied by the Germans, which, having been much de- formed, was improved by Charlemagne in the ninth century, and con- tinued till the twelfth, when this kind of writing was fucceeded by the modern Gothic, which prevails in Germany, and in feveral of the north- ern countries of Europe at this time. Modern \ The writing called Modern Gothic, was firft pradYifed in Germany Gothic. \ a bout the latter end of the ninth, or in the beginning of the tenth century, though it did not take place in the other nations of Europe till the twelfth. The letters in the firft fpecimen of the twenty-feventh plate, are fome of them Lombardic, and others approach towards the mo- dern Gothic. This fpecimen is taken from a MS. in the Cottonian Li- brary [Caligula A. 7.] written in Germany, in the Franco-Theotifc or Teutonic (5) dialed, in the tenth century, which was probably tranferibed from one more ancient. (5) The Franco-Teutonic, which was Bulgaria. The Iflandic, is derived from fpoken in Germany and Gaul, is derived the Scando-Gothic. Hickes's Grammatica irom the Maefo-Gothic, formerly fpoken in Franco-Theotifca. All 148 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. All the nations of Europe afterwards adopted the form of writing, which paries under the denomination of Modern Gothic, but with thofe national variations, which the tafle and genius, of each country adopted ; the Librarii, or writing Monks, who wrote books in the Latin tongue^ uied nearly the fame characters, in different parts of Europe, from the twelfth, till the fifteenth century, as appears by the fpecimens given in the firft column of the twenty-feventh plate. The letters uled by the Englifh Monks, when they wrote in the Englifh language, vary from their Latin characters, becaufe the former are derived from the Saxon. Several variations took place in France during the twelfth and thir- teenth centuries, and many different characters were ufed by the French in the two fucceeding centuries, as appears in the twenty-feventh plate, under the head of French writing. Tne letters called Belgic, as well as thofe ufed in Denmark, Sweden and Iceland,, are all derived from the Ger- man. The Latin fpecimens, number two, three, and four, in the twenty- feventh plate, are written in characters which generally prevailed, not only in England, but in feveral parts of Europe, in the twelfth, thir- teenth, and fourteenth centuries; in thefe fpecimens, the gradations from the Roman prototypes are obfervable. In the fecond. and third fpeci- mens, which are of the twelfth century, fome of the letters are Romany others Lombardic, with Modern Gothic afpedts, and feveral may with the greateft propriety, be termed Modern Gothic. The major part of the characters,, in the fourth fpecimen, are Modern Gothic, and thefe were generally ufed by the Monks, during the thirteenth, fourteenth, and" part of the fifteenth centuries, in which laft period, larger characters, fimilar to thofe in the fifth and eighth fpecimens, were commonly ufed. Still larger chara&ers were adopted, about the middle of the fifteenth, which continued until the latter end of the fifteenth century, fimilar to thofe in the fixth and feventh numbers, in the plate under consideration. The fecond column of the twenty-feventh plate, contains fpecimens of the 'Monkijh EngJiJhy or of the forms of writing, practifed by the Engliftv Monksj, Chap. V. OF WRITING. i 49 Monks, from the twelfth to the fixteenth century, inclufive. Several of the characters in the fpecimen, N° 9, which is of the twelfth century, are pure Saxon, others are Lombardic, and fome approach towards the Engli/h Gothic. The twelfth fpecimen in the twentieth plate, is in the Monkifh Engliflr of the thirteenth century (6), when the Saxon characters were fo much deformed, that they fcarcely refembled thofe which prevailed here till the middle of the eleventh : in truth, the Saxon characters were rarely ufed, except by the Englifh Monks, after the coming of William I. (7) who introduced the Norman character, as we have already fhewn ; though the Englifh Ecclefiaftics, when writing in their own language, never adopted, thofe characters, but continued to ufe the corrupted Saxon letters, fpeci- mens of which are given in the tenth, and in the feven following numbers of the twenty-feventh plate. The tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth fpecimens in this plate,, are from MSS. written in the fourteenth century ; the tenth was written at the beginning,, and the thirteenth at the very clofe of that century. Thofe who examine thefe fpecimens with attention, will perceive a mani- feft variation in the characters*. (6) This is taken from a libellous Ballad in and capture of King Henry III. his fon the Harleian library (N* 2253, § 23) made Prince Edward, and his Brother Richard, at on Richard, King of the Romans, and the Lewes, in 1264. For an account of which, royal party, in the reign of King Henry III. feeReliques of ancient Englifh Poetry, vol. II. and is a proof that the liberty alfumed by the p. 1. This writing is not much later, than, good people of England, of abufing their that of the eleventh fpecimen, in the fame fuperiors at pleafure, is of very long {landing, plate, which was written. in 1259. This ballad was made foon after the defeat It is to be read, Sitteth alle ftille, ant herkneth to me ; The Kyng of Alemaigne, bi mi leaute, Thritti thoufent pound afkede he For te make the pees in the countre, Ant fo he dude more, Richard, that thou be. ever trichard,, Tricthen malt thou never more. (7) If this fact fhould be doubted, confult Ingulphi Hiftoria a Gale, and Camden's- Britannia pref. &c. In ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. In the thirteenth century the Saxon }">, (or th) was corrupted, as appears bv the eleventh and twelfth fpecimens in the twentieth plate; in the four- teenth, it acquired the form of the Saxon y (wj, and before the end of the fame century, that of the modern Gothic J), which was difcon tinned in the fifteenth century. See the fpecimens from ten to fifteen in the twenty - .feventh plate. The fourteenth, fifteenth, and fixteenth fpecimens in this plate, are taken from MSS. in my library, written in England in the fifteenth century ; the firft of which was written about the year 1430, the fecond about 1450, and the third about 1^80. The lad of the Eng- lifh fpecimens, is from a plate of brafs placed in Macclesfield church in Chefhire, in the beginning of the fixteenth century. Various modes of writing took place in France, under the latter Kings of the Capetian race, and the monarchs of the Vale fan line, who flourifhed from the middle of the twelfth, to the fixteenth century ; fpecimens of fe- veral of which, are engraven in the third column, of the twenty-feventh plate. The eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth fpecimens, are, what the French call, Capetian writing, becaufe ufed during the reigns of that race of Kings ; the firft of which was written in the latter end of the twelfth century ; the fecond is dated in 1280, and the third in the begin- ning of the fourteenth century. The twenty-firft and twenty-fecond numbers, are fpecimens of writing which prevailed in France under the Monarchs of the Valefian race, namely, from 1327 to 1589 : though another kind of writing took place in France in the fifteenth century, which continued till the great im- provements made in the art, towards the latter end of the fixteenth, and in the feventeenth century. Specimens of this laft kind of writing are exhi- bited in the twenty-third and twenty-fourth numbers of this plate* Explanation of the twenty-feventh PLATE. The firft fpecimen in this plate, is taken from a MS. in the Cottonian library (Caligula A. 7.) written in the Francic characters in the tenth century (8), and in the Franco-Theotifc dialed, which was fpoken in the time of Charlemagne. (8) Mr. Smith, in his Catalogue of the for the cfaara&ers ufed hy the Franks,. were Cottonian library, calls them Dano-Francic, adopted in Denmark, but this is a diftinction without a difference, i 1. Thue T FRANCO -TEUTONIC, 'no muuaf lttU«c,a(T^r- -dim neiT all|o ji lefrid uuavtl" (oh 1 e-tnanciAn n inunu^a Inula >god tjlMtalfO fbr-crt)nn habd'a. Thar lue ifhimili|\ bam herod miuerol di i|' |HWf \\mc je-ndean uuolda ce-xluu xhaT hietner nlofdi alliud fni nma uuerod fcii unme O TJ E It JV G O T II t E IV G JL, I S H. U jtmi^ p'»f&> piTOWjSey (j» h\c & ^££1^} ^duoniar tvgnumTutmiFiaT uolumalnia-swunncclo & niTcrraPaiicmiioftrum coiuiiamnn da nolnsliodic "'ludnjinquix qm yarafceuccrar- irr li rcniaiiei-eirr in cmcecoipo2a(aliaTO crar emm nugnufdirf lUctabaxi: foipruf 3.11110 abiticaroanone- dm -oi c-K -v - 1 -i • il ^Uheruidirravoihraiiaptiimin ffktQr nor prtu qui dudiunanqm tuUUqumn me ■ omtdumf KbTntt* our - oftenTHutr quropaetfienpjlt bff.Bcmm (ui in Ipii ? em foV J pduta ttar in crlo* i unlit ftdcmtedens Bnmms/ #rc iteii .iii^K UWiMBagargoJ/tijoii I'M raaspergojt. |nsiufl9t pc biSiifng'argjHl^Ke puju racrm 'R? | man'i by bf'* ro'oircra Ifi was m/ho x\eya$iy&xy>vsywas J*p8fe mmbint)! roa&lut'iiveliif leasee hit of me; U i\f poCfl) fitt" lvf«.G* aiKinrt- JW mfittlBEttUUD! ~ITf firm (towwfcib^HffliM&Mtfll Yitt t5>|)titk' otljw men m rnnnh^oauce Of liu>'2fiiK^ Raui fieJK (n* iVPnefl? ido inaft to ys •!'!£>! m vOrt(]fh)tnir to tbf Ibciinjeptul yryace Ptrbfl^ Ifttt ^uk' of votto sfittii- tbc ocreffe of hy^ Faon- U'a^ oi.tc of rozut. .ui3 U>a& ceolbnso h.vng H>\)t jJbonfti? fnvmg of 6 pnttj uafr' ft 6 niu'5 imo a Qn) is ry6i ttoubnli BCies and rrti DRues of pmSou J Ttl/>. \X\7/-/>. !.'>'>. F R E N C H . uant il CKftic mangic lanailq) pzoialf iw qd li&cc apurer cct> amies car il uodta aler el no^aume c< Xogtxi on U ne fii plus a du an Inau fwrftcllTOKi lclion\\\i pre fvs c lonxr cfp: ^Crvt j^ns jwttume L\ Cunrauucc \* txu * 50JI JL- IL-JUL fete iarno fltojumC (t3 „ v St maPewcVifit ~ ■« ' — Og) tswuarnuwh h^»i6 (Jff picLtl* c-fl loicfii mcraciloulc dl cniin Ifi ni tvan(*i6 liic ccfb mc cn violo fe>(f C0/""((1 «&l7WTOtC Or : ^rr (jrnm/i zyxolfaft or , C2)/>i?tcefd ifititfnve o:l tu ^.Tr.co /.^ Rr — " TEL G I C 19aiv i>' ; katcliin Hattlmc um^e uiedjt Ok vegncerr mix- (polikc bvme CDaevboxifumfic noiglio umcditBftte w "T sTTa n t> i c ~ "~ (5 ufcliimua >(a,C|fahQice ma%, gemic ols olla/atctny O ilto.tnc*a- XqgRfrou: ±n(i(«3?ioau^|»ieiniun ipammr, Chap. V. OF WRITING. r 5 i i . Thuo tnuuas lang after thlu neit allfo gi left id uuarS fobie mancunnea manuga huila God almahti forge^an habda. That hie is him'difk barn Herod tiu uerol di is fe/bes Juno Jendean- uuolda Tethiu that hie hier alofdi alliud jia mna uuerod fon uuitie. 2. The fecond fpecimen is taken from a pfalter in the library of Tri- nity college in Cambridge, written in the reign of King Stephen. Adveniat regnum tnum. Fiat voluntas tua Jicut in Celo et in Terra. Panem noftrum cotidianum da nobis hodie 3. The third fpecimen, is taken from St. Augustin on St. John's gof- pel, preferved in the library of Chrift college, Oxford. This MS. appears to have been written in 11 67, and formerly belonged to Bildewas Priory, in Shropfhire. Judei igitur inquit quam parafcene erat ut non remanercnt in Cruce corpora Jabato ; erat enim magnus dies ille fabati : Scriptus anno ab incarnatione Domifii mclxvii. 4. The fourth fpecimen, is taken from a MS. in the Lambeth library, [N° 209] written in the thirteenth century. Poft hec vidi et ecce Oftium apertum in Celo et vox prima quam audivi tanquam tuleloquenti mecum dicens afcende hue et cftendavit que opor- tet fieri poft bee. Statim fui in fpiritu et ecce Jede pojita erat in Celo et fupra fedem fedens. 5. The fifth fpecimen, is taken from the parliament roll of the third - year of King Henry VI. " Henricus quintus Rex Anglie qui mine eft." 6. The fixth fpecimen, is of the fixteenth century, and is to be read, . Poft veris equinoflium,. ■ £>uere pleni lunium, Et fequenti Dominica Sacrum celebra pajcha. 7. The i S z ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. 7. The feventh fpecimen hath a date. Incipit colleclarium temporale ad ujwn fratrum Gui Hermit arum Parif- enJium—Scriptum a fratre Petro Courcc — Gonventum anno 1587. By thefe two fpecimens, it appears that the hair ftrokes over the i, were preferved till the decline of the fixteenth century, when the points took place. 8. The eighth fpecimen is taken from a MifTal, written in Flanders in the fifteenth century. Dens qui beatum Nicholaum Pontifccm tuum in numeris decor ajli miraculis tribue nobis que fumus ut ejus mentis et precibus, a Gehcnne ignis. 9. The firft fpecimen in the fecond column, and the ninth in the twenty- feventh plate, is taken from a fair MS. in my library, written in the reign of King Stephen, or in that of King Henry II. (Iborewen.) Of Strenthe. Fortitudo that is Godes flrengthe . . is an other hali mihte the is medfull to Jcilden Godes Temple jram alle unwines. Of hire fath the profete " EJlo nobis dne turris fortitudinis." Waver d hie ure towr of jirengthe age an alle unwines. Thes ilche halige mihte hie is towr & frengthe to a/Ie tho mihte the thar inne bietb wunrgende £? fwa hie is alle Crifles gecorene. 10. The tenth fpecimen, is taken from the Chronicle of Robert of Gloucefter, in the Harleian library, (N° 201.) Engelond ys a wel god loud ith wene of eche lond bejl Tfet in the ende of the World as al in the Wefl *Ibe See goth hym al abcute, he Jlont as an Tie Here fon heo durre the laffe doute but hit be throw gyle. 11. The eleventh fpecimen is taken from a MS. (N° 5017.) in the Har- leian library, containing the two books of the Maccabees, and the New Teftament of Wickliff's tranflation. Here bigynneth the frjle C° of Joon. In the biginyng was the Word and the Word was at God and God was Chap. V, OF WRITING. was the Word this was in the biginyng at God alle thinges weren maid by him and withouten him was maad no thing that thing that was maad) in him was liif and the liif was the lizt of Men. 12. Number twelve is taken from Thomas Occleve's Poem de regl^ mine Principis, in the Harleian library, (N° 4866.) Althogh his lyfe be queynt the refemblaunce Of him hay in me fo fresfo lyflynejfe That to putte othir Men in remembraunce Of his P erf one I have heere his lykneJJ'e Do make to this ende in fothfafnejfe That thei that have of him left thought and mynde By this peynture may ageyn him fynde. 13. The thirteenth fpecimen is taken from a MS. in my library, con- taining the claim of Henry IV. to the crown of England, in full parlia- ment, after the depofition of his coufin Germain King Richard II. In the name of the Fadir of the Son and the Holy Gofl I Henry of Lancafre chalange this Kerne of Inglond and the Croun with all the membres and all the appurtenance as that am defcendit to right line of the blod corny ng fro the good lord kyng Henry thrid and thorowgh the rizt'tkat God of his grace ath fend me with the help of my king (8) and of my Frends to recover it the whych Reme was in poynt to ben ondoo for defaute of gouvernance and undoyng of that good law. 14.. The fourteenth fpecimen is taken from an old Engliih chronicle on vellum, in my library, written in the reign of King Henry VI. And whene the Emperour had wel reflide him and feye the londe in dyvers parties and to knowe the commoditees thene bi procejfe of tyme he toke his leeve of the Kyng but or he zede he was made Knyzt of the Garteer. 15. The fifteenth fpecimen, is taken from a MS. Rituale in ufum Sarum, written about the year 1450, and contains a part of the marriage ceremony at that time. (8) Kin Kindred. X I N. 154 ORIGIN AND P ROO'RESS Chap. V. / N. take the N. to my JV ?ddid Hoitfbond to have and to hotel fro this day forthwardfor better for ivors for richer for porer in fknejfe and in helthe to be boner and buxum til detb us depart and t her to I plight the ■ \my t rent he, 1 6. The fixteenth fpecimen is taken from the genealogies of the Kings of England, in my library, written about the year 1480. Edwarde the fourth, fon and heyr to thi wor/hepful pry net Richard late Duke of Torke, after the decejfe of his fadir was Duke oj Torke, and was crowned Kyng. 1 7. The feventeenth fpecimen is from a brafs plate, placed in the church of Macclesfield in the county of Chefter, in the year 1506, as appears by the date on the plate. The pardon for faying of 5 pater nojlers, 5 aves and a c red is 26 thoufand Teres and 26 dayes of pardon. The third column of this plate exhibits fpecimens of writing in France,.- from the eleventh, to the fixteenth century inclufive. 18. Number eighteen, is from a fragment of a French MS. in my li- brary. Quant il orent mangie Lancelot proia le Roy qil li face aporter ces Armes, car il vodra aler el Royaumc de Logres ou il ne fu plus a d'un an biau frefet li Rois. um-ih irouiii diUju^L fcfo as).£uo\l iiiAsi «i yy^uv^i* fb/iyittt^^ wil^ 19. The nineteenth number is from the ftatutes made by William Bifhop of Norwich, for regulating the nunnery at Flixton, in the county of Suffolk, dated in the year 1280. En le honour de Deu pere e fiz e feynt efperit Nus Williame par la fuffraunce de Deu, 20. The twentieth fpecimen is from a book of prayers and chants writ- ten in France in the beginning of the fourteenth century. Haute Dame glorioufe *Ta joie fu merueiloufe Al oure If tu tranfs De cejle vie en viofe. Chap. V. OF WRITING. i 5$ 21. The twenty-firft number is taken from a MS. in the Harleian library (N° 1 3 19) written by Francis de la Marque, a French gentleman, who attended King Richard II. during the latter part of his reign. This MS. is written in French verfe, and relates what pafled in England, relative to that unfortunate Monarch from April 25, 1399, to the time of his death. Ainji firent leur afamblee S$ui ejloit de mal enpenfee A Wemonjire hors la Ville De Londres ce riejl pas guille Premerement tous les Pre/as Archevefques, Evefques ■ (Jas) ( 1 ) . 22. The twenty-fecond fpecimen is taken from an original letter of Francis I. of France, to the Bimop of Bayonne, and Monf. de Morett, his Ambaffadors in England. Meffrs. EJlant feur que ce fera Jingulier plaijir a mon bon frere et perpetuel allye le Roy d* Angle ter re, et pareillement a Monf. le Legat. 23. Number twenty-three, is taken from a MS. in the Cottonian library, (Caligula A. 5.) written about the middle of the fixteenth century, and is decorated with feveral beautiful illuminations. Ariftote toutefoh en Jon primer Livre d'Ethiques dtt Beati funt vhentes cum felicitas operatio Jit. . 28. The twenty-fourth fpecimen is taken from a French Miffal, writ- ten in the latter end of the fixteenth, or the beginning of the feventeenth century. SanSle Jobanie & Paule — of Set Cojma & Damiane — or Set Gervafi & Prothaji—ox Omnes Jci Martires — ori (1) This MS. is ornamented with fixteen and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities, 4to, 177;, curious hiftorical drawings, thirteen of which, pi. 20 to 33, and p. 16 to 24. arc engraven by Mr. Strutt, in his Regal 25. Number ij6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. 25. Number twenty-five, contains a fpecimen of Belgic writing, taken from a MS. in my library, written in Flanders, about the middle of the fifteenth century. •0 Van S. Katelyn. Kateline ionghe iuecht Die regneert. inde godlike dune Daer bouen inde ewighe vruecht Datu 26. 27. The twenty-fixth and twenty-feventh numbers are taken from MSS. brought from Iceland by the Prefident of the Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, and depofited by him in theBritifh Mufeum. Thefe MSS. ieem to have been written about the fourteenth century. N° 26 is to be read, Gud himnana, Gradare mana, Geime ofs alia ; Late mig Scilia, &c. i. e. God of Heaven, Saviour of men, defend us all, forgive my fns, ( or punijhment % N° 27 is written in pure Illandic, of the fourteenth century, and is to be read* Sa nadar-riikafle Gud og Drottin feiger fuo ( miin hiartgutz Elfbu moder Ragneiaur Eggerts dottur J fyrer mim Efaite fpamans i LX Capitula. *' Eg vil huggar ydur, fuo fern tha moder in huggar (fitt barn J. 1 * u e. The mercy -rich God and Lord fays fo (my beloved Eli- zabeth mother of Ragneid, Eggert's daughter J by the mouth of Es ai as the prophet, in the LXth chapter, ** I will embrace you, fo as ■a mother embraceth (her child)" 280 The twenty-eighth number contains a lingular fpecimen of EngHfh sihara&ers, engraven on ftone, in the church of Campfall, in the county of York. Let fal downe thy ne, & lift up thy hart, Behold thy maker on yond Cros al to torn Remember his Wondis that for the did fmarf, Gotyn without fyn, and on a Virgin born* Papal 'J As die inftruments which iflue from the Roman Chancery, Bulls, -l .called Pap at. Bulls, have been received in every country where tiie Roman Catholic Religion is eftablimed, it may be proper in this ijlace, to fay fomethiiig concerning them, and of the characters in which they Chap. V. OF WRITING. they are written. They derive their name of Bulls, from the feals appen- dent to them, and not from their contents. Bulls were not confined to the Roman Pontiffs alone, but were alfo iflued under that name, by Emperors, Princes, Bifhops, and great men, who till the thirteenth century, fome- times affixed feals of metal, as well as of wax, to edicts, charters, and other inftrumentSL, though they were equally called Bulls, whether they were fealed with the one or with the other ; but the Popes have continued to affix metal feals to their Bulls, to the prefent time ; on all ordinary occa- fions thefe feals are of lead, but when they beftowed particular marks of grace and favour on fovereign Princes, feals of gold were affixed. The Bull of Pope Clement VII. conferring the Title of Defender of the Faith, on King Henry VIII. hath a feal of gold appendant to it (2). In early times, the feals of the Popes varied in their forms, but they have been much of the fame make from the Pontificate of Urban II. who was elected to the Papal Chair in 1088. On the front of the feals, are the names and faces of St. Paul, and S t. Peter, feparated by a crofs, and on the reverfe of each feal, is the name of the Pope ; after the two letters P P, is the number in Roman numerals, which diftinguifhes him from his pre- deceflbrs of the fame name. Bulls containing matters of grace and favour, were fufpended by firings of red and yellow filk, but if they were mandates for punimment, they were hung by hempen cords. Papal Bulls are of different kinds, as fmall Bulls, or mandates of a lefs folemn nature ; Confijlorial Bulls, made in full confiftory, which are con- fined to affairs of religion, or to the Apoftolic Chair ; Pancartes, or con- firmations of grants to the church, and Bulls of Privilege, which granted particular immunities to cathedrals and abbies. The moft ancient Bulls were written in the Roman running hand, which mode of writing fhail be mentioned prefently ^ they were written in Lombardic characters us early as the-eighth century, which were preferved in Bulls till the middle of the twelfth, though fmall Roman characters were occafionally ufed (3), and a mixture ©f thefe two kinds of letters, were ufedin Bulls fo late as the fifteenth century. The beginning of the Bulls of the Roman Pontjffs 3 .were written in long and indiftinct letters, which ure difficult to be lead* (2) The famous inftrument of the Em- called the Golden Bull, from the ,gpid.feitL sferor Charles IV. made in 1356, with the appendant to it. xojifeat of- the Princes of the Empire, is (3) See N. T. Dipl. vol. V. past iii. i.v. v, ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V. : The Emperors, and the other Princes on the continent of Europe began their charters in iimilar letters, fpecimens of which, are given in the twenty- eighth plate. The firft fpecimen of this plate is taken from a Bull of Pope Innocent II. in favour of Chrift-church, near Aldgate. Innoceniius Epifcopus fervus fervorum Dei. Diledio filio Normanno, Priori Eccle/ice Chrijii infra &c. tn perpeittum. Apoftolicte fedis dementia congruit rciigiofas perfonas affeElione — Data Viterbi per manum Florenci fanBce romance — Incarnat. Dnice Anno, 1 137. The fecond fpecimen, in the fame plate, is taken from a Bull of Pope Gregory IX. dated in the tenth year of his Pontificate, A; D. 1237, granting to the Abbot and Convent of Quarrer, in the IQe of Wight, the liberty of choofing their own Confeflbr. Gregorius Epifcopus fervus fervorum Dei. DikSiis filiis Abbati et Conventui de ^uarraria Cifercien. Ord. Winton. Dice, falutem et Apojlolicam benedidtionem — Dat. Inter am vi. KX. FeK Pont ificat. nn Anno decimo. The third fpecimen is taken from a Bull of Benedict XII. dated at Avignon, in the third year of his Pontificate, A. D. 1337. Benedifius Epul fervus fervor Dei. Cariffimo in Xpo filio Edwardo. Regi Anglie illufix. fait, et Apyicam benedidtionem Dat. Auvnon 11. ItL. . . Marti i Pont ificat us nofiri Anno tertio. The fourth fpecimen is taken from a Bull of Martin III. dated in 1428. Martinus Eps fervus fervorum Dei. Venerabili Eratri Archiepd Eboracen Jalt. et Dat, Rom. apud fandlos Apofiolos vin. Kt. Julii Pontificatus nri Anno Undecimo. The fifth fpecimen is taken from a Bull of Pope Gregory XIII. dated at Rome in 1575, appointing Patrick Laccnan Titular Bifhop of Dromore, in Ireland. 7 Dat. B ULLE P A 1' A H V} i 7J AT at Y1 1; .tujr comprint". reu^iO as per end )' er tionc 2 CTUU8 cruo. \ ^ phi 6 otvttlrcett — 'ivn dnno 2 ecimo . \ W v .X///. emus* JeryH&£ fJl^^ncvaMx fvvim (-boracxrtj <^Ar ct. Seec. XV. (Quavft>. 3D ri uiM* Chap. V. OF WRITING. 57 Dat. Rome apud Sanftum Peirum Anno Incarnationis Dnjce Millefimo Qu'mgentefimo Septuagejimo Quinto. Decimo Kal. February Pontifica- tus mi Anno Quarto. About the year 1450, a more (trong and durable hand was ufed in Italy for Bulls, and other inftruments, which iffued from the Roman Chancery, different from thofe ufed before that period, and fimilar to thofein the fifth fpecimen, in the twenty-eighth plate. All the fpecimens in this plate, ex- cept the firft, are from the originals in my library. Running^ This kind of writing was in ufe among the Romans, fo early band. I as the fourth century, if not fooner. The learned editors of theNouveau Traite de Diplomatique (4) have given us a number of authen- tic documents in proof of this fa£t, but it appears to have been generally- current in the eighth century. It experienced the fate of their capitals and fmall letters, and fuffered various changes, according to the taffce of the times, and genius of the people, by whom it was adopted. The Lombardic running-hand may be confidered as a branch of the Ro- man, modelled after that ufed in the fixth and feventh centuries. There is a ffriking refemblance between the Lombardic and Merovingian running hands. Lombardic characters are ftill to be feen in fome charters of the thirteenth century, even in Germany. The affinity between the Roman, Lombardic, and the Merovingian run- ning-hand is fo great, that they may be confidered as one ; all the difference confifts in fome few alterations, that time produces in every mode of writing in different countries. The fhades, by which they are diftinguiihed, were introduced after the middle of the fixth century. The Merovingian con- tinued from the middle of the feventh century, to the reign of Pepin the Short, when it became more delicate, and lefs intricate. The Saxon running-hand derived its origin likewife from the Roman. It was already formed in the eighth century, and prevailed in England un- til the eleventh, when it was fuperfededby the Norman or French mode of writing, as we have already fhewn. The Vifi-Gothic running-hand may have been diftinguifhed from the Roman, fo early as the fixth century, but there are no examples prior to the feventh. It continued until the thirteenth. (4) Vol. III. chap. xi. p. 621, et Cc^a. The ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V- The Caroline running-hand is no more than a continuation of the Me- rovingian. It firfb made its appearance in the eighth century, and was loft among the fmall Roman letters in the twelfth. It experienced many ad- vantageous, as well as many difadvantageous changes, at different periods. The Capetian running- hand bears a great refemblance to the Caroline, under the firft Kings, of the third race in France, and even during part of the reign of Robert. II. In the eleventh cenrury, its long (harp ftrokes and flouriflies, efpecially in MSS. Were the only marks of diftinction, be- tween it, and the {mall letters of MSS. In the twelfth century, it was verv rarely ufed, and gave way to fmall letters, almoft on every occafion. In the thirteenth century, it was loft in the Gothic fmall hand. The running-hand praclifed in Germany was not fo free and expeditious, as the writings of Italy and France, but partook more of the fmall cor- rupted Roman letters. Several fpecimens of the different kinds of running- hand abovementi- oned, are given in the twenty-ninth plate. The firft fpecimen of Roman running-hand is taken from a grant made to the church of Ravenna in the lixth century ; it is written on Papyrus, and is engraven in the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique (5) and is to be read, In Chrijli nomine adquiftus optionum e Vico Mediolan huic Chartulae donationis—-portioms. The ^ at the beginning, ftands fori. C. N (In Chrijii Nomine) and this we confider as one of the firft Monograms, which we find in any charter. '■ . 8#%&ff™ The fecond fpecimen, is taken from a charter of the fixth century, en- graven from the iixty-fourth plate of the work laft mentioned. Notitia tejiium id ejl armatus V. D.fchol. & coll . . . that is to fay, Vir Devotus Scbolaris et colleclarius. There are many Sigla in this charter. The third number contains a fpecimen of Lombardic running-hand, which is taken from a charter of Grimoaldus, Duke of Benevento, dated in the fifth year of his reign, which was in the year 795. (5) Tom. iii. pi. 63, p. 626, et feqq. been written in the fixth year of the Poft The original is preferved in a chryftal vale Confulate of Paulinus the younger, which in the Vatican library. It is laid to have was in the year 540. In Jloman. I r 2_ 9 ill German. _ Chap. V. OF WRITING. 161 In Nomine Domini Dei Jefu Chrijli, nos vir glcriojijijuus Gri mo Al- dus Dei ' provident i a .... The fourth number contains afpecimen of Merovingian running-hand, which is taken from a decree of ChilDebert III. in the year 703. I. C. N. Childebertus Rex Francorum Vir inlujlcr cum nos in Dei nomitie Carraciaco Villa Grimoaldo majorim Domus nojlri una cum. nojlris .... The fifth number is in the Caroline running-hand, and is taken from a charter of Charlemagne to the church of St. Marceilus, at Chalons. I. C. N. Carolus gratia Dei Rex Francorum— quidem clemenciae cunc- torum decet accommodare aure benigna prccipue quibus. By this charter it appears, that good Latin and orthography, was- at this uwt&/ time banifhed from charters and legal inftruments ; aure benigna for aurem benignant. The fixth number contains a fpecimen of the Capetian running-hand, which is nothing more than the Caroline degenerated, and is taken from a fragment of a charter of the year 988, in favour of the Abby of St. Colomb, at Sens. In eifdem degentium or em ( aurem) nojre celfitudinis impendimus regium procul dubio exercemus munus . . . This kind of writing was not ufed in charters after the reign of Robert (6), when they fubftituted fmall letters, which differed from thofe ufed in MSS. by the tops being flourifried, and the tails lengthened; thefe laft were alfo loft in the modern Gothic in the thirteenth century. The feventh number contains a fpecimen of German writing, which par- takes fo little of the freedom of running-hand that it fcarcely deferves the name; it is taken from the end of a charter of the Emperor Conrad the firfi, dated in the year 914, to the Abby of St. Emmeran, at Ratifbon. Ft ut hunc complacitationis preceptum firmum Jiabileque permancat manu nojlra fubtus illud Jirmavimus Anulique nojiri .... (6) Robert II. King of France, who died in 1035. Y The i6i ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. V, The Vifigothic running hand prevailed longer in Spain, than in the reft of Europe, for it was not till the latter end of the eleventh century that Alphonsus VI. introduced the French mode of writing into the kingdoms of Caftile and Leon. That the Roman running-hand was the fource from whence all national variations of that kind of writing flowed, is ohvious, from the mixture of Roman, Lombardic, Vifi-Gothic, Merovingian and Saxon letters, which appear in the moft ancient documents; nay the refemblanceis fometimes fo ftrong between them, that it is noteafy to form a distinction. The Roman running-hand experienced great alterations from one age to another, efpecially that fpecies of it, which was ufed in the courts of juftice ; thofe alterations were more confpicuous after the fixth century ; then, it feemed to degenerate into the Lombardic -and Me- rovingian. The latter, if the characters are ftrongly marked, muft be at leaft of the eighth century : when it is clofely linked and complicated, it goes as far back as the feventh. From the end of the eighth, to the begin- ning of the twelfth, it approaches nearer to the fmall Roman letters. There are two kinds of Lombardic running-hand, ancient and modern; the former is diftinguifhed by long heads and tails, the latter is thicker. From the tenth century it aflumed a form that led directly to the modern. Gothic. The MSS. and Charters of the ninth and tenth centuries, exhibit many traces of Roman running-hand ; fuch appearances after the eleventh, would make them fufpicious, but manufcripts in running-hand of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, are not eafily diltinguilhed* CHAP, Chap. VI OF 7VR1TING. 163 CHAP. VI. OF CHARACTERS AND SIGNS. Of the Chinefe Characters — Of Sigla or literary Signs — Of Nota tifed by Short-hand Writers — Of the various Modes of fecret Writing. WE have already fhewn, that all Symbols whatever, are fignificant only by compact or agreement, but it is to be obferved v that thefe fymbols or marks are different in their operations. The Chinese Characters, which are by length of time become fymboltc, were originally imitative (7) ; they frill partake fo much of their original hieroglyphic nature that they do not combine into words, like letters ox marks for founds, but we find one mark for a man, another for a horfe, a third for a dog, and, in fhort, a feparate and diftincl: mark for each thing which hath a corporeal form. They are under a neceflity of making feparate marks for each di- ftrict and town. It is obvious that thefe marks mufl be exceedingly nume- rous; but how greatly mufl they be multiplied, by the abfolute neceflity of defcribing the properties, and qualities of things ! The Chinefe alfo ufe a great number of marks intirely of a fymbolic na- ture, to imprefs on the eye, the conceptions of the mind, which have no corporeal forms ; though they do not combine thefe laft marks into words, like marks for founds or letters, but a feparate mark is made to reprefent or ftand for each idea, and they ufe them in the fame manner as they do their abridged piclure-characlers, which, as we have obferved, were origi- nally imitative or hieroglyphic. (7) Many of the original imitative cha- plates of them are engraven in the 59th vol. rafters of the Chinefe, are to be found in of the Philofophical Tranfa&ions. Du Halde's Hiltory of China ; and feveral The 164 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI The Chinefe characters, according to fome of their writers, amount to twenty- five thoufand ; to thirty or forty thoufand according to others ; but the latter writers fay, they amount to eighty thoufand, although he is reck- oned a very learned man, who is matter of fifteen or twenty thoufand. The Chinefe doctors, in order to facilitate the reading of their language, have compiled lexicons and vocabularies, in which their variety of cha- racters is ranked in feveral clafles. They have alfo keys to their characters,, which are divided into different clafles : thefe keys are 214 in number, and contain the general outlines of the characters ufed in each clafs of writing;: thus for inflance, every thing that relates to heaven, earth, mountain, man, horfe, &cq. is to be looked for under the character of heaven, earth, moun- tain, man, horfe, &c. (8) The moft ancient characters of the Chinefe are called Kou Ouen, and are nearly hieroglyphic (9). They have no diftinct knowledge of the inven- tion of writing ; one of their books mentions, that Fou hi, introduced eight Koua or elementary characters for affairs of ftate, thefe put an end to the ufe of knots upon cords, which had till that time been ufed. A book called Tfee hio hang tfin, divides the Chinefe characters into fix forts, Liefu — y. The firft is called Siang hing, which are true pictures of fenfible things. The fecond is called 'Tchi che, or the indication of the thing, which is made by an addition to the fymbol. The third is called Hoei-y, i. e. junBion of ideas, or ajfociation, and con- fits in joining to exprefsa thing, which neither the one or the other figni- fies feparately. For example, they exprefs misfortune by a character which fignifies houfe, and by another which denotes fire, becaufe the greateft mif- fortune which can befall a man, is, to have his houfe on fire. Trie fourth is called Kiai-in, which is, explication, or expreffion of the found. The fifth is called Kiai-fie, idea, metaphor, which hath opened an im- menfe field to the manner of making, ufe of their marks or characters : by (8) One of thefe vocabularies is in my (9) See thefe characters in the Phiiofophi- library. The imitative character is placed cal Tranfa&ions, vol. LIX. plate 24,. et full, and the correlponding or arbitrary mark fec^. ib. p. 494, et feqq. oppofite to it, fo that they explain each other. virtue Chap. VI. OF WRITING. 165 virtue of the Kia-Jie, one character is fometimes taken for another ; chofen to exprefs a proper name; turned afidetoa fenfe allegorical, metaphorical, or ironical ; and pufhed even to an antiphrafis, in giving it a fenfe oppofte to that wherein it is employed elfewhere. The fixth is called Tchouen-Tchov ', i. e. developement, explication, which confifts only in extending the primitive fenfe of a character or in making detailed applications of it. Thus the fame character is fometimes verb or adverb, fometimes adjective or lubftantive : tbefe fix Liefu-y above de- fcribed, are the fources from whence flow all the characters of the Chinefe. There are live different kinds of writing practifed by the Chinefe. The firit and moft ancient is called Kou-onen, which is of the hieroglyphic kind, but hath long been obfolete ; the fecond Tchoang-tfee (alfo read Tcboven- tfee) fucceeded the Kou-ouen, and lafted even to the end of the d'ynafty of the Tcheou. It was this which was in ufe from the time of Confucius ; and of which the abbreviations and various readings have been mod fatal. The third Li-tfee began under the reign of Chi-boang-ti, the founderof the dynafty of the Tfin, and the great enemy of letters, and of4e ttore d-men. The fourth, Hing-chou % is deftined for imgreffion, as with us the Reman ^ and Italic. The fifth fort, 'Tjao-tfee was invented under the Han. This laft is a kind of writing with the ftroke of a pencil, with a very- light and well experienced hand ; but it disfigures the characters, beyond expreflion. It is only ufed for the prefcriptions of Phyficians, prefaces of books, inferiptions of fancy,. &c. We agree with Dr. Warjburton, that the Chinefe are no Philofophers, or they would have endeavoured to have improved the two moft ufeful arts in life, /peaking and writing : what fome of the Jefuits have faid, con- cerning the wonderful learning of the Chinefe mayjuftly be doubted (1) ; for though they have fome mechanic arts, and although the populoufnefs and vail: extent of their country, have obliged them to efbblim an exact po- lice, and to ftudy the rules of good government, they are far from being men of fcience ; they are even ignorant of the principles of perfpective, as their paintings evince., (1) DuHalde, who was himfelf a Jefuit, metry, and' Rcnaudot fays, that when the differs in his account of the Chinefe from fe- Jefuits explained to them the demonftratiom veral of his brethren, for he tells us that they of Euclid, they admired theru as things alto- knew verv little of the problems of geo- gctherinew to them. k ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI. It mould feem, that it is a part of the civil and religious policy of the Chinefe, ftill to adhere to their ancient ufage of a multitude of marks for things ; for they mull have feen the books difperfed in their country, by the mhiionari.es for propagating the Gofpel, and other works, which are cora- pofed in elementary characters. Thus we have fufficiently (hewn, that marks for words like the Chinefe muft be very numerous ; and we have in a former chapter demonft rated, that marks for founds are very 'few ; but thefe laft are capable of fuch an infinity of combinations, that they anfwer every purpofe of a multitude of marks or characters (2). OF S I G L A, or literary SIGNS. COMPETENT knowledge of the literary Jigns, or verbal con- tractions ufed by the ancients, is of the utmofl importance to thofe who wiih to be familiarly acquainted with ancient hiflory. Thefe Sigl a or Signs, frequently appear on marbles, coins, and medals, and occur in thofe ineftimable volumes of antiquity, which have tranfmitted to us the molt im- portant truths relative to the religion, manners, cuftoms, arts and fciences, of ancient nations. Thefe are keys as it were, to unlock the molt precious volumes of antiquity; they introduce us to a more fpeedy acquaintance with all the various works of ancient artifts and writers. The inftrudtion to be derived from this branch of polite learning, is of itfelf a fufficient (2) The Chinefe language is very fingu- do yet more, they give harmony and pointed lar, nor is any like it to be found on the cadence to the moft ordinary phrafes. It ap- globe ; it contains but about 330 words : from pears furprifing that the Chinefe, who have hence the Europeans have concluded that it nothing but monofyllables in their language, is barren, monotone, and hard to under- fhould be able to exprefs every different idea ftand, but they ought to know that the four and fenfation which they can conceive, but accents called ping uni (even) chung eleve they fo diverlify thefe monofyllables, by the (railed^ k'ni ditninue (leffened) jou rentrant, different tones which they give them, that (returning) multiply almoft every word into the fame character differently accented, fig- four, by an inflexion of voice, which it is as nifies fometimes ten or more different things, difficult to make an European underftand, as It is in this way that they, in fome degree, it is for a Chinefe to comprehend the fix pro fupply the poverty of their articulation (which nunciations of the French E ; their accents is very great), and their want of compofition. fpur Chap. VI. OF WRITING. i6 7 fpur to ftimulate attention and induftry ; but its utility, which is no lefs obvious, is an additional incentive to augment our application and defires, when we confider, that there are no ancient documents, either on metals, marbles, precious ftones, bark, parchment, paper, or other materials, which do not abound with thefe literary contractions, and that it will be very difficult to underftand them without this neceffiary knowledge. Coins and{ Many writers have employed their pens in elucidating this Medals. 1 fubject ; among others, Octavius de Strada in Aurea Numifmata, Sec. where we read C. Cesar. Divi. F. IMP. Cos. III. Vir R. P. C. that is, Caii Cafaris Divi flius imperator conful Triumvir reipub- licce conflituendce. A number of fimilar examples may be found in the fame author, and in /Eneas Vicus Parmenjis de Augujiarum imaginibus. On medals and coins A frequently occurs for Aulus, A. F. for Auli films, A. L. for Auli Hbertus. A or An for Annis,. Annos, or Annum, &c. To avoid prolixity, the reader is referred to the alphabetical table of John" Nicolaus from p. 123 to 146 inclufive, and Gobu de Numtfmat. Autiqu. Vadlant. Prideaux on Ofconian Marbles. Occonis Numifmata. Sertorius Ur- fatus. Selden's Titles of Honour, &c. The practice of impreffing literary figns on coins, has been conftantly pre- ferved to the prefent times. The medals or coins of the Grecian Princes, and • of the Roman Emperors, had their effigies and titles on one fide, and fome hieroglyphical, emblematic, or hiflorical representation on the other. Their names were generally exprefTed by fingle letters, to which their offices or principal dignities were annexed ; for example, on thofe of Julius C^sar, > we frequently read this infeription, C. IMP. quart. Augur Pont. Max. Cos. Quart. Dict. quart, that is, Cafar Lnperator qiurtum Augur Pontifex Maximus Conful quartum Diolator quartum. The firft word gives the name, then follow the dignities and offices he poffefled ; that is, he was four' times Augur, Supreme Pontiff, Conful, and Dictator. In like manner we find imprefied on the coins of Augustus, the fol- lowing literary figns. Aug. C. Divi. F. Imp. Augur Pont III Vir. R. P. C. for Auguflus C afar is Divi Julii filius, Imperator, Augur, Pon- tifex, Triumvir reipublicte confituendce ; and in fhort, on moft of the ancient coins and medals, we find names, titles, and epithets. • 2 It ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VL Ttls pbferved, that Julius Ctesar was the firit who had his image with the title of perpetual dictator, imprefled on the Roman coin ; this honour was conferred on him by a fenatorial decree, after the battle of Pharfalia. His example was followed by Augustus and other Emperors. Sometimes two heads were ftamped upon their coins, denoting they had a partner in their dignity, as appears from the coin of Constant. II. with his own head, and that of his (on Const an tine, and from that of anotherCoNST an- tine, bearing his own with the image of his mother. Not only images, but likewife furname^, titles, or epithets, fuch as pirn, felix, &c. were im- preffed on coins. Some of the Chriftian Emperors, from motives of zeal infcribed thofe honours to Chrift. John Zimisces was the fir ft who in- troduced the cuftom, and imprevTed upon the coin, I. H. S. X. P. S. The different offices had their particular infcriptions on Roman coins or medals. Such as III viri or triumvirs. In the Cornelian family were to be feen II virs and III virs of the colonies ; but on the imperial coinjnone but the greater dignities appeared, fuch as Augur and Chief Pontiffs denot- ing that the Emperors, by virtue of thofe offices had the fupreme autho- rity in all matters of religion. This dignity was enjoyed by the Emperors, from the time of Augustus, to the days of Gratian, who laid it afide in the latter part of his reign. The remarkable actions of the Emperors, ■were fometlmes either {imply or figuratively imprefTed on coins and medals, as that of Trajan crowning the King of the Parthians, with thefe words, Rex Parthis dedit. The principal virtues of the Emperors were fometimes celebrated on coins, as, Moderation!, Clementine, Juftitite, &c. &c. It would require a whole volume to enumerate all the particulars that relate to this fubject. : an ample account may be found in Selden de titulis honor. The infcriptions on the coins of the different ftates of Europe, nearly re- femble thofe of the Romans, from whom the cuftom was borrowed. Epitaphs and other f As to epitaphs or fepulchral infcriptions, it was fcpulchral bifcripttonsX CO mmon to begin them with thefe literary figns, D. M. S. fignifying Diis Manibus Sacrum, and, as ftill is cuftomary with us, on fuch occafions, the glorious actions, praifes, origin, age, and rank of the deceafed, with the time of his death, were fet forth. Sepulchral infcriptions were in ufe with the people of all nations, and ^bounded with literary figns or abbreviations ; various examples of which may Chap. VI. OF WRITING. 169 may be feen in John Nicholaus's Treatife de Sig/is Veterum, (p. 216, 217,) and in his Alphabetical Table of Sepulchral literary contractions, (ibid. p. 220.) After the eitablifhment of Chriftianity, thofe who profefled that doc- trine, though they continued the practice of literary figns, or verbal con- tractions, they deviated however from the Pagan form, and inftead of the D. M. S. or Diis Manibus Sacrum, or I. O. M. S. jfovi Optimo Maxima Sacrum, they made ufe of D. O. M. S. that' is, Deo Optimo Maximo Sacrum. The general conclusion of almofc all Chiiftian monumental in- fcriptioiis is, Requiefcat in pace. They fometimes began with. Hie requi- efcit in pace. A table of various literary figns found on ChrhTian fepul- chres may be feen in John Nicholaus's de Siglis Veterum, (p. 248, & feq.) Of literary Signs f It is a fact too well known to require any particular on Sepulchral Urns. I elucidation, that it was cuftomary with the ancients to burn the bodies of the dead, and to depofit the remains in urns or veflfels, as appears from the funeral obsequies of Fatroclus and Achilles in Ho- mer ; and numberlefs other inftances are to be found fcattered in various Greek and Roman Authors. Of thofe there wefe two kinds, the one called OJfuaria, which contained the larger bones, and the other Cineraria, in ' which they depofited the lefler, with the afhes. Without dwelling upon a matter that does not immediately concern this part of our fubjedt, which is principally confined to the literary infcriptioiis on urns, we mall proceed in our remarks on the latter. Thofe who wifh for particular information on the fubject, will find it by confulting Sir Thomas Brown de Hydriotaphia, or Urn Burial, and the Monumenta Illuftrium, publiihed at Francfort, by S. Feirabendt, 1585. Urns were marked with literary figns and images, whence expert antiqua- ries are oftentimes enabled to difcover the artift by whom they were formed, and their antiquity, as we are told by Pliny, in his preface to his Natural Hiftory, and Martial fays, lib. 9. Epig. xlv. that ftatuaries, and other artifts, frequently inferibed their names on their works. Hence we learn that infcriptioiis were ufual on urns. V. S. L. M. is fometimes found upon fepulchral veffels, thofe literary figns are put for, Votum fohh lubens merito. Thofe who dedicated urns to their relations and friends, marked them frequently with fome of the following literary figns, Mar. Oil. D. Mart to Z ollanj r 7 o ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VL cllam dedit. O. E. Ollam emit. O. O. Olla OJfuaria. O. D. A. V. Olla data a viro. The Lachrymatories of the ancients bore alfo fimilar characters, and were frequently depofited with the fepulchral urns. nf Ah f Altars erected to the Supreme Being are of the higheft an- <* tiquity, but by the ambition and corruption of mankind were afterwards proilituted to flatter both the living and the dead. In- fcriptions, or literary ngns, frequently appeared on thofe altars ; as Ar. Don. D. that is, Aram dono dedit, and fuch like. Thofe altars were often railed over, or placed near, fepulchres, as may be feen in the ninety- fixth letter of Seneca, where he mentions the altar erected to Scipio Africanus. To avoid prolixity, the reader is referred, for a more ample detail on this fubjeel, to John Nichclaus de S/glis Veterum, from p. 261 to 264, Gr liter's Infcriptions, and Horsley's Britannia Rotnana* Of Literary Signs A Public Statues were erected to Kings, Emperors, hifcrihedon Statues. \^ others, both before and after their death, on which the names of the dedicators were frequently inferibed in literary figns. As in this infeription, Civ. Interamnanae Civ. Utriufque Sex. Aer. Coll. Poft Ob. H. P. D. that is, Gives Inter amnanae civitatis utriufque fexus are collato poft obitum hujus patrona; dedicarunt. From the following lite- rary figns, S. P. P. P. S. C. that is fua propria pecunia poni fibi curavit, we may know that the ftatue was at the expence of the perfon to whom it was erected. Pliny, in his thirty-fourth book, tells us, that in the infancy of Rome, the Kings erected ftatues to themfelvesj but, after they were expelled, the Senate and People only, had the power of conferring fuch honours. This privilege continued in the poffemon of the Senate until the time of the Em- perors. We frequently read, in the infcriptions on public ftatues, thofe li- terary figns, S. P. Q. R. D. that is, Senatus Populufque Romanus decrevit. Relations or friends of deceafed perfons, fometimes obtained leave to erect ftatues to their memory. There were no ftatues, either public or private, which had infcriptions, but confifted at leaft in part of literary ngns. This is a fact fo well known, that it is imneceffary to expatiate further on it. 3 Epijtolary Chap. VI. OF WRITING, i 7I Epiftolary Signs, f The Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans ufed forms of fa- or verbal Contractions. I l u t' m g or complimentary expreflions at the beginning of thjeir letters, and then proceeded to the fubject of the letters themfelves. The Latin method was to place the name of the writer firft, afterwards that of the perfon to whom the letter was addrcffed. The names were either put fimply without any epithet in literary figns, as, C. Att. S. that is Cicero Attico Salutem ; or the dignity or rank of the perfon was added, as, C. S. D. Plane. Imp. Cos. Des. that is, Cicero Salutem dicit Planco Impe- ratori Confuli def gnats. The epiftolary writings of the Romans abound with examples of this kind. The epiftles of Cicero in particular are full of them ; he often added words expreffive of tendernefs and affection to his wife, and other relations, that correfpond with our vernacular terms, dear, affectionate, &c. The firft part of the body of the letter generally confifted of literary iigns, as, S. V. G. E. V. that is, Si vales gaudeo, ego valeo. S. T. E. T. L. N. V. E. E. Sua. C. V. that is, Si tu et Tullia Lux Noftra Valetis, ego et fuaviffvnus Cicero valemus. Roman epiftles generally concluded with the word Vale alone, or joined with fome other expremons, — Bene Vale, Mi Frafer vale, and the like. Thofe words were either written at full length, or in their initials only. The literary figns ufed by the Hebrews in their epiftolary writings are expreflive of peace, health, honour, and other friendly wifhes to thofe to whom their letters were addreffed; in the conclusion they prayed for thofe friends, and fometimes ufed the moft abject terms of humiliation, as, Sic eft precatio minimi difcipulorum vermiculi Jacobi filii, R. Ifaac. Their man- ner of dating their letters was nearly in the fame order as is praclifed with us. Thefe figns are more fully explained by Buxtorff, in In/lit. Epifto~ lari Hebraic a, 1629. In juridical matters, the initials of words were frequently ufed by the ancients for the words themfelves. Thus in criminal caufes of impor- tance the Roman judges had three tablets given them, on each of which was marked either the letter A, Signifying acquittal or abfolution ; the- letter C, exprefting condemnation or guilt, or the letters N. L. implying Non-liquet, that is, the matter is not clear. According as either kind of thofe tablets was found moft numerous, in the urn in which they were Z 2 dropped 172 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI. dropped by the judges, the criminal was either acquitted, condemned, or brought to a new trial. The practice of fubftituting letters for words in law-books, was of very pernicious tendency; it occasioned fuch frequent chicanery andevafion, that the Emperor Just i ni^ n and others, prohibited it under fevere penalties. It would be an endlefs talk to enumerate all the various contractions ufed by the ancients, fuch as A for Augujtal'is, a£la^ au&oritas, aut, apud, &c. B« F. D. for beneficium dedit, B. F. for Bona Jide, &c. We find Sigla in the moft ancient MSS. fome fpecimens of fuch as were ufed in the fixth, feventh, and eighth centuries, are given at the bottom of the eleventh plate, (iee p. 84). Some of thefe Sigla were made by the Antiquarius who wrote the book, and others afterwards for the illustration of the text. The Sigla in the plate we are fpeaking of may be explained thus: N°i. H. S. i. e Hie fuppleas, or haec fupplenda. 2. H. D. i. e. Hie deficit, or haec deficiunt. 3. Paragraphus a note of divifion. 4. Diple, to mark out a quotation from the Old Teftamenr. 5. Crifimon being compofed of X and P, which ftands for Chrift. 6. Hederacei folii Figura, an ivy leaf, the ancient mark of divifion, 7. Ancora fuperior. To denote a very remarkable paffage. 8. Denotes, the beginning of a leffon. 9. Signifies good. 10. Stands for fomething very kind, or benevolent. 1 1. Points out a fine or admirable paffage. 12. L. D. kpide didlum. Finely faid. (3) The Military Sigla amongft the Romans are treated of by Vegetius and Frontinus. We quit this part of our fubject with regret, but it would exceed the li- mits of our plan to enter more fully into it ; our readers are therefore re- ferred to John Nicholaus, above mentioned, who hath written profeff- edly upon the Sigla of the Ancients (4). (3) Concerning thefe kind of notes fee (4) J. Nicolai Tra&atus de figlis veterum. Ifidor. Hift. Originib. et Etymolog. lib. i. Lugd. Bat. 1703, 4to. cap. 23, de notis vnlgaribus. Of Chap. VI OF WRITING, Of NotjE, or Marks ufed by Short-hand Writers. TH E origin of Notes, for expeditious Writing, is of very great antiquity : they were known to the Greeks ; and, according to Laertius (5), Xenophon the philofopher, was the firft of that nation who made ufe of them. Plutarch fully explained the nature of thefe notes, by defining them as figns or minute and JJjorf Jjgutes having the force of many letters (6). Some paflages in the let- ters of CicEko to Atticus furnifh additional arguments to demonftrate, that the Romans derived the idea of Short-hand-writing from the Greeks, or that the art at leaft was firft known to the latter. S. Isidore, the Spaniard, however, and after him Petrus Diaconus (7), attributes the invention of the firft 1100 to the learned Ennius. He fays, that Tiro afterwards not only invented a greater number, but was likewife the firft who regulated the manner of ranging fhort-hand-writing, and the order to be obferved in taking down public harangues. Persan- nius may be deemed a third inventor of notes, as he was the author of fuch as exprefled prepo.fi tions. Others were added by Philargirus and Aquila the freedman of Mecenas ; and Seneca augmented the number to five thou fan d. The moft general opinion is, that Tully firft made ufe of notes or fhort-hand-writing in Rome, when Cato made an oration, in order to op- pofe the meafures of Julius Caesar relative to the confpiraey of Cati- linf. Cicero, who was at that time Conful,. placed Notarii or expert Ihort-hand-writers, in different parts of the fenate-houfe, to take down the fpeech, and this was the firft public occafion which we find recorded, of employing fhort- hand- writers among the Romans. It is unnecefTary to obferve, that hence proceeded the name of notary, ftill in ufe. There were three kinds of notes for fhort-hand-writing ufed by the an- cients, either fordifpatch or fecrecy. The firft and moft ancient, was that of hieroglyphics, which are rather images or reprefentations of things, (5) Vita Zenoph. 1. xU f. 48. (6) Plutarch torn, iv, p. 238, edit. Lond. {7) Lib. de Not Lit. Rom. than 174 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI. than of words. The Chinefe characters are of this kind, and may with greater propriety be called No.tac than Littery, as appears from what hath been already advanced. The fecond fpecies of nojes were called. Singularjfa from their expreff- mg words by fingle letters; of which we have already fpoken. , Sertorius Ursatus has compiled a very copious collection of fuch abbreviations, of which work there are feveral editions. It is natural to fuppofe that this kind of notes more generally prevailed with the ancients than any other, on account of their great fimplicity and expedition. In the early times, before improvements were made in {hort-.hand-writing, it was ufual to take down fpeeches in. the fenate, by writing the initials of ajl the words ; for this we have the teftimony of Valerius Probus : and the fame is alfo confirmed by thofe verfes of Manilius, lib. 4. Hie et fcriptor erit velox cui litera verbum eft, pulque notis linguam fuperet curfumque loquentis Kxcipiens longas nova per compendia voces. The third kind of notes, called Not a Tironiame, were fo called from Tiro, the freed man of Cicero, who was excellently fkilled in this art ; and it is to him that we are indebted for the prefervation of Cicero's letters, of which a great part ftill remain, and one intire book of them written to Tiro himfelf. This excellent perfon was trained up in Cicero's family, among the reft of his young (laves, and made great progrefs in every kind of ufeful and polite learning : being a youth of lingular parts and induftry, he foon became an eminent fcholar, and was extremely ferviceable to his mailer in all his affairs both civil and domeftic. Tully fpeaks very re- fpectfully of him in his letters to Atticus; and in his letters to Tiro himfelf (8). It is very apparent that notes, as they are found in ancient writings, (8) This letter fhews not only how Tiro ■was beloved by his mailer, but how neceffary he was to him, and therefore we hope our readers will excufe the inferting of Dr. Mid- -dleton's elegant tranflation of it. M. T. Cicero, to Tiro. (Ep. Fam. 16. p. 1.) I thought that I fliould have been able " to bear the want of you more ealily j but " in truth I cannot bear it : and though it is " of great importance to my expefted honor " to be at Rome as foon as poffible, yet I " feem te have committed a fin, when I left *f you. Bat fince you were utterly againft " proceeding in the voyage till your health " was confirmed, I approved your refolu- " tion; Chap. VI. OF WRITING. 175 writings, were not invented either at one time, or by one perfon ; this may be fcen from various notes being made to exprefs the fame letter. Hence we may prefume, that notes were firft ufedin an arbitrary manner, and that it was fome time before rules were laid down, or any formal fyftem was adopted'for this Jsmd of writing. From books it appears, that notes were very frequent among the Romans, and continued in ufe to the tenth and eleventh centuries. The Emperors nfed them equally with their fubjects ; they were taught in the public fchools; and that they were ufed in examining criminals and perfons ac- cufed, as well as in the fentences of judges hath been already (hewn, and additional inftances may be gathered from the acts of the Chriftian Martyrs. We have indeed but few books remaining that are written in fhort-hand, but this is not furpriling, when fuch was the unhappy fituation of yearly ages, that either fuperftition condemned them to the flames as the works of impious magicians or necromancers, or they were left to be de- voured by vermin, through ignorance and ftupidity, which was fo very great, that fome people, as Trithemius affirms, looked upon notes in thofe days as the elements of the Armenian language. It is probable, tion ; nor do I now think otherwife if " your health, take care to have good cora- " you continue in the fame mind. But af- " pany, good weather, and a good vefieJ. " ter you have begun to take meat again, if " Obferve this one thing, my Tit o, if you 4< you think that you lhall be able to over- " love me, that neither Ada io's coming, nor " take me, that is left to your confederation. " this letter hurry you. By doing what is " I have fent Mario to you with inftruc- " moft conducive to your health, you will " tions, either to come with you to me as " do what is moft agreeable to me : weigh M foon as you can, or if you fhould ftay *' all thefe things by your own difcrction. I " longer, to return inftantly without you. " want you \ yet, fo as to love you • my love V Allure yourfelf" however of this, that, as " makes me wim to fee you well; my want " far as it can be convenient to your health, " of you, to fee you as foon as poflible : " I wilh nothing more than to have you " the firft is the better ; take care therefore, " with me; but if it be neceffary for th'e " above all things, to get well again : of all V perfecting your recovery, to ftay a while " your innumerable fervices to me, that " longer at Patne, that 1 wim nothing " will be the moft acceptable — The third of *' more than to have you well. If you " November." Middleton's Life of Ci- " fail immediately, you will overtake me cero, vol. II. p. 56. M ai Leucas : but if you ftay to eftablifh however^ ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI. however, that there are writings of this fort ftill extant, which might contribute to enrich the republic of letters. There are feveral MSS. and inftruments written in thefe kind of Not ^(z A R-cloo Numeral Characters A B c D E F G 7 / / 2 2. H ■3 (JL) 3 4 a 8 5 LJ r /. 10 % Jfrui /iuj/i fane on /im . Maft^a/nd my 6e/ia/fe m'/fi /uj~wtfic&) co/zt/tj/nie ft6a-?tAe*> y<>cr?n4nemd?a&rn : > □ 3 ^ 7T o : 9 x) s~ ullj ify.4- Vtzt 4 - 7 : ^ TV l±fa C, . 4 L77T m. fa t CE 4 : 7 y n 9 -ii 7 4.-7- ^' L ^ ^.d n 6 • 2 7 / ,n 10-7- ^1 j^.-o oh nature Murfutcaz&t J? t/e&tsg/it ^\jotn>«s/Mf/mw' //tu tvfe/w/p/y^etc/s 4 n X:S:-7.lf 10. 6:g /oMryolTy s: 10 TT<¥'- CO 7 S : co 4 : (5.t>J7^ n 10. ":b^^ /te t/eut 'red t/ur/ & A ?f "3T r| 0-0 — o 6 ^>\jc/l^BS Chap. VI. OF WRITING. 77 Of Steganograpiiy, or Secret Writing. f~| '"1 H E writing ufed by the Ancients, not for expedition, but for Jl fecrecy, was ftyled enigmatical ; one fpecies of it con lifted in tranfpofing the letters of the alphabet. Jc/lius Cesar often made ufe of it in writing to his friends. Ovid, in all probability, alludes to this mode of writing in his 4th Epiftle, where he fays, His arc ana not is terra pelagoque feruntur. This fpecies of fecret writing is of very great antiquity ; Polybius, who hath given us an exact relation of the knowledge of antiquity in this art (2), informs us, that vEneas Tactitus, upwards of two thoufand years ago, had invented twenty different manners of writing, which were not to be underftood, except by the parties admitted into the fecret. Julius Africanus and Philo-Mechanicus, two ancient Gre- cians, have likewife treated of this fubject ; Gruterus, has alfo given a volume on this head. De la Guilletiere, in his Lacedamon, fays, that the ancient Spartans were the inventors of writing in cipher. The Scytalce was the firft fketch of this art : thefe Scytalce were two rollers of wood, of equal length and thicknefs, one of them kept by the Ephori, the other by their Embaflador, or Military Commander. When any fecret orders were com- municated, a flip of parchment was rolled very exactly about the Scytala referved by the writer, upon which the difpatch was written, which was legible whilft the parchment continued upon the roller, but when it was taken off, the writing was without connection, but was eafy to be read by the perfon for whom it was intended, upon his applying it to his Scytala. Trithemius improved this art, on which he compofed feveral works. Boville, an ignorant perfon, and Possevin, wrote books to prove that the works of Trithemius were full of diabolical myfteries. Soon after which Frederick II. Elector Palatine ordered Trithemius's original work, which was in his library, to be burnt. Secret characters were ufed in the ninth century. Specimens of the fecret alphabet ufed by Charlemagne. ; and alio of one from a MS. in the Bodleian library, written in England in the time of King Alfred, and perhaps ufed by him ; are given in plate twenty- fix (3). (2) Poliorcetica, Hift. lib. x. (3) Anglo Saxon Gram. p. 168. Franco Teutonic Gram. p. 3. A a Several ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VI. Several other authors have written upon this fubject. as Theodorus Bi- bliander, Baptista Porta, Isaac Casaubon, Joh. Walipius, Go Vossius, D. Caramuel, Gaspar Schot a German Jefuit, Wolffang, Ernest Ejdel ; and one of the Dukes of Lunenburgh publifhed a book on fecret writing in 1624. Herman Hugo, the Jefuit (4), our great Lord Bacon, and Bifhop Wilkins, have alfo treated of this art (5). Jaques Gesory hath publilhed the principles of deciphering in the French lan- guage. Many examples of Steganography are to be found in the Mathe- matical Recreations of Ozanam. Thuanus informs us, that Viet a, an eminent French Mathematician,, was employed by Francis I. in deciphering the intercepted letters of the Spaniards, which were written in marks, confifting of upwards of five hun- dred characters, and that he was engaged in this fervice for upwards of two years, before the Spaniards difcovered the matter. Several fpecimens of ciphers ufed by the Englifh are given in the thirtieth plate. N° 1 is taken from a MS. on vellum in my library, written in the reign of Henry VI. N° 2 is the cipher ufed by Cardinal Wolsey at the court of Vienna in 1524. N° 3 is Sir Thomas Chaloner's cipher from Madrid in 1564. N° 4 is Sir Thomas Smith's cipher from Paris in 1563. N° 5 is that of Sir Edw. Stafford from the fame place in 1586, Viet a was certainly the mod: expert perfon in this art before our Doctor Wallis, who was called the Father of deciphering ; many circumftances concerning his (kill in this art are related in his life, in the Biographia Biitannica. Mr. Willes, the prefent decipherer, is pofiefled of Dr. Wallis's keys and ciphers (6). ! fcribendi origin g WCip; 161 7, 8vo. (5) Mercury, or the Secret and Swift Mef- fenger. Lond. 1641. (6) Mr. Wclbore Ellis affined me, that the late Earl Granville, when Secretary of State, told him, that when he came into of- fice he had his doubts refpe£Ung the certainty of deciphering — That he wrote down two or three fentences in the Swcdifh language, and afterwards put them into fuch. arbitrary marks or characters, as his mind fuggefted to him, — That he fent toe paper to the late Dr. Willes, who returned it the next day, and: informed his Lordfhip, that the characters he had fent to him formed certain words, which he had written beneath the cipher, but that he did not underftand the language, and Lord Granville declared, that the words were exa&ly thofe which he had firft written,, before be put the in into cipher. 6 The G HAM S . t 11 in mi mn / / f ./ n I II III ItlLIIIII r> -o t c A /if/ / r r/ ma toy // 1 u m mi mn / ///// //// ///// — J II III Mi l HIM x e n -d t c A r\ i it & T m> J. z " I A c u e- t ghinrTTr^ 11 .1 ^ m ir Cv r 11 rr m jD-f u. i hw ' Tv ii w c fc aScocc (ihc o d) ceo com acbo — g> < ^ KM ' a ro i ic * i: ^ x x x x iiMfak x »f J D mi i ll m i win ii tfljHt ffiw ii i ifmi wrffffti iiiimiiiii frnffimw-H -wwftfimf HiHttiff i ii m ii iii i i hiii ijh i iiiiiAiuiH iiiiiiiiiiiiiii i ni rnmmnm 71 — TTTpF: I ttbt ■7^-7^ If o + Mill II i y-A-no xt cpo 1 .-"Oc\- trrnn *oo j*C|*ibiTO . I • cdclrc^y <*n -ruirh(4 ^ -cab .1 . wfMch m- c • a TTiaina He^'iT^ 4Tmi4Trr>4 TiTafircr4}tJj dmndirod To]*ai^Tj -pro m attd 4th 4mTZT 1]^TDAc^4lb -po |tcn)4rb ^TnC|tA^0^-p»7te- , 0«TO -m4pit)14lt>. c^e^fc^tf^ee^ a- jija a 000.??^^/ 6 6 6 6 1 i n 1- ,. 1 m 1 m 3 .11 nil ,S ,3 y^fh-r |-e-chT jih't "Oo-fT on crrn'b -7 t>ot> er& mitif, hath given us the names of the nume- l/fneteC^e-oCe^ fryay e J. tyS% l A'*f tin Chap. VII. OF WRITING. till there are twice ten, to which laft they give a peculiar name, and fo on to any number of tens. The names of numerals are very different, not only in feveral parts of Afia, but in both North and South America, as appears from the Authors juft quoted. Small ftones were alfo ufed am on git uncivilized nations : hence the words calculate and calculation appear to have been derived from calculus, the Latin for a pebble-ftone. Alphabetic letters had alfo a certain numerical value affigned them, and feveral Greek characters were employed to exprefs particular numbers. The combination of Greek numerical - characters was not well known to the Latins before the thirteenth century, although Greek numerical cha- racters - were frequently ufed in France and Germany, in epifcopal letters, and continued to the eleventh century ; but of all the Greek ciphers the Epifema £au was molt in ufe with the Latins, it gradually aflumed the form of G with a tail, for fo it appears in a Latin infeription of the year 296. It is found to have been ufed in the fifth century in Latin MSS. it was reckoned for 6, and this value has been evinced by fuch a number of monumental proofs that there is no room to give it any other. Some of the learned, with even Mabillon, have been mifcaken in eftimating it as 5, but in a pofthumous work he acknowledges his error (5). Thofe authors were led into this error by the medals of the Emperor Jus- tinian having the epifema for 5 ; but it is a certain fact that the coiners had been miitaken and confounded it with the tailed U, for the epifema was {till in ufe in the fourth century, and among the Latins was efKmated as 6, but under a form fomewhat different. Whenever it appears in other mo- numents of the weftern nations of Europe of that very century, and the following, it is rarely ufed to exprefs any number except 5- The Etrufcans alfo ufed their letters for indicating numbers by writing them from right to left, and the ancient Danes copied the example in the application of their letters. The Romans, when they borrowed arts and fciences from the Greeks, learned alfo their method of ufing alphabetical numeration. This cuftom (5) Hift. of St, Denis, vol. II. p, 346, however 184 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VII. however was not very ancient among them. Before writing was yet cur- •rent with them they made ufe of nails for reckoning years, and the me- thod of driving thofe nails became in procefs of time a ceremony of their religion. The firft eight Roman numerals were compofed -of the I and the V. the Roman ten was compofed of the V proper, and the V inverted j^, which characters ferved to reckon as far as forty, but when writing became more general, I, V, X, L, C, D, and M were the only characters appropriated to the indication of numbers. The above feven letters in their mod: extenfive combination produce fix hundred and fixty-fix thoufand ranged thus, DCLXV1M. Some however pretend that the Romans were (hangers to any higher number than 100,000. The want of ciphers obliged them to double, treble, and multiply their nume- £&fr/xievl - ch4.raftc r o four-fold ; according as they had occafion to make them ' exprefs units, tens, hundreds, &c. &c. For the fake of brevity they had recourfe to another expedient, by drawing a fmall line over any of their numeral characters they made them ltand for as many thoufands as they contained units. Thus a fmall line over T made it 1000, and over x ex- prefled 10,000, &c. When the Romans wrote feveral units following, the firft and laft were longer than the reft lnnl, thus vlr after thofe fix units fignified fex-vir. D ftood for 500, and the perpendicular line of this letter was fometimes fe- parated from the body thus without leflening its value. M, whether capital or uncial, exprefled 1000. In the uncial form it fometimes afiumed that of one of thofe figures, CID, CD, CO O). The cumbent X was alfo ufed to fignify a fimilar number. As often as a figure of lefs value appears before a higher number, it de- notes that fo much muft be deducted from the greater number. Thus I before V makes but four, I before X gives only nine, X preceding C pro- duces only 90, and even two XX before C reckons for no more than 80. Such was the general practice of the ancient Romans with refpect to their numerical letters, which is ftill continued in recording accounts in our Exchequer. In ancient MSS. 4 is written IIII and not IV, 9 thus Villi ami not IX, &c. Inftead of V five units IIIII were fometimes ufed in the eighth cen- tury. Halt ytfas exprefled by an S at the end of the figures, CIIS was put 102 2nd a half. This S fometimes appeared in the form of our 5. In Chap. VII. OF WRITING. In fome old MSS. thofe numerical figures LXL are ufed to exprefs 90. The Roman numeral letters were generally ufed both in England, France, Italy, and Germany, from the carlieir. times to the middle of the fifteenth century. The ancient people of Spain madeufe of the. fame Roman ciphers as wc do. The X with the top of the' right hand ftroke in form of a femi-circle' reckoned for 40 ; it merits the more particular notice as it has mifled many of the learned. The Roman - giph e r s- however were continued in ufe with rpwnetaf /e/b/y the Spaniards until the fifteenth century. The Germans ufed the Roman ciphers for a long time, nearly in the fame manner as the French. With refpect to the dates of Charters, the ufe of Roman ciphers was xiniverfai in all countries j but to avoid falling into error, it muft be ob- ferved that in fuch dates, as well as in thofe of other monuments of France and Spain, number a thoufand was fometimes omitted, the date beginning by hundreds ; in others, the thoufands were fet down, and the hundreds left out ; and in the latter ages, both thoufands and hundreds were alike fupprefled, and people began with the tens, as if — 78 was put for 1778, a practice ftill followed in letters, and in affairs of trifling confequence. It is alfo neceflary to obferve, that the ancients frequently expreffed fums by even numbers, adding what was deficient to complete them, or omitting whatever might be redundant. This mode of reckoning is often ufed in facred writings, and was thence introduced into other monuments. The ancient fcribes or copyers, and even the more modern, committed frequent miftakes in writing the romau numeral ciphers, particularly with regard to V, L, M, &c. The points after the Roman ciphers were exceedingly various, and never rightly fixed. It is not known when the ancient cuftom was firft introduced of placing an O at top immediately after the Roman characters, as A M° L° VP &c. (6). Thefe alphabetic letters were very ill fuited to Algebraic calculations, which were little known in Europe till after the Indian numbers were (6) Many numeral contractions ufed by the Romans may be feen in S er tonus Urfatus de Not!} Romanorum. B b brought i86 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VII brought from the Eaft. The Romans in fome meafure fupplied the de- fects of their numeral characters by their Abacus or Counting Table (7). The Indians and Arabians were well (killed in the arts of aftronomy and of arithmetic, which required more convenient characters, than alphabetic, letters, for the expreffing of numbers. Many opinions concerning their origin, and the time of their introduction into Europe, have prevailed. Some writers afcribe the honour of this invention to the Indians, and fay they communicated them to the Arabs, from whom they were introduced among us by the Moors. This Indian origin is generally confidered as the beft founded, and is moft reflected by men of learning. Others infift they were derived from the Greeks, who communicated them to the Indians, whence we received them. Matt. Paris, Bernard Vossius, Bifhop Huet, and Ward, the Rhetorical Profeflbr, fupport the latter opinion, which appears however to be founded on mere arbitrary conjectures. Cal- met advanced another, and deduced thofe ciphers from a Latin fource, contending that they are nothing but the remains of the ancient tigns of Tiro ; but befides that this fancied refemblance is far-fetched, the ufe of the tigns of Tiro were fo far difufed in the tenth century, that there were fcarcely any traces of them to be feen after the beginning of the eleventh, unlefs the abbreviation of and by 7 and of us by 9 . Some have attributed the honour of having firft introduced the numeral characters at prefent ufed in Europe, to Planudes, a Greek Monk; others to Gerbert the firft French Pope, ftyled Sylvester II. The Spaniards contend, that they were firft introduced by their King Alphonsus X. on account of thofe aftronomical tables, named after him ; but all thefe various pretentions appear to have been built upon very vague foundations. It is therefore neceflary to endeavour to obtain better information upon this fubject. The numeral figures which have for fome centuries prevailed in Europe, are certainly Indian. The Arabians do not pretend to have been the in- (7) See an account of the Roman and Chi- lofoph. Tranfaft. vol. III. part ii. page 442, nefe Atecus, in the abridgment of the Phi- plate i« ventors Chap. VII. OF WRITING. 1S7 1 vcntors of them, but they afciibe their invention to the Indians, from whom they borrowed them ; and it will prefently appear that the numeral characters ufed by the Bramins, the Perfians, the Arabians, and fome other Eaftern nations, are fimilar to each other, and that the fame charac- ters were introduced into Europe, where they prevailed till the fifteenth century. The learned Dr. Wallis, of Oxford, delivers it as his opinion (8) that the Indian or Arabic numerals were brought into Europe together with other Arabic learning, about the middle of the tenth century, if not fooner. We find that in the beginning of the twelfth century, Adelard, a Monk of Bath, travelled into Spain, Egypt, and Arabia, and tranflated Euclid, and fome other authors, out of Arabic into Latin ; it was not till long after this time that Euclid's Elements was fuppofed to have been originally written in Greek. His tranflations of Euclid from the Arabic into Latin are now extant in the Bodleian library, (N° 3359, Selden 29, and N° 3623, S. 157). There is alfo in the fame library (N° 1612, Digby 1 1), a Latin tranflation, by Adelard, of an Arabic book de Stellis ; and a tranflation by him, from an Arabian MS. of a Treatife on Aftronomy, intituled, Ifagoge minor Japbaris Mathematici, (N° 1669, Digby 68) ; as alfo a tranflation of another Arabic book, intituled, Ezich el Kaurefmi, (NT 4137, S. 5.) Several other perfons alfo travelled from England into the Eafr. in fearch of learning, as Retinensis about the year 1 140 ; Shelley about 1 145 ; and Morley about 1 180. Different authors who lived in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries have written upon aftronomical and algebraical fub- jects, in which they have ufed the Indian numeral figures. Robertus Cestrensis wrote a treatife of aftronomical tables, adjufted to the begin- ning of the year 11 50. Jordanus wrote a treatife De Algorifmo, about the year 1200, fays Vossius (9). There are two treatifes of John de Sacro-Bosco, De Algorifmo, who wrote in 1232, and died in 1256. This Author wrote a book in 1235, intituled, De Computo Rcclejiojiico^ (8) See Wallis's Algebra, Oxon. 1685. (9) See fome of his Trails in the Bodleian Library, N° 3623. B b 2 wherein 1 83 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIL wherein Arabic cr Indian numerals are ufed. Robert Grosthead, Bi- fhop of Lincom, alio made ufe of thefe figures about the year 1240 (i). Numeral characters of the fame form appear in Roger Bacon's Ca- lendar, which was written in the year 1292, and is now extant in the Cottonian library, which characters continued to be ufed in England, without alteration, till the fifteenth century (2). Thefe numeral characters were at fir ft rarely ufed, unlets in ma- thematical, aftronomical, arithmetical, and geometrical works. They were afterwards admitted in calendars and chronicles, for they were not introduced into charters before the fixteenth century; the appear- ance of fuch before the fourteenth would invalidate their authenti- city. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries they may be fometimes found, though very rarely; thofe exceptions, fhould they be difcovered, would only help to confirm the rule, that excludes themfrom appear- ing in inftruments previous to the fixteenth century. They were not generally ufed in Germany, until the beginning of the fourteenth century, or towards the year 1306; but in general the forms of the ciphers were not permanently fixed there till after the year 1 53 1 . The Ruffians were ftrangers to them before Peter the Great had finimed his travels in the beginning of the prefent century. In order to prove the fimiliarity of the numeral characters in the Eaft, to thofe brought into this country by the perfons abovementioned, we have engraven feveral of them in the thirtieth plate from authen- tic documents : A is taken from an almanack in my library, written in Daeb-Naa- gree characters, and in the Shanfcrit language, in the year 1749. The Bramins ailedge, that neither the forms of their letters, nor of their numeral characters, have ever been altered. B Numeral characters, taken from the Zenda-Vefta at Oxford, which is written in ancient Perfian. C Maharrattan numeral characters from a MS. of George Perry, Efq. (1) The following works of this Prelate Line. 1235, ob. 1253;) .ire extant in the Bodleian Library, Quaedam (2) Some of them were dtered fo late as Arithmetica (N° 1705, Digby 103). De the fixteenth. See Phil. Tranf. Abr. vol. X. Sphera, et de Cautelis Algorifmi (N° 1748). part iv. p. 1261. Computus Eccleliaft. (N° 1792. Conf. Ep. D The Chap. VII. OF W R I T I N G. 189 D The numeral characters ufed in Tartary and Thibet, from ano- ther of Mr. Perry's manufcripts. £ Bengalefe numeral characters communicated by Nathaniel Bras" sey Halhed, Efq. F Arabic numerals from a MS. in the Britifh Mufeum. G Numeral characters written in 1292 from Roger Bacon's calan- der in the Cottonian library. (Vefp. A. 11.) Colonel Vallancey fays, (3) that the ancient Irifh had numerical characters of two kinds, the one refembling the Roma;), except the X, the other the Arabic, like thofe of John de Sacro B^sco, who dir.d in i2*2,. which except the figure 2,. are exactly like thofe in Roglr Bacon's ca- lendar; fpecimens of which are given in the thirtieth plate (Gj. The Colonel obferves, that the Irifh numeral characters correfpond with thofe in Dr. Bernard's tables of the Spanifh from the Arabic, and that they are like thofe of the Palmyreans, alfo engraven in Dr. Bernard's tables ; but we mult remark, that there is fo little differ- ence between the former of thefe, and thofe of John de Sacro-Bosco,, and of Roger Bacon (4), that they may with great propriety be called the fame. As for the Palmyrenian characters, the firft nine are manifeftly the fame, as thofe ufed by the Romans,^ but written in the Eafteru manner. The learned Editors of the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique, (vol. IV. pref. p. 7.) refer to feveral MSS. in Italy and in France to prove that Ara- bic numerals were ufed in both thofe countries in the latter end of the tenth, and in the beginning of the eleventh century. (3) Collectanea de rebus Hibernicis, dates on a chimney-piece at Helmden, on a N° XII. p. 571, et feqq. Dublin 1783, 8vo. houfe at Colchefter, and others, are not foold (4) They are engraven in the abridgment as have been pretended. See alfo vol. X. of the Philofoph. Tranfaft. vol. IX. p. 432, of the fame abridgement, p. 1260. jn which vol. ProfefTor Ward lhews, that the € H A P, foo ORIGTN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII. CHAP. VIII. Of WRITERS, ORNAMENTS, and MA- TERIALS for WRITING. Of the Librarii) IVotarii, and Antiquarii — Of Illuminators— Of Paintings and Ornaments — Of Materials for writing upon — Of Inftruments for writing with Of Inks. AFTER having compleated our defign concerning the origin, anti- quity, and progrefs of writing, and the national variations, toge- ther with the Sigla or literary figns, and ciphers or numerals, ufed by the ancients, it may be proper to treat of feveral particulars which relate to the fubjecT: of our inquiry. The Librarii, or writers of books among the Romans, were generally of a fervile condition, and every man of rank who was a lover of literature, had fome of thefe Librarii in his houfe. Atttcus trained up many of his Servi or fiaves to this fervice, and when he refided at Athens, he had feve- ral of them employed in tranfcribing Greek authors for his emolument, many of which were purchafed by Cicero, as appears in his life by Dr. Middleton. Frequent mention is made of thefe Librarii by feveral Ro- man authors, thus Horace de Arte Poetica, " Ut Scriptor Ji peccat, idem Librarius ufque, and Martial, Lib. II. Epigram viii. Non mens eft er- ror: nocuh Librarius Mis', and Lib. IV. Epigr. ult, Jam Librarius hoc et ipfe die it, Obe jam fails eft, obe hi be lie. Thefe Librarii were^a particular company who had feveral immunities : their bulincfs was a trade, and they were regulated by certain laws. The Roman Emperors appointed Librarii to write for the Confuls, the Chap. VIII. OF WRITING. 191 the Judges, and the Magiftrates, as appears in the Thcodofian Code, Lib. I. De Decurialibus urbis Roma, et de Lucris officiar'iorum. The Librarii Horreorum were officers who kept the accounts of the corn received into, and delivered out of, the public granaries. The office of Scribe was an honourable port among the Jews. The Scribes were employed by their Kings to keep the national records, and to tranfcribe copies of their laws, they are mentioned in Numbers, chap. xxi. v. 14. in Jofua x. v. 13. and Christopher Hen. Trotez, in his notes on Herman Hugo de prima fcribendu (Orig. p. 425), fays, " Verum equi- dem ejl, Judaeorum fcribas fui[fe eruditos, et peritifjimos ; immo adeb elegant er et emendate fcripfij'e, ut ipfe fere typographicae arti videantur eorum manu* Jcripta prafcrtim legis praeferenda." Anciently the Scribes or Secretaries were held in honour amongft the Greeks, though not by the Romans. Cornelius Nepos, in his life or Eumenes of Cardia, fays, " Hie peradolefceniulus ad amicitiam accejfit Phi- lippi Amyntae Jilii, brevique tempore in intimam pervenit familiaritatem j ful~ gebat enim jam in adolefcentulo indoles viriutis : itaque eum habuit ad manum Scribae loco \ quod multo apud Graios honorificentius ejl quam apud Romanos ; nam apud nos revera, ficut Junt } mercenarii fcribae exijlimantur?' Notarii { ^ e ^ ave a ^ rea< ^y fp°k en °f tne Notae ufed by the Short- ly hand writers, who were called Notarii amongft the Ro- mans, becaufe they were employed by them to take trials and pleadings in their courts of judicature, or to write as amanuenfes from the mouth of an author, in thefe kind of notas or marks. Thefe Notarii amongft the Romans, were alfo of fervile condition. Un- der the reign of Justinian, they were formed into a college or corporate body. Notarii, were alfo appointed to attend the prefects, to tranfcribe for them. There were likewife Notarii Dome/lici, who were employed in keeping the accounts of the Roman nobility, concerning whom fee the Theodofian Code, Lib.. II. and III. De Primiceritrntret Notariis. Panci- rolus, in Not it. Imperatorum, hath given feveral particulars concerning thefe Notarii, as hath Gutherius in his work, De Officiis Domus Augg. They were afterwards verfed in the laws of the Empire, and were coiili- dered iji ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII. tiered as lawyers ; fc early as in the feventh century, they acted as notaries public in civil affairs. There were alfo Notaries for ecclefiaftical affairs, who attefled the acts of Archbifhops, Bihhops, and other fpiritual dignitaries. We find ecclelialti- cal notaries at Rome, under Pope Julius IV. and in the church of Anti- och, about the year 370 (5). From thefe Notaries, are derived the office of Chancellor to the Bihhops ; afterwards almofr every Advocate was ad- mitted a Notary. A . .. f After the decline of learning amonefi: the Romans, and Antiquam. \ . , ° L when many religious houfes were erected, learning was chiefly in the hands of the clergy ; the greateft number of which were Regulars, and lived in monafteries : in thefe houfes were many induftrious men, who were continually employed in making new copies of old books, either for the ufe of the monaftery or for their own emolument : thefe writing Monks were diftinguimed by the name of Antiquarii ; they de- prived the poor Librarii or common Scriptores of great part of their buiinefs, fo that they found it difficult to gain a fubiiftence for themfelves and their families. This put them upon finding out more expeditious me- thods of tranferibing books ; they formed the letters fmaller, and made ufe of more jngations and abbreviations than had been ufual, they pro- ceeded in this manner till the letters became exceedingly fmall; the abbrevi- ations were very numerous, and extremely difficult to be read : this in fome mcaiure accounts for the great variety of hands in the fpecies of writing called Modern Gothic, of which we have already ipoken. When a num- ber of copies were to be made of the fame work, rt was ufual to employ fe- veralperfons at "the fi me time in writing it:; each perfon, except him who wrote the firft ikin, began where his follow was to leave off. A . f Befdes the "Writers of books, there were artifts whole Illuminations. \ . L proiefiion was to ornament and paint manufenpts, who were called Illuminators; the writers of books firft finuTied their part, and the Illuminators embelliihed them with ornamented letters and paintings. We frequently find blanks left in manufcripts for the Jllv- 7 (5) Tillemont, T\ xi. p, 406. MINATCR3 Chap. VIII. OF IVRITIKC. i 93 Mi n a tors which were never filled up. Some of the ancient manufcripts are gilt and burnimed in a ftyle fuperior to later time^.' Their colours were excellent, and their fkill in preparing them muft have been very great. Paintings, Ornaments AThe practice of introducing ornaments, draw- and Illuminations. I ings, emblematical figures, and even portraits into manufcripts, is of great antiquity. Varro wrote the lives of feven hundred illuflrious Romans, which he enriched with their portraits, as Pliny- attefts in his Natural Hiftory, (lib. xxxv. chap. 2.) Pomponius Atticus, the friend of Cicero, was the author of a work on the actions of the great men amongft the Romans, which he ornamented with their portraits, as appears in his life by Cornelius Nepos, (chap. 18.) but thefe works have not been tranfmitted to pofterity ; however there are many precious documents remaining, which exhibit the advancement and decline of the arts in different ages and countries. Thefe inefhimable paintings and illuminations, difplay the manners, cuftoms, habits ecclefi- aftical civil and military, weapons and inftruments of war, utenfils and architecture of the ancients ; they are of the greateft ufe in illuftrating many important fads, relative to the hiftory of the times in which they were ex- ecuted. In thefe treafures of antiquity are preferved a great number of fpecimens of Grecian and Roman art, which were executed before the arts and fciences fell into neglect and contempt. The manufcripts containing thefe fpecimens, form a valuable part of the riches preferved in the princi- pal libraries of Europe. The Royal, Cottonian and Harleian libraries, as alfo thofe in the two Univerfities in England, the Vatican at Rome, the Imperial at Vienna, the Royal at Paris, St. Mark's at Venice, and many others. The fragment of that molt ancient book of Genefis, which we have mentioned at p. 70, formerly contained two hundred and fifty curious paintings in water colours. Twenty-one fragments which efcaped the fire in 1 73 1 , are engraven by the fociety of antiquaries of London ; feveral fpe- cimens of curious paintings appear in Lambecius's catalogue of the Impe- rial library at Vienna, particularly in vol. III. where forty-eight drawings of nearly equal antiquity with thofe in the Cottonian library, above re- ferred to are engraven ; and feveral others may be found in various cata- logues of the Italian libraries. The drawings in the Vatican Virgil made C c in 194 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. Vim in the fourth century, before the arts were entirely neglected, illuftcate the different fubjects treated of by the Roman poet. A miniature drawing is pre- fixed to each of the gofpels brought over to England by St Augus r i n in tha fixth century, which is prefervedin the library of Corpus ChrifH College, Cambridge : in the compartments of thofe drawings, are depicted reprefenta- tions of feveral t ran factions in each gofpel. The curious drawings, and ela- borate ornaments in St. Cuthbert's gofpels made by St. Ethelwald, and now in the Cottonian library, which we have already mentioned, exhibit a Jtriking fpecimen of the ftate of the arts in England in the feventh century. The fame may be obferved with refpect to the drawings in the ancient copy of the four gofpels preferved in the cathedral church of Litchfield, and thofe in the Codex Rufhworthianus,. in the Bodleian library at Oxford. The life of St. Paul the hermit, now remaining in Corpus ChrifU College,. Cambridge, (G 2) affords an example of the ffile of drawing and orna» menting letters in England in the eighth century, a fpecimen of which is given in the feventeenth plate : (p. 102) the copy of Prudentius's PJychomachia in the Cottonian library, (Cleop. c. 8.) exhibits the ftyle of drawing in Italy in the ninth century. Of the tenth century there are Roman drawings of a lingular kind in the Harleian library (N° 2820.) N° s 5280, 1802, and 432 in the Harleian library, contain fpecimens of ornamented letters, which are to be found in Iriih MSS. from the twelfth to the fourteenth century. C^dmon's Poetical Paraphrafe of the book of Generis, written in the eleventh century, which is preferved amongit F. Junius's MSS, in the Bod- leian library? exhibits many fpecimens of utenfils, weapons, inftruments- of mufic, and implements of huibandry ufed by the Anglo-Saxons. The like may be feen in extracts from the Pentateuch of the fame age, in the Cottonian library (Claud. B. 4.) The manufcript copy of Terence in the Bodleian library (D. 17.) difplays the drefJes, mafks, &c. worn by co- medians in the twelfth century, if not earlier. The very elegant Pfalter in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, exhibits fpecimens of the art of drawing in England in the fame century. The Virgil, in the Lambeth library, of the thirteenth century, (N° 471 ) written in Italy, mews both by the drawings and writing, that the Italians. Chap. VOL OF W R IT I N G. i 9 $ Italians produced works much inferior to ours at thiat pelJodr 'The copy of the Apocalypfe in the fame library (N° 209) contains a -curious example of the manner of painting in the fourteenth century. The beautiful paintings in the hiftory of the latter part of the reign of King Ricrt ard II. in the Harleian library, (N° 1^19) afford curious fpeci- mens of manners and cuftoms, both civil and military, at the clofe of the fourteenth, and in the beginning of the fifteenth century. t As does (N° 2278) in the fame library. Many other infbnces might be produced, but thofe who defire farther information may confult Strut t's Regal and Ecclefiaftical Antiquities, 4to, and his Horda-Angel-cynnan lately published in three vols. The Abbe Rive is now preparing, at Paris, a work on the Art of illumi- nating'and ornamenting Manufcripts, to be accompanied with twenty- fix plates in folio ; wherein are to be exhibited exact, copies of paintings, felected from miniatures preferved in fome of the fined: and heft-exe- cuted manufcripts in Europe, which work is foon expected to make its ap- pearance. We mail conclude this head by obferving, that from the fifth to the tenth century, the miniature paintings which we meet with in Greek MS5» are generally good, as are fome which we find among thofe of Italy, Eng- land, and France. From the tenth to the middle of the fourteenth century they are commonly very bad, and may be confidered as fo many monu- ments of the barbarity of thofe ages ; towards the latter end of the four- teenth, the paintings in manufcripts were much improved ; and in the two fucceeding centuries, many excellent performances were produced, efpecially after the happy period of the reftoration of the arts, when great attention was paid to the works of the ancients, and the ftudy of antiquity became faihionable. It would take up too much time to enumerate the many curious illuminated manufcripts in our public libraries, exclufive of thofe in private collections ; amongil: the latter, thofe in the poffeflion of her Grace the Duchefs Dowager of Portland, and in the library of Ralph Willett, Efq. are the mofr exquifite. In the following fe&ion we mall fpeak ot rlie materials on which the ancients wrote, but we muft not in this place omit to i^nfion, that it was ufual for them to ftain the paper or parchment, on which fine manuscripts C c 2 and ro6 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII and inftruments of Sovereign Princes were written, with purple and other colours. Ovid, who lived at the time of the nativity of Christ, and in the reign of the Emperor Augustus, fpeaks of the ufage of (taming materials for writing upon with purple, and alludes to the cuftom of tinging them with an oil drawn from cedar wood, to preferve them from corruption, he mentions the writing of the titles with red ink, and mews, that in his time it was ufual to write upon rolls, which was the ancient method. His words are, " Nec te pur pur eo velent vaccinia fucco : Non ejl conveniens luclibus ille color, Nec iitulus minio y nec cedro cbarta notetur : Candida nec nigra cornua front e geras ( 6). and in another place of the fame book, " Sunt quoque mutatae, ter quinque volumina formae" St. Jerom, who lived in the fourth century, mentions, that there were in his time books very pompoufly written on parchment of a pur- ple colour, in letters of gold and filver, and that the whole books were written in large letters, fuch as are commonly ufed at the beginning of fentences, by which we conceive he means Initial or Uncial letters. His words are, ** Habeant qui volunt ve teres tibros, vel in membranis purpureas Auro Argentoque defcriptos, ve/ initialibus, ut vulgo aiunt, Uteris, onera magis exarata quam Codices ; dummodo mihi meifque permit tant paupe- res habere fcedulas, et non tarn pulchros Codices quam emendatos ( 7). And in his epiftle to Eustochius, he fays, " Injiciuntur Membrana colore purpureo. aurum liquefcit in litteras" The ancient Greek copy of the book of Genefis in the Imperial library at Vienna, of which the third plate contains a fpecimen, is written on vellum (6) Ovid, de Triftibus Eleg. ad X,ibrum. (7) Prolog, ad lib. Job. Of Chap. VIII. OF WRITING. 197 of a purple colour. The four gofpels in the Royal library (1 E. vi.) written in the eighth century, hath feveral leaves of purple. Some of the leaves on which the fine book of the four gofpels in the Harleian .li- brary, (N° 2788) is written, are ftained with purple, and the borders ornamented with different colours. This book was written in letters of gold in the eighth century. The four gofpels, in the Cottonian library, (Tiberius A. 2.) which King £thelstan appointed for the Saxon Kings to take their coronation oaths upon, hath fome leaves of purple vellum in it. The Vatican library, the Imperial library at Vienna, the Royal library at Paris, and feveral other libraries in Italy, France, and Germany, con- tain many manufcripts written both in Greek and Latin on purple vellum» from the fourth to the tenth century ; fpecimens of feveral of which are given in Bf.ANCHiN's Evangeliarium quadruplex, and many particulars concerning them may be feen in the fecond volume of that work, part the fecond, (p. 492 et feqq.), under the article, De Codicibus aureis, argenteis, ac purpureis ; and in Lambecius's catalogue of the Imperial library at Vienna, mention is made of feveral others: the learned Ma billon, in his work, De re diplomatka y gives an account of many more. The eaftern nations ftain their paper of different colours. There is in my library, an Arabic manufcript, intituled, Regula feu modus bene loquendi, by Sheick Mohamed ebn Melek. Some of the leaves are of a deep- yellow, and other of a lilac colour. The Romans depofited their moil valuable works in cafes or chefts made of cedar wood ; they alfo ufed an oil expreffed from the cedar tree, to preferve them from the worms, as appears by the following paflages : ■ n Speramus carmina fngi Pojfe linenda cedro. Horace Ars Poetica, v. 331* Cedro nunc licet ambuks perunBus. Martial, lib. iii. epigr. 2, Hujus in arbitrio ejl feu te juvenefcere cedro, Seu jubeat dun's vermibus effe cibum. Ausonius, ad libellum fuum. Pliny tells us that Numa's books were rubbed with an eflence called Cedrium, which preferved them, though they had lain five hundred years un- 7 dec ORIGIN AND T ROGRE S S Chap. VIII. der ground.. Vitruvius (cap. in lib. ii.) fays, that from cedar is taken an e {fence calico Ccd> ■ium, and that books which are rubbed with it, neither become mouldy nor worm-eaten. Though we Liould not give implicit cre- dit to Pliny's relation,, yet ittends to prove the antiquity of theufage. The be ft method of preferving records, is by keeping them dry, free from duft, and in clofe prefles from the air. In the Harleian library, (N° 2820.) are the pictures of the four Evan - gelills, and. that of St. Jerom, with lauditory verfes on them, written 011 purple leaves in the tenth century, and (N° 2821) in the fame library, contains, various pictures drawn 011 purple leaves in the fame century. Mth^ftfts * S n0W P r0 P er to i nc l u i re what materials have been ufed for *■ writing upon in different ages and countries. The moft aii- oktat remains of writing, which have.been tranfmitted to us, are upon hard jubilances, fuch asftones and metals, which were ufed by the ancients for edicts, and matters of public notoriety ; the. Decalogue was written on two tables of ftone; but this jaracYife .was not peculiar to the Jews, for it was ufed by moft of the eaftern nations, as well as by the Greeks and Romans ; and therefore the ridicule, which Voltaire attempts to caft upon that part of the book of Genefis, where the people are commanded to write the lawonftones, is abfurd ; for what is there faid, by no means implies, that other materials might not be ufed on common occafions. The laws penal, civil, and ceremonial among the Greeks, were engraven on tables of brafs which were called Cyrbes. Herodotus mentions a letter engraven on plates of ftone (ivTotpvuv zv roicrt \$ohti ypctppciTu), which Them is.Tocles., the Athenian General, fent to the Ionian* (8) about five . hundred years before the birth of Christ. The famous tables of Ifis, now in the Royal collection, at Turin, prove the practice among the Egyptians. The Eugu- bian and Ofcan -tables which we have -already mentioned, prove the fame among the Pelafgi, and the other ancient inhabitants of Italy, as do the laws of the twelve tables among the Romans, wilich were graven on brafs. The two tables of brafs difcovered at Heraclea, in 1732, and publifhed by Mazochius, in 1758 (9), (the former in the Greek language, containing (8) Herod, lib. vli. cap. 22. Do&or Pettingal .and Mr. Webb, publilhed (9) Seethe dictations on thefe tables by in 1760. Chap. VIII. OF WRITING. 199 a decree concerning the boun^ries of lands belonging to a temple of Bacchus, was written fomewhat more than three hundred years before the birth of Christ ; and the latter a law made about forty-one years before the Chriftian JEtr) prove the continuation of the practice (1) : but there are fo many proofs of the ufage of engraving public .^ranfactions on ftones and metals and from the earliefl: times, in, - a - nd even ifnce» the decline of the Roman empire, that it is not neceflary to fay more on the fubjcct. Wood ** mc ^ tnnt was ll *" e d f° r writing upon in different 1 countries. In the Sloanian library, (N° 4852) are fix fpeci- mcns of Kufic writing, on boards about two feet in length, and fix inches in depth. The Chinefe, before the invention of paper, wrote or engraved with an iron tool upon thin boards, or on bamboo. Pliny fays, that table books of wood were in ufe before the time of Homer, and refers for the proof of what he fays to the following words in the Iliad, con- cerning Bellerophon, ■ Ylcpev 3 oys ervik fuiftis aeer . (1) It is faid that upwards of three thou- fand tables of brafs kept inthecapitol, perifhed by a fire in the reign of Vefpafiafii* on which were written many laws, treaties of alliance,. &c. Machab. cap, 8 & 14. Cicero de di~ vinis, lib. ia. Tit. Liv. Decad. 1 lib, iii. Plin. Hift. lib. xxxiv. cap. g,. (2) Iliad vi. v. 168. The dreadful tokens of his dire intent, He in the go&€«- tables wrote and feat. (3; The original in Diogenes Laertius is, i?T«fa|ova 5 - which word is thus explained by Scapula in his Lexicon : Apud Athenienfes «|o»i 5 erant axes lignei in quos Leges Solonis erant incifae. A. Geilius, alfo mentions the fame thing in thefe words ; in Legibus Solo- nis illis antiquiffimis, quae Athenis Axibus Ligneis incifae funt. — Lib. ii, c, 12. (•4) Lib. iii. 23. 8. (5) Lib. LEleg. 2, Table zoo ORIGIN^ AND PROGRESS Chap. Vm. Table books were alfo known to the Jews, for Solomon advifes his fon, " To write his precepts upon the Tables of his heart (6)." And Ha- bakkuk, chap. ii. v. 2. " And the Lord anfwered and faid, w r rite the vi- lion, and make it plain upon Tables, that he may run that readeth it." It is obfervable that Solomon lived a thoufand years, and Habakkuk about fix hundred and twenty-fix, before the ChrifKan /Era. Thefe Table books were called by the Romans Pugii/ares, fome fay be- caufe they were held in one hand, the wood was cut into thin flices, and finely plained and polifhed ; the writing was at firft upon the bare wood, with an iron inftrument called a Style j in later time thefe tables were ufually waxed over, and written upon with that inftrument ; the matter written upon the tables which were thus waxed over, was eafily effaced, and by fmoothing the wax, new matter might be fubftituted in the place of what had been written before. The Greeks and Romans continued the ufe of waxed table books, long after the ufe of papyrus, leaves and Ikins, became common, becaufe they were fo convenient for correcting extemporary compofitions ; from thefe table books they tranfcribed their performances correctly into parchment books, if for their own private ufe ; but if for fale, or for the library, the Librarti had the office. The writing on table books is particularly recom- mended by Quintili an, in the third chapter of the tenth book of his inftitutions, to which we refer our readers. Ovid alfo in his ftory of Caunus and By Mis (7) mentions fome particulars which illuftrate this fubjecl: : " D extra tenet ferrum, vacuam tenet altera ceram ; " Incipit, et dub it at, Jcribit, damnatque tabellas ; " Et not at, et dtlet, mutat, culpa t que probatque, ** Inque vicem Jumptas ponit, pijitafque refumit (8). (6) Proverbs, chap. iii. v. 3. See alfo One holds the wax, the flite the other guides, lfaiah, chap. xxx. v. 8. Begins., doubts, writes, and at the tables chides ; (7) Metamorph. Notes, razes, changes oft ; diflik.es, approves, (8) Thus tranfkted by Mr. Sandys. Throws all afide, Tefumes what fhe removes. — — Then fits her trembling hands to write j And Chap. VIII. OF WRITING. 20 K And afterwards, " Tal'ia ncquicquam perarantem plena rcliquit 44 Cera manum % fummufque in margine verfus adhafit (9^. When cpiftles were written on tables of wood, they were ufually •tied together with thread, the feal being put upon the knot, whence the phrafe Linum incidere, to break open a letter, was common amongft the Romans. Some of thefe table books were large, and perhaps heavy, for in Plautus, a fchool boy of feven years old is reprefented break- ing his matter's head with his table book. Priufquam feptuennh eft, Ji attingas earn manu, extemplo puer paedagogo tabula, dirumpit caput. Bac. Seen. iii. act 3. Table books written upon with ftyles, were not intirely laid afidein the fifteenth century if we may credit Chaucer, who in his Somnn^r's Tale hath thefe lines : " His fellow had a faffe tipped with home t " A pair e of tables all of iverie ; " And a pointell polifed fetoufie, " And 'wrote alivaie the names, as he food, " Of all folke, that gave hem any good^ Table books of ivory are ftill ufed, for memorandums, but they are commonly written upon with black lead pencils. The practice of writing on table books covered with wax, was not entirely ■laid afide till the commencement of the fourteenth century (1). Ivory was alfo ufed by the Romans for writing upon, as we are informed by the learned editors of the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique (2), who fay there was a law among the Romans, which directed, that the edicts of the fenate mould be written on books of ivory. Bark J^ ie t> ar k °f trees hath been ufed for writing upon in every ^ quarter of the globe, and it ftill ferves for this purpofe in leveral parts of Alia; one of thefe is in the Sloanian library (N° 4726), (9) The wax thus fill'd with her fuccefslefs fi) Di£. Diplomatique, rol. I. p. 424. wit, (2) lb. vol. 1. p. 422. * •She vejfes in the utmoft margin writ. D d written 202 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII, written in perpendicular columns In the Batta character, ufed in the ifland of Sumatra, on a long piece of bark, folded up lb as to reprefent a book. Another fpecimen of writing on bark in India, occurs in the fame library (N° 3478), which is a Nabob's letter, on a piece of bark about two yards long, and richly ornamented wkh gold. The people on the Malabar coalt alfo frequently write upon bark with the Itylus, feveral fpecimens of which are preferved hi the Britifh Mufeum, and 1 in many other public re- politories, as well as in private collections. In the Bodleian library (N* 3207), is a book of Mexican Hieroglyphics painted on bark : it is obferv- able, that the word Liber wasu-fed by the Romans, as well for the bark of a tree, as for a book. A fpecimen of Latin writing on bark is preferved in the Cot.tonian library. . T /Leaves have alfo been ufed for writing upon in melt nations. Leaves. A . r . . . . & r . . Y Pliny, whofe diligence of inquiry, and fpint of refearch, we cannot too much commend, fpeaking particularly of the Egyptians, fays, that men at hrft wrote upon the leaves of palm trees. The Sibyls Jeaves referred to. by Virgil proveji that the ufe of leaves for writing, on was. familiar to the Romans. : Jnfanam vatem afpicies, qua rupe fub i:na- Fata canity fbliifque notas & nomina mandat. Qutecunque in foliisdejcripjtt carmina virgo, Digerit in numerum, at que antro feclu/a relinqu'it :■ Ilia manent imniota locis, neque ab or dine cedunt, Verum eadem verfo tenuis cum car dine vent us- Impulit, & iener-as iurbavit janua frondes \ Numquam deinde cavo vo/ifantia prendere foxc 9 . Nec revocare ftus, aut jungere carmina curat. /Eneid. 1. III. v. 443: • The writing on leaves was alfo proverbial among the Romans;, thus- Juvenal 1 Credite me vcbis, folium re cit are SibylLe. Diodorus Siculus relates (3), that the Judges of Syracufe were an- ciently accu domed to write the names of thofe whom they fent into ba~ nifhment, upon the leaves of olive-trees (4). (3) This fa£l is abundantly- proved from (4) This fentencc was termed; Pedelijm, lib. xi cap. 35. from s-ttatat, a leaf. Tha Chap. VIIT. OF WRITING. The practice of ,writing upon the leaves of palm-trees, is ftill very pre- valent in different parts of the eaft. In theSloanian library abovernentioned, are upwards of twenty MSS. written in different parts of Afia, in the Shanfcrit, Barman, Peguan, Ceylonefe, and other characters, ufed in thofe parts (5). V Vi km Wliri'tfiiam ihu&sM srb/ti-bwi^.q -doidW Parchment and '("The (kins of beafts were alfo ufed for writing upon in /' ellum. L the moft early ages. That Eumenes, King of Perga- mus, who was cotemporary with Ptolomy-Phil adelphus, was the firft inventor of parchment, as fome authors have aflerted, is contradicted both by facred and prophane hiftory (6). Diodorus Siculus fays (7), that the ancient Perfians wrote their records on (kins ; and when Hero- dotus affirms, that the Ikins of fheep and goats were ufed for writing upon in the moft early times by the Ionians, he is to be underftood to re- fer to a period of time many centuries prior to the reign of Eumenes. It is probable that the art of preparing parchment for writing upon, was im- proved at Pergamus, in the time of Eumenes, which might account for calling the beft parchment Pergamena, this commodity being one of the principal articles of commerce of that place. It is not neceflary to add more concerning the early ufe of parchment, as this fact is abund- antly proved from the documents to which we . have referred, and from the fpecimens of ancient manufcripts which we have given. The Mexi- cans ufed ikins for their paintings, fome of which are in the Bod- leian library, and have been mentioned in the firft chapter. Linen and filk have alfo been ufed for writing upon by different eaftern nations (8). Papyrus |^ ne Egyptian Papyrus, or Paper-rufh, was manufactured by l the ancients for writing upon. Varro fays, that in the time of Alexander the Great, the practice of writing on this plant was firft introduced into Egypt, which was found fo convenient, that Ptolomy Philadelphus caufed his books to be tranfcribed on Papyrus ; this plant loon became a principal article of commerce, and was coveted by the other nations of Europe, and Afia, who were all furnilhed with it from Egypt. (5) See Mr. Ayfcough's catalogue of this (7) Lib. II. library, p. 904, 905, 906. See above p. 49. (8) Univerfal Hift. Mod. p. vol. VIII, (6) Ifaiah, chap. viii. v. 1. Jeremiah, p. 212. chap, xxxvi. v. 2. Ezekiel, chap. xi. v. 9. D d 2 But 204 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. Villi But although we admit, that this was a great and beneficial article of commerce, yet we are told by Pliny (lib.xiii. c. n and' 13), that it was - ufed by the Egyptians three centuries before the reign of Alexander* In the defcription- which Pliny and other writers give of this plant, we are informed that it abounds in rnarfhy places in, Egypt, where the Nile over* flows and Magnates. It grows like a great bull- rum, from fibrous reedy roots, and runs up in feveral triangular ftalks to the heighth of ten cubits, according to Pliny ; but Theofhuastus fays (9), that it feldom exr ceeds three feet ; the ftalks grow fomewhat tapering, and are about a foot and a half in. circumference in the thickeft part. They have large tufted' heads, which were unfit for making paper, the ftem only was flit into two 1 equal parts, from which when the outward rind or bark was taken off, they feparated'the thin film, of which the ftem is compofed, with a fharp^ pointed inftrument, of which the innermoft coats were efteemed the beft,. and thofe neareft the bark, were not fo good. Thefe Pellicles, or thin coats, being flaked from the ftalk,.they laid upon a table, two or moreover each other tranfverfly, and glewed them' together, either with the muddy and glutinous water of the Nile, or with fine pafte made of wheat flower after being prefled and dried, they made them fmoot-h with a roller, or fometimes they rubbed them over with a folid glafs hemifphere. Thefe operations conftituted the Egyptian Papyrus, as far as we have been able to difcover the art of making it.. The fize of this paper feldom exceeded two feet, but it - was oftentimes- fmaller ; it had different names, according to its fize and quality. The fir ft was called Imperial, which whs of the fmeft and large ft kind,, and was ufed for writing letters, by the great men amongft the Romans. The fccond fort was called by the Romans, the Livian paper, from Livia the wife of Auguftus ; each leaf of this kind was twelve inches. The third fort was called the Sacerdotal paper, and was eleven inches in fize. The paper ufed in the amphitheatres, was of the dimensions- of nine inches. Conifer kinds of papyrus were imported into Italy from Egypt in early times ; for the particulars concerning which, fee the Dic-Honnaire de Diplomatique, vol. II. p. 166. There are feveral charters written on papyrus, extant both in Italy and in France, as we have (hewn, under the head of runnin g-h and. (9) Hift. Plant. J. IV. c 9. 3 From / GifAP. Vlir. OF WRITING. 205 From the Papyrus of Egypt, the name of Paper was no doubt firft de- rived ;. and the word Charta or Charter common to all acts, probably came from Carta, the word ufed by the Romans,, for the paper of Egypt. In the early ages, all Diplomatic instruments were written upon this paper, preferable to every thing elfe, on account of its beauty and fize. In the fe- venth century, the papyrus was fuperfeded by parchment, and after the eighth, it is rarely to be feen : it was however ufed in Italy for epiftolary writing, in the time of Charlemagne, and by the Popes, even in the ele- venth century ; it was- not intirely difufed by them till the twelfth, as we find by fome Specimens of bulls and other initruments, engraven in the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique ;.. though Eustathius, who lived in that century, remarks in his Commentary on the twenty-firlr. book of the Odyffey, that it was difufed in his time ; therefore an inftrument written- on this paper, and dated in the thirteenth century, mufl; be deemed a for- gery. It does not appear, that the papyrus was ever ufed for writing upon; in England or in Germany .. Chine/ex The Chinefe make paper of the bark of a tree, called Ku-Chl, Paper. [ f ronl t} ie C ha- Kit tree, from whofe inner rind it is taken, which tree in figure nearly refembles our mulberry, but by its fruit is rather' a kind of fig-tree ; the method of cultivating this tree, and their manner of making the paper, may be feen in Du Halde's I Iirlorv of China, and in the modern part of the Univerfal Hifrory (Vol. VIII. p. 211.) This paper is fo i thin and traniparent, that it wilLnot bear being written upon except on one fide ; but they frequently double their meets, and glue them together' with a fine glue, which is fcarce difcernible; the paper being fo fmooth and even, and the glue fo thin and clear, that it appears like a Single leaf. The invention of paper in China, is fa id to have been 'about fifty years af- ter the birth of Christ, according to Kircher, Du Hai de,' Martina, and Le Compte ; but others contend, that it is of much earlier antiquity among that people. Cotton ("The cotton paper., called Charta B'.mbyfina, was an. casern jn— Paper. I vention ; and Montfaucon fays (1), it was ufed in .the ninth century :.. it was more common in the beginning of the twelfth centurv, (1) Palacagraph,. Grace, lib. I. c z ... and ' 2o6- R 1 G I N A ND PROGRESS Chap. VHI. and was in general ufe about tlie beginning of the thirteenth. This cotton paper was little made ufe of in Italy, except in that part of the country which had intercourfe with the Greeks, as. Naples, Sicily, and Venice; but even they did not write their charters or records upon it, till the ele- venth century : lb that a Latin charter on cotton paper of the tenth cen- tury would be fufpecled, though a Greek charter of that age may be genuine. The paper made of cotton in the eaft, is fo fine, that many have miftaken it for filk : but Du Halde fays, that filk cannot be beat into fuch a pulp or parte as to make paper {2), though he afterwards mentions a ftrong and coarfe paper, which is made of the balls of hlk-worms ; other authors fpeak of filk paper, but we mall not here decide upon that matter. Paper made of TThe paper which we now ufe, and which is made of Linen Rags. I linen rags, furpanes all other materials foreafeand con- venience of writing upon : perhaps, fays Mr Chambers, the Chinefe have the beft title to this invention, who for feveral centuries have made paper in the fame manner as wedo (3). There are many opinions concerning the ufe of this kind of paper in Europe. Dr. Pride aux delivers it as his opinion, that it was brought from the eaft, becaufe molt of the old MSS. in the Ori- ental languages are written on this kind of paper: he thinks it molt pro- bable, that the Saracens of Spain firft brought it out of the eaft into that country, from whence it was difperfed over the reft of Europe (4). The fame learned author afTures us, he had feen a regifter of fome acts of John Ckanden, Prior of Ely, made on paper, which bears date in the four- teenth year of King Edward II. A. D. 1320 ; and in the Cottonian library are laid to be feveral writings on this kind of paper, as early as the year 1335. Mention is made of an inventory in the library of the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, of the goods of Henry, prior of Chrift Church, who died in 1340, written on paper made with linen rags (5). The editors of the Nouveau Traite de Diplomatique, mention a char- ter made by Adolphus, Count of Schomberg, written on paper made of the like materials dated in the year 1239 ; and they are of opinion that it was firft introduced into Europe in the thirteenth century, (2) Defcrjpt of China, p. 360. (4) Prideaux's Connexion, p. I. J. VII. (3) The firft paper-mill in England was p. 710, Sec. ere&fid at Dartford by M, Spilman, a G«r- (5) Philofoph. Tranfa&ions, N° 288. nun, in the vcar 1588. 3 Although Citap. VIIL OF WRITING, 207 Although paper is now chiefly made of linen rags beaten to a pulp in water, yet it may alfo be made of nettles, hay, parfnips, turnips, cole- wort leaves, flax, or of any fibrous vegetable. Inftruments for fit is obvious, that when men wrote, or rather engraved, 'writing with. I on [ wr( j fubftances, inftruments of metal were neceflary, fuch as the Chi/el and the Stylus ; but the latter was chiefly ufed for writ- ing upon boards, waxed tablets, or on bark : thefe were fometimes made of iron, but afterwards of filver, brafs, or bone, called in Greek y^uplov, and in Latin Stylus ; though the Romans- adopted the Greek word, as appears by this vcrfe in Ovid :. Quid digitos opus eft graphium lajfare tenendo t The Stylus was made fharp at one end to write with, and blunt at the other to deface and correct what was not approved ; hence the phrafe verier e fylum to blot out, became common among the Romans. The iron' ftyles were dangerous weapons, and were prohibited by the Romans, and thole of bone or ivory were ufed in their ftead. Suetonius tells us, that Cesar feized the arm of Cass 1 us, in full fenate, and pierced it with his Stylus. He alfo fays that Caltgula excited the people to mafTacre a Ro- man fenator with their ftyles. And Seneca mentions that one Erixo, a; Roman Knight in his time, having fcourged his fon to death, was attacked in the forum by the mob, who (tabbed him in many parts of his bod}' with, their iron ftyies, which belonged to their Pugillares, fo that he narrowly efcaped being killed, though the Emperor interpofed his authority (6)i Prudent 1 us very emphatically defcribes the Tortures which Cassianus* ^7) was put to by his icholars, who killed him with, their pug/I/ares and? {tylcs : Buxa crepant ccrota genis hnpafta crucntis, Rub el que ab itlu curva h aniens pagma\ : (6) Do Clementia, lib. I. cap. 14, (7) This Caffianus was the ilrfl Eiilioji of S.beti, ia Germany, where lie built church in 350 ; but he was driven away by the Pa- ganSj, and fied. to Rome, where he com- menced fchoolmrater for art fubfiftance. In< the year 365, lie was, by the order of tli£ Emperor Julian, expofed to the mercilels* xage of Lis Icholars. Lna& 5o8 ORIGIN- j4ND PROGRESS Chap. VIH. hide ahl Jlimulos, ct o.cumhia ferrea vibrant S>vd parte aratis cera fulcis fcrtbilur. lis/:* £t and other Inftruments which affect *fee=.property, mould be written with Ink of fuch durable quality, as (2) Isid. Hifp. Orig lib. VI. cap. 14. E e may- 2io ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII.. ma)' - beft refift the deftrucnve powers of time and the elements. The ne- ceffity of paying greater attention to this matter may be readily feen, by comparing the Roils and -Records, that have been written from the fifteenth' century, to. the end of the feventeenth, with the Writings we have re- maining of various ages from the -fifth- to the twelfth centuries. Notwith- standing the fuperior antiquity of the latter, they are in excellent prefer- vation ; but we frequently find the former, though of more modern date ? fo'much defaced, that they are fcarcely legible. Inks are of various forts, as Encauftie or Varnim, Indian Ink, Gold and Silver, Purple, Black, Red, Green, and various other colours : there are alfo fecret and fympathetic Inks. The Ink ufed by the ancients had nothing in common with ours, but the colour and gum. Gall-nuts, copcrac o , and gum, make up the compoli- tion of our Ink ; whereas foot, or ivory black, was the chief ingredient in that of the ancients ; fo that very old charters might be fufpected, if written with Ink intirely fimilar to what we ufe ; but the mod acute and delicate difcernment is neceffary in this matter, for the Ink of the ancients was liable to fade and decay, and fome turned red, yellow, or pale :. thofe imperfections are however rare in MSS. prior to the tenth century. There is a method of reviving the writing, but this expedient mould not be hazarded,-ethefwi&- a fufpicion of deceit may arife, and the fupport depended on be loft. Golden Ink was ufed by various nations, as may be feen in feverat libra- ries, and in the archives of churches. Silver Ink was alfo common in moft countries. Red Ink, made of vermilion, cinnabar, or purple, is very frequently found in MSS. but none are found written intirely with Ink of that colour. The capital letters in the feventh plate are made with a kind of varnim which feems to be compofed of vermilion and gum. Green Ink was rarely ufed in charters, but often in Latin MSS. efpecially in thofe of the latter ages : the guardians of the Greek Emperors made ufe of it in fignatures, till the latter were of age. Blue or Yellow Ink was fel- dom ufed but in MSS. The yellow has not been in ufe, as far we can learn, for fix hundred years. Metallic and other characters were fometimes burnifhed. Wax was ufed as a varnifh by the Latins and Greeks, but much more by the latter, with z whom -Chap. VIII. OF WRITING. %u "IT ffkwj &3 & & t) 6 51 *\ u V\ K Vi\ O v \ 5* Si 4 whom it continued a long time. This covering or varnim was very fre- quent in the ninth century. Colour •[ c °l° ur °^ *ke Ink is of no great afliftance in authenti- *■ eating MSS. and charters. There is in the library of Gus- tavus Brander, Efq. a long roll of parchment, at the head of which, is a letter that was carried over the greatefr. part of England by two devout Monks, requeuing prayers for Lucia de Vers, Countefs of Oxford, a pious lady, who died in 1 1 99 ; who had founded the houfe of Henning- ham, in Eflex, and done many other acts of piety. This roli eoniifts of many membranes, or fkins of parchment fewed together, all of which, ex- cept the firft, contain certificates from the different religious houfes, that the two Monks had vifited them, and that they had ordered prayers to be offered up for the Countefs, and had entered her name in their bead-rolls and martyrologies. It is obfervable, that time hath had very different effects on the various inks, with which tbefe certificates were written ; fome are as frefti and black as if written yefterday, others are changed brown, and fome are of a yellow hue. It may naturally be fuppofed that there is a great variety of hand-writings upon this roll ; but the fact is otherwife, for they may be reduced to three. The letter at the head of the roll is written in modern Gothic characters (3), four fifths of the certificates are Norman, which mews that-fcha^mode of writing had then taken place of almoft every other. Some of the certi- ' ficates are in modern Gothic letters, which we conceive were written by Engliih monks, and a very few are in Lombardic fmall letters. It may however be faid in general, that Black Ink of the feventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth centuries, at leaft amongfl the Anglo-Saxons, preferve3 its original blacknefs much better than that of fucceeding ages (4) ; no! even excepting the fixteenth and feventeenth, in which it was frequently very bad. Pale Ink very rarely occurs before the four but centuries. • (3) The letter, with an account of it, is in fpecimen is given in the fourteenth plate, and Weever's Funeral Monuments, laft edit, many other Anglo-Saxon MSS. of which we Lond. 1767, 4to. p. 379. have alfo given fpecimens, demonftrate the (4) The Texta San&i Cuthberti in the truth of this afTertion. Cottonian library, (Nero D. 4.) of which a E e 2 Peter 212 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. VIII. Peter Caniparius, an Italian Phyfician, and ProfefTor of Medicine at Venice, wrote a curious book concerning Inks, which is now fcarce, though there is an edition of it printed in London in 1660, 4to. The title is, De AiramenUs cujufcunque generis opus fane novum . Hadlenus cL nemlne promulgatum. This work is divided into fix parts. The firft of which treats generally of Inks made from pyrites, ftones, and metals. The fecond treats more particularly of Inks made from metals andcalxes- The third of Ink made from foots and vitriols. The fourth of the different kinds of Inks ufed by the Librarii or Book- writers, as well as by Printers and Engravers, and of ftaining or writing upon marble, ftucco or fcaliolia, and of encauftic modes of writing ; as alfo of liquids for painting or colouring of leather, cloths linen and woollen,, and for reftoring Inks that have been defaced by time ; as likewife many methods of effacing writing, reftoring decayed paper, and of various modes of fecret writing. The fifth part treats of Inks for writing, made in different countries, of various materials and colours ; as from gums, woods, the juice of plants, &c. and alfo of different kinds of varnifhes. The fixth part treats of the various operations of extracting vitriol, and of its chemical ufes. This work abounds with a great variety of philofophical, chemical, and hiftorical knowledge, and we conceive will give great entertainment to thofe who wifh for information on this fubject. Many curious particulars concerning Ink will be found in JVecherus de Secret is (5). This gentleman alfo gives receipts for making Inks of Gold and Silver, compofed as well with thofe metals as without them ; alfo directions for making variety of Inks for fecret writing, and for defacing of Inks. There are many mar- vellous particulars in this laft-mentioned work, which will not eafily gain credit. (5) Printed at Bafil in 1612, 8vo. CHAP. Chap. IK. OF WRITING. CHAP. IX. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF PRINTING. Suppofed to have been an Eaftern Invention — Firfl praSiifed in Europe in the Fifteenth Century — Progrefs of the Art — Of Printing in England. AS the invention or introduction of Printing into Europe, has been; attended with the moffc beneficial advantages to mankind, fomo account of the origin and progrefs of that art, may be acceptable to oust readers. It has not been pretended that the art of printing books was ever prac- tifed by the Romans, and yet the names they ftamped on their earthen veffels, were in effect nothing elfe but printing-, and the letters on the matrices or ftamps, ufed for making thefe imprevlions, were ne- ceflarily reverfed as printing types ; feveral of thefe matrices are extant in the Britim Mufeum and other places, which are cut out of, or are caft in one folid piece of metal. Many hundred pieces of the Reman pottery, impreffed with thefe ftamps, have been found in the fands near Richborough -^ in Kent, and on the eaftern fide of the Ifle of Than e t , where they are frequently dragged ,>#^ up by the fifhermen. The art of impreffing legends upon coins, is nothing more than printing on metals. It is generally allowed, that printing from wooden blocks has been prac- tifed in China for many centuries. According to the accounts of the Chinefe,, and of P. Jovius, Osorius, and many other Europeans, Printing began there about the year of Christ, 927, in the reign of Ming- Tcoltng, the fecond Emperor, under the dynafty of Heou-Thang : feveral of thefe block c } 2i 4 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. 1^ clocks, which are cut upon ebony, or on wood exceedingly hard, are now in England (6). The Hijloria Sinenjls of Abdalla, written in Perfic in 131 7, fpeaks of it as an art in very common ufe .(7). Our countryman, Sir John Chardin, in his Travels, confirms thefe accounts. Printing then may be confidered as an Afiatic, and not a European }a- hszubotftfi f!33d evxri Idnim sndnnq Io 3ifi self }£fn ,3rd£vJoiq erro^i "»I vention. The firfl: printing in Europe was from wooden blocks, whereon a whole page was carved exactly in the fame manner as is practifed by the Chinefe, who print only on one fide of their paper, becaufe it is fo exceedingly thin, that it will not bear the impreflion of their characters on both fides. The early printers in Europe printed only on one fide of the paper, for fome time after the introduftion of the art. The European blocks were carved upon beech, pear tree, and other fort woods, which foon failed, and the letters frequently broke ; this put them upon the method of repairing the block, by carving new letters, and glew- ing them in, which neceffity feems to have fuggefted the hint of moveable types of metal ; thefe were not fo liable to break as the foft European woods, which had been before ufed. One great and obvious advantage of moveable types was, that by fepe- rating them they would ferVe for any other work ; whereas the blocks of wood ferved only for one work : though the ufe of moveable metal types was a very fortunate difcovery, yet they derived their origin rather from the imperfection or unfitnefs of our woods for printing blocks, than from any great ingenuity of thofe who firfl: ufed them. In (hort, neceflity, the mother of all arts, introduced moveable types. It has been a matter of contefl: who firfl: practifed the art of printing in Europe. Faust or Fust of Mentz, Gutenberg of Strafburgh, and Coster of Haerlem, have each their advocates. The pretentions in favour of Fust feem to be beft fupported ; but we mall not trefpafs upon the pa- tience of our readers by entering into a dilcuflion of this matter, becaufe f6) Two of them are in the poffeffion of (7) Seethe Origin of Printing in two Ef- the Rev. Dr. Lort, and one is in my collec- fays by Mefl". Bowyer and Nichols, Lon- tion. don, 1776, 8vo. lueh OF WRITING. fuch a difcuflion, would in our opinion be of little importance, it having been generally agreed, that printing with moveable types, was notpracYifed till after the middle of the fifteenth century, although prints from blocks of wood, are traced as far back as the year 1423 (8). It feems probable, that the art of printing might have been introduced into Europe, by fome European who had travelled into China, and had feen fome of their printing tablets, as it is known that feveral Europeans had been over-land into China before this time (9) ; and what ftrengthens this probability is, the Europeans firft printed on one fide of the paper only, in the fame manner as the Chinefe do at prefent, but, however this may be,, the progrefs of the art w as as follows : Firft, pictures from blocks of wood without text. Secondly, pictures with text. Thirdly, whole pages of text cut on blocks of wood, fometimes forthe explanation of prints which accompanied them. And, Fourthly, moveable types. Specimens of all which are given in the Idee generale des EJlampes juft referred to. There are feveral ancient blocks extant which were ufed in the fifteenth century ; fome are in the pofTeffion of Capt. Thompson, of Dulwich, in. Kent. I have a block engraven on a foft wood, which is the fecond in the Hijlorta Sanfii Johannis 'EvangeUJiae ejusque vijioties ^focalypticcc^ generally- called the Apocalypfe (1). Two (8) Thofe who wifli for information con- cerning this context, maypserufe Mr. Meek- man's Origines Typographies. And Idee Ge- nerale d'un Collection complette d'Eftampes, by Monf. Christian Frederic Wen- jell, publifhed at Leipfic and Vienna, in 177 1. (9) Abouttheyear 1260, Marco Paulo, a noble Venetian, travelled from Syria into Perfiai and from thence into China, which was called Cathay till the lixteenth century ; he wrote a book intituled, Dc Regionibus Or'untis, wherein he mentions the vaft and opulent city of Cambalu, or Klian-Balik, i. e. the imperial city which is now called Pek'm. Hakluyt mentions that one Odo- r ic, a Friar of the order of Afinorhes, travelled to Cambalu, which is known to be Pekin, in China, of which city he gives a defcrirt'c rL See Hakluyt's Voyages, p. 39 to 53. (1) The following letter from my friend Charles Rogers, Efq; containing an ac- count of my block, may be acceptable : To Thomas Astle, Efq. Dear Sir, Jan. 15, 1782, GIVE me leave to congratulate vou on your fortunate ac pihtion of a block, which ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX. Two of the copies of the book, to which my block belongs, were for- merly in the library of Monf. Gaignat : they have been purchafed by His Majefty, •was ufed in the very infancy of printing, \% lien the quotations and necelTary explana- tions were cut in the fame piece of wood with the fubjeft reprefented, before moveable types were invented. Yours, Sir, is for the fecond leaf of the " Hiftoria SancYi Johannis Evangelifta? ejuf- que Vifiones Apocalypticae," generally called " The Apocalypfe in the upper part of which, St. John is reprefented carrying be- fore the Praefect, with this infcription ; " Trahamus Johannem ad PrsfecTtum qui Ydolorum culturam adnichilavit and in the lower, St. John is embarking to be tranf- ported to Rome, over which is written, " S. Johannes Romam mittitur, ac Domi- " ciano imperatori crudeliflimo Chriftiano- " rum perfecutori pra-fentatur." This M. Ma itt a ire (in his Annales Ty- pographic!, p. 26) imagines to be the oldeft of the four books, which were the firft attempts of the art of printing ; the fecond being the M Speculum humante Salvationis," illuflrat- ed with fubjects from the Old and New Tef- taments, and with the prologues and expla- nations in Latin rhymes (this is known by the name of " Speculum Salutis" or " La Bible des Pauvres) ; the third book is of the fame cuts with Dutch profe ; and the fourth, the " Ars moriendi" or " Speculum mori- tntium," in which the good and bad angels are contending for the foul of a dying perfon. Palmer*, who was himfelfa printer, gives the firft place to the " Ars moriendi and the fecond to the Apocalypfe" (p. 53-4) ; and tells us, that its " Paper has the mark "* Or rather Psalm ana? ax, who was avowedly the + Dr. Alkew's copy of this work was bought by JJichols, 8vo, 1776, p. 1*5.) of the heifer's head and horns, which is al- lowed to be the mark in thepaper Faust ufed, whofe firft effays were, from 1440 to 1450. We have therefore no reafon to give any credit to thofe Dutch writers, who would compliment their countryman, Laurence Coster, of Haerlem, with the invention of every branch of the art of printing, and fay that thefe books were printed fo early as be- tween 1428 and 1435 ; nor can it be allowed, that Coster was either a painter or engraver. (See " Idee generale des Eftampes," p. 333.) M. Chretien Frederic Wenzel, in^ fpedtor of the cabinet of prints and drawings of the electoral gallery at Drefden,who has given us a large volume in octavo, 1 7 7 1 , under the title of " Idee generale d'une Collection com- plette d'Eftampes" p. 334, &cc. fays, that he has found fix different editions of the " Hiftoria Sancti Johannis Evangelifta;, ejufque Vifi- ones Apocalypticaj," which were all printed on one fide of the paper only, with fuch a tool as the makers of playing cards ufe ; the firft of them he mentions, confifts of forty- eight blocks, moft of which, like yours, is divided into two parts. A complete copy of this edition is in the Imperial library at Vi- enna; the ink very pale, and the figures illu- minated, as are thofe of feveral other copies f. Your print, Sir, belongs to the firft edi - tion ; for in the fecond, the ftem of the tree in the upper part is ftrait, bearing three boughs ; and in the lower, there are five ropes faftened to the maft, inftead of four, and the two trees are omitted. The very early prints from wooden blocks, author of the book which goes under Pa LMER's name. Di. Hunter. (Origin of Printing, by Bowyer and without / Chap. IX. OP WRITING. 217 Majcfty, and are now In the Royal library at the Queen's houfe (2). Thcfe books are printed on one fide of the \. p f :r only. The Speculum Htmante Salvationis is alfo printed on one fide of the pa- per; a copy of it is in the library of Ralph Willet. Efq. and there are three more copies in France, one in the Royal library at Paris, another in the Sorbonne, and the third was in the library of Monf. de Boze. The Hiftory of the Old and New Teftament in folio, is alfo printed on one fide of the paper. There is a complete copy of this work in His Ma- jefty's library (3), which was purchafed from that of Monf. GjUgnet. Mr. Wenzell lays, there is one copy of this work in the library of the Senate of Leipfic, containing 40 leaves; one in that of the Duke de Valliere, which has- only 22 leaves; and one in the Electoral library at Drefden, belides feveral others. The Ars manendi contains 1 2 leaves printed on one fide of the paper only ; there is a copy of the firft edition of this work in the library at Wolfen buttle ; and there are feven leaves of this edition in the public li- brary at Memmingham. There are feveral other editions of this work, for an account of which fee Wenzell's Idee generale d'Eftampes above quoted, p. 399 et feqq. in which work, mention is made of feveral other books, printed on one fide of the paper from carved blocks of wood with- out dates, but are fuppofed to have been printed between 14.40 and 1450. Fust and Gutenberg are reported to have printed the bible at Mentz in 1450, or before the end of the year 1452, but feveral writers have doubted the fact, and afiert, that the firft edition of the bible was in 1462. without the leaft fhadowing or crofting of (a) Hiftoria S. Joannis cum figuris Apo- ftrok.es, we may conjecture were firft calypfis tabulis 48 ligno incifis expreffa cum fchemed by the illuminators of M3S. and Latinis argumentis iifdem tabulis incifis fol. the makers of playing cards : they in- (fine anni vel loci imprefia notitia) Hiftoria elegantly daubed over with colours, which S. Joannis cum figuris Apocalypfis tabulis they termed illuminating, and fold at a 47 ligno incifis et coloratis expreffa cum La- cheap rate to thofe who could not afford to tinis argumentis iifdem tabulis incifis altera purchafe valuable miffals, elegantly written editio, fol, (fine anni vel loci indicatione). and painted on vellum, and this conjecture (3) Hiftorise veteris et novi Teftamenti feems to be corroborated by their fubjetts figuris ligno incifis exprelfae cum brevi ex- being religious, and particularly by one of plicatione Latina, fol. (Edit, primae vetuf- theii' books being calied the H Poor's Bible." tatis tentamen artis impreflbriae fine loco et I remain, Sir, &c, anno). Charles Rogers." F f Monf 2*8 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX. MovS. cle Bure fays, that Fust and Gutenberg printed the Bible in 1450, though it is without a date, and that there are different copies of it ;. one in the King of Pruflia's library ; one in the Benedictine convent near Mentz ; and another was in the library of Cardinal Mazarine ; but . it is probable that they omitted the Colophon in feveral. copies, in order to IV 11 them as MSS. which Fust afterwards attempted, particularly at Paris • in 14.66. Fust and Gutenberg are alfo faid to have ufed moveable types of wood, but I cannot believe that mere than a few pages were . ever printed with fuch types. Gutenburg feparated from Fust in 1455 ; and Fust with Schoeffer, . Iiis fervant and fon-in-law, printed a Pfalter at Mentz, in 1457, Wltri moveable types : the capitals were of wood, and the fmall letters of metal %- hut Meerman fays, that thefe were cut types, and not the improved cai> . types; and afierts, that the firft book printed with the latter, was, Durandi Ratio na le, printed at Mentz, in 1459. Wenzell (p. 264) mentions feveral copies of the Pfalter of Mentz, particularly a very fair one in the Imperial library at Vienna ; at the end of which are the following words : Prefens Pfalmorum codex venuftate ccipitallum decoratus rubric ationibufque fiifficienter di/linclus, ab inventione artijiciofa imprhnendi ac characlerifandi, abfque calami exaracione Jic effigiatus 9 ad Eufebiam die indujlrie eft confumma~ tits per Joannem Fuji civem Moguntinum, et Petrum Schoeffer de Gernfzheim, Anno Domini MUeJimo CCCCLVII. in Vigilia Ajfumptionis. In 1460 Fust and Schoeffer publiihed with their improved types the Catholicon, which hath the following Colophon : Altiffimi prcfidio, cujus nutu infant ium lingue funt diferte. §>uique numero fepe parvulis revdat, quod fapientibus celat. Hie liber egregius Catholicon, Domini ce incarnationis annis M.CCCC.LX. alma in JJrbe Moguntina Nati- on': s indite Germanice, quam Dei dementia tarn alto ingenii lumine donoqite gratuito, ceteris terrarum Nationibus praferre illujlrareque dignatus ejl. Non calami, Jiyli aut penne fuffragio, fed mira patronarum formarumque concordia, proportione et modulo imprejjus atque confeflm eft. There is a fine copy of this edition in His Majelty's library at the Queen's houfe ; another copy is in the Royal library at Paris. : €iiap. IX. OF WRITING. In 1462 Fust and Schofffer printed an edition of the Bible at Mentz, in two volumes folio, in Gothic characters, which is juftly eftecmed a good performance ; there are feveral copies of this edition extant, particu- larly one in His Majefty's library, where there is a fair copy of the New Teftament, of the fame place and date, printed on vellum. If the pretended edition of 1450, without the Colophon, was compared with this of 14.62, the queftion "whether they are different editions or not, would be decided. In 1465 Fust and Sciioeffer printed at Mentz an edition of Tully's Offices, and in the next year they printed another edition of the fame work. Some have aflerted, that thefe were one and the fame book, but both the editions are in His Majefty's library, which I have feen. The Colophon to that firft printed, is as follows : Prefens Marci Tullij clariflimu opus. Jo- hannes Fuft, Mogutinus civis. no atrame- to. plumali cana neq^ aerea. Sed arte qua- dam perpulcra. Petri ma mi pueri mei feli- citer effeci finitum. Anno M. cccc. lxv. The fecond edition hath this Colophon : Prefens Marci Tullij clariilimu opus. Jo- hannes Full Mogutinus civis. no atrame- to, plumali cana neq, aerea. Sed arte qua- dam perpulcra. mann Petri de Gernjhem pueri mei feliciter effeci finitum. Anno M. occc. Ixvi. quart a die men/is februarij, c£rV» From the year 1462, the Art of Printing fpread very rapidly through Europe, and was encouraged by the Sovereigns of every nation. In 1465, the Tnftitutes of Lactantius were printed in the Sublacenfian monaftery near Rome : this is faid to have been the firft attempt towards printing in Italy; a fair copy of this book is in His Majefty's library ; the letters are partly Gothic. John Bember printed at Augfburg in 1466. In 1467, Printing was practifed at Rome by Sweynheim and Pa- nartz. Their firft book was Cicero's Familiar Epiftles. In the next year they printed feveral books. In 1469 they publifhed an elegant edi-. tion of Aulus Gellius. F f 2 In 22o ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX. In the fame year John de Spira produced from his prefs at Venice, his mod beautiful edition of Pliny's Natural Hiftory, which is printed in elegant Roman types, in a manner which would do credit to the pre- fent times. Inthecourfe of the next year, Spira publifhed an edition of Virgil, which though well printed, is not to be compared with the book laft mentioned. In the year 1472, Nicholas Jenson printed at Venice a mod: elegant edi- tion of Pliny's works ; he feems to have endeavoured to excell his mailer Spira: both thefe beautiful editions of the works of Pliny are in the Royal library at the Queen's houfe, and they may be truly faid, to be in the perfection of the art. Jenscn's edition of Atjlus Gellius, printed in the fame year, doth him great credit. In 1470 printing was praclifed at Paris, Cologn, and Milan. In the year 1471, &ixtus Riessenger printed at Naples, and Andrew Galltjs at Ferrara. Henry Egge stein had a printing prefs at Straf- burgh. ' There were alfo preflesin this year at Bologna and at Lubec. In 1472, Bernard and Domi.mick Cenini printed at Florence; in the fame year printing preftes were eftablifhed at Padua, Parma, Mantua, and Verona : in this year printing was practifed in Saxony, and in a fevy years afterwards in the moil confiderable parts of Europe. Italy claims the honour of firft printing in Greek characters. In the edition of Lactantius's Inftitutes above mentioned, which appeared in the year 1465, the quotations from the Greek authors are in very neat Greek letters (4). The firit whole book that was printed in that language, was the Grammar of Constaktinus Lascaris in 4to, produced from the prefs of D)Onysius P.vlavisinus, at M lan, in 1476. In 1481 the Greek Pfalter was printed in that city, as was .iEsop's Fables, in 4to. In i486 two Greek books were printed at Venice, namely, the Pfalter, and the Batrachomyomachia, the former by Alexander, the latter by La oni c us, both natives of Crete ; thefe books are printed in uncommon characters, the latter of them with accents and jpirits, and alfo with cholia. (4) The few Greek quotations which ap- 1465, are fo incorreel and barbarous, that pear in the Tullfi Offices printed at Mentz in they fcarcely defervc to be mentioned. The Chap. IX. OF WRITING. in The folio edition of Homer's works, which was produced from the prefs of Demetrius, a native of Crete, who fir ft printed Greek at Flo- rence in 1488, eclipfed all former publications in this language. In 1493* a f llie f° uo ecut i° a °f Isocrates was printed at Milan, by German and Sebastian. All the above works are prior in time to thofe of Aldus, who is erroneoufly fuppofed to Have been the firft Greek printer; but the beauty, correctnefs, and neatnefs of his editions, place him in a much higher rank than his predeceflbrs ; and his characters in general were more elegant than any before ufed (5). He was born in 1445, and died in 1 5 1 5 ; he was the inventor of the Italic characters, which are ftill ufed, called from him Aldine or Cur five (6). The Greek editions of the celebrated family of Stephens are much efteemed. Printing in Hebrew was practiced as early as 1477, wnen tne Pfalms appeared m that language. In 1482 the Pentateuch was printed. In 1484 the prior Prophets ; the pofterior, in i486. The Hagiographia, in 1487, and the whole Bible Text in one volume, at Sancino, with vowel points, by Abraham fil. Rabbi Hhaiim in 1488. The firft Polyglott work was printed at Genoa in 1516, by Peter Paul Porrus, who undertook to print the Pentaglott Pfalter of Augustin Justinian, Bifhop of Nebo. It was in Hebrew, Arabic, Chaldaic, and Greek, with the Latin verfes, giones, and fcholia, which laft made the eighth column in folio. In 1 51 8 John Potken publifhed at Cologn, the Pfalter, in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Ethiopic. In the year 1522 the Complutenfian Bible, confining of fix large folio volumes, was printed under the aufpices of that great man, Cardinal Ximenes. A polyglott Pentateuch, was printed at Conftantinople in 1546, and another in 1547. In the year 1636 the congregation, pro propaganda Fide, at Rome, had types for the Samaritan, for the Syriac, both Ffhito, and Eftrangelo, for the Coptic, for the Armenian, and for the Heraclean or ancient language of the Chaldees. Since which time they have caft types for the Gentoo, Tartar, Bramin, Bengalefe, Malabaric, and feveral other Afiatic lan- guages. (5) Aldus's Pfalter was printed in 1495 or 1496. ((-■) Aldus firfl ufed thefe characters, in 1501. William 232 R IG IN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX. Of Printing /Willi am Caxton hath been generally allowed to have mE igland. I introduced and pratfifed :the Art of Printing in England in the reign of King Edward IV. . He was born in the Weald or Kent, and was lirft a citizen and mercer of London ; at length he be- came a reputable merchant, and in 1464. he was one of the perfons em- ployed by King Edward IV. in negotiating a treaty of commerce with the Duke of Burgundy, and was afterwards patronifed by Margaret Duchels of Burgundy, filter to that King. Caxton having received a good education in his youth, had a tafte for learning, and made himfelf matter of the Art of Printing. He tells us himfelf, that he began to print his tranflation of " Le Recucil des Hijloires de Troyes" at Bruges, in 1468, that he continued the work at Ghent, and that he finifhed it at Colorn in 1 47 1 (7), a fair copy of this book is in His Majefty's library. The firft. book which Caxton printed in England, was the Game at Chefs, which was flnifhed in the Abby of Weftminfter the laft day of March I4"4- In 1475 he printed the Book of Jofon. In 1477 the T)':5les and fayinges of the Philofophers. For an account of the other books printed by Caxton, fee Ames's Typographical Antiquities, (London 1749, 4to). The firft letters ufed by Caxton were of the fort called Secretary, and of thefe he had two founts : afterwards his letters were more like the mo- dern Gothic characters, written by the Englifh Monks in the fifteenth cen- tury. Of thefe .he had three founts of Great Primer, the firfl rude, which he ufed in 14743 another fomething better, and a third cut about the year 1488. Belides thefe he had two founts of Englifh or Pica, the lateft and beft of which, were cut about 1482 ; one of Double Pica, good, which firft appeared in 149c ; and one of Long Primer, at leaft agreeing with the bodies which haveiince been called by thofe names ; all thefe refemble the written characters of that age, which we have diftinguifhed by the name of MonkiuVEnglifh. Thefe characters nearly refemble their prototypes ufed by the firft Printers in Germany (8). In (7) See Anis's Typographical Antiq. p. printed there bv Frederick Corsellis ; 2 and 3. but Dr. Middeeton and Mr. Lewis are (8) About the tiitae of the Reftoration, a of opinion that an X was dropped, either hook was taken notice of, which is dated at carelefsly or by defign, and that both the types Oxford, in 1468, and was faid to have been and prefs-work are too well executed for that time, Chap. IX.: OF WRITING. 223 In the year 1+78, printing was firfr. practifed in the two Univerfities of ■ Oxford and Cambridge; and two years afterwards we rind a prefs at St. Al- hans. Specimens of the nrfr. types ufed by Caxton, and by printers at the places above mentioned, may be feen in Ames's Typographical Anti- quities.' Caxton- lived till the year 149 1, when he was fucceeded by Wynkyn de Worde, who had ferved him for many years, and was connected with him in bufincfs at the time of his death. Wynkyn made confiderable ad- vances in the Art of Printing, and enriched his fonndery with a variety of ' new types ; his letters were what are called the Old Englifh, (or Square Engliih), which have been the pattern for his fucceffbrs, for black letter - printing. He is faid to have firfr. brought into England the nfe of round- Roman letters, though it does not appear that he ever printed in thofc letters. The firft Roman which I remember to have feen, is a marginal quotation in Pica, at the latter end of the fecond part of a book intituled, " the Extirpation of Ignorancey compyled by Sir Paule BuJJje, Preefe, and Bonhome of Edyndor" printed' by Pynson without a date ; but in 15 J 8 Pynson printed a book wholly in Roman types, as appears in Ames (p. 120). Pynson's cotem- porary, William Faques, in 1503 made a fount of Engliih letters, ! equal, if not exceeding in beauty, any which our founders at this day produce. The favourite characters of thefe times were large types, and particularly Great Primer. Although confiderable progrefs was made in the Art of Printing in the fifteenth century, yet the Engliih preffes produced no works in the Greek, or in the Oriental languages till the fixteenth. The firft Greek book I know of, that was printed in England, is the Homilies fet forth by Sir John Cheke, and printed at London in j 543, by REg Wolfe. It is true, that about the year 1523, Sibert, of Cambridge, printed a few Greek quotations interfperfed among his Latin.; but I do not find that he printed any book in the Greek language. . time, and deliver it as their opinion, which work on the Origin of Printing, have taken" they fupport with many ftrong' arguments, much pains to elucidate tins fact, . I have that it could not be printed before 1478. considered all the evidence I could collect Mr. Bryan Twyne, Mr. Richard At- upon this fubjeft; and lam firmly perfuaded, kyns, and Mr. Meerman, endeavour to that the Oxford book was not- printed before prove that the book was printed at' Oxford 1478 ; and therefore I do not hefitate to af- by Corsellis, at the time it bears date, fert, that in my opinion, Caxton was our. Meffrs. Bow yer and Nichols, in their fir-It Printer. - A bom ■ ORIGIN- AND PROGRESS- Chap. IX About the year 1567 John Dayf, who was patronifed by Archbifhop Pakklr, cut the firft Saxon types, which were ufed in England. In this year, AfTerius Menevenfis was publilhed, by the direction of the Arch- bifhop in theie characters ; and in the fame year, Archbifhop tElfric's Pafchal Homily ; and the Saxon gofpels in 1 57 1 . Da ye's Saxon type* far excel in neatnefs and beauty, any which have been fince made, not ex- cepting the neat types catt for F. Junius, at Dort, which were given by him to the Univerfity of Oxford. Notwithstanding Cardinal Wolsey founded a Hebrew le&ure at Cam- bridge, in the beginning of the fixteenth century, no books were printed here in Hebrew characters before the year 1592, when Dr. Rhese pub- lifhed his Injiitutiones Lingua Cambro-Britannico. In the year 1 657 the Englifh Polyglott in fix volumes folio, was printed at London, under the aufpices of Bifliop Walton and Archbifhop Usher. This magnificent work was begun in 1653, and contains the facred text, in the Hebrew, Samaritan, Syrian, Chaldean, Arabic, Perjic, JEthiopic, Greek, and Latin languages, all printed in their proper characters. Befides the characters exhibited in the body of this great work, the Prolegomena furnifhes us with more ; namely, the Rabbinical, the Hebrew, the Syriac duplices, Nejlorian, and EJlrangelan, the Armenian, the Egyptian, the Illy- rian, both Cyrillian and Hieronymian, the Iberian, and the ancient Gothic. From this period, printing in all the learned languages, has been practifed in England, but it is not neceffary for our purpofe, to continue theHiltory of Printing to the prefent time* The greateft difficulty which the firft letter-founders had to encounter, Was the diicovery of the necelTary number of each letter for a fount of types, in any particular language ; and in order to know this, they would endeavour to find out how much oftener one letter occurred than another in fuch language. Perhaps this difcovery was made by caffing off" the copy, •as the Printers call it ; which is, calculating the number of letters necef- fary for compofing any given number of pages, and by -c ount tftg— the number of each letter which occurs in thofe pages ; this would in fome degree have pointed out the proportional number of one letter to another, but whether it was^f>y this, or by what other method, is not eafy to dif- cover : however, it is generally fuppofed, the letter-founder's bill was made in the fifteenth century, but on what principle, all writers are filent : 2 their Chap. IX* OF WRITING. 225 the various ligatures and abbreviations ufed by the early printers made more types neceflary than at prefent. Printers divide a fount of letters into two claries, namely, the upper- cafe and the lower-cafe. The upper-cafe contains large capitals, fmall capitals, accented letters, figures, and marks of references. The lower-cafe confifts of fmall letters and ligatures, points, fpaces, and quadrates. A Letter- founder's Bill for a Fount of Pica Roman letters, for the Englifll language, (hewing the proportional number of one letter to another, with the number of types propofed for making the Englifh fount more perfect. SPACES. LOWER in, ^ <* CASE. C API TALS. Ufual Number rropolcd Ufual Numbe Propofed cart. Number. cafh Number. a 7000 — 7500 A 7OO m 8C0 J b l60O I20O B 500 [ 45O c 2400 I500 C 60O 8O0 d 4000 480O D 600 450 e I 2000 I400O E 70O . | 700 I f 25OO 25OO F 5OO 4CO g l600 I3OO G 5OO 60O h 60OO *— — 65OO H 500 _ C CO J J • i 600O 500O I 7OO . T . i IOOO j 5 00 3OO J 3OO — 500 K 800 9OO 1 K 400 45° 1 35°° 3OOO L 500 - 600 m 3000 2000 M 65O 800 n 6500 65OO N 500 500 o 6500 7OOO O 500 500 P 1600 IOOO P 600 800 q 500 3OO CL 25O 300 r 5000 60OO R 500 600 f 2500 25OO S 600 800 s 3000 24OO T 70O IOOO t 7500 7500 U 400 400 u 3000 200O V 35° 500 V 1200 IOOO w 500 600 w 1600 2000 X 2CO 300 X 400 400 Y 5OO 300 y 1800 2000 z TOO I©0 z 250 200 JE 60 IOO & 250 200 CE 5° 5° 92^00 92500 1 2850 I 5°5° Thick Middle Thin Hair m quad, n quad. Ufual Num- ber caft. l8000 I 2000 8000 4000 25OO 5000 4950O QJJ A D H A T E S. 2 rn's — — 10 lb. 3 m's 30 lb. 4 m's — 40 lb. FIGURES. Ufual Number Propofed caft. Number. 1 I200 I 80O 2 I 200 I3OO 3 I 200 I3OO 4 IOOO I IOO 5 IOOO I ICO 6 IOOO 1 200 7 IOOO IOOO 8 loco IOOO 9 IOOO ICOO 1 200 1800 10800 12600 G g 226 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX, DOUBLE LITTERS. Ufual Number caft. ft IOOO — fli 800 fi 500 — fi 500 ff 400 — ff 400 — fl 200 — fl 200 — ffl 50 - ffl 100 ffi 1 50 ffi 1 50 - fb 100 — lk 100 — & 400 — ae 150 - ee 100 — 53°°' 435° Lower-Cafe Capitals Double Letters Figures Poiiits Spaces 9 POINTS. Ufual Number uft. 5OOO IOOO \ I 000 2500 1500 400 2 OO 8a 80 80 200 1 -if Propofed Number, - IOOO f » + * { H § IF i Tc 8 ■■ I : 400 80 5° 2720 H ft 4 - Ufoal Number.' - 92.5OO - I285 . 53°° ' 10800 • 12720 - 49500 - 183670 Jft oocr -Propofed Number, - 925OO - i5°5° - 4350 - 12500 - "35° - 495°° 18525° 2000 IOOO 400 200 IOO 100 200 20<» 300 IOO IOO 5° 1 1350 I .A ia! xuRlvQu en's .ofnioabor/b .alov's' iii 4r jfiaw DlraJTri^tflT ;n 3,"h yisbrtsdo fans ito 3 §^ w (. °* 2£ * ^ldsns dotdw ,aqgwQ)psl 2Qo*tjw U ■ • f?Tji r e:ic.../. jJ ; :.' rrgn. . •..< rt^oodi : gariflai^jbo ftA. axtt no awod »r!lo Y ns fli ,;v J ' ! ^ rr ^.S* inIl«V~ io *b.-.ix Hr. iio >iood anwiwn fi sftro^ fc-v&nq nohoG jnt^TW ^tehfv waig. s- to snsrruoaql enrctnoo- ytoodrgmTf «nrst» i v? nun\ is5nh<}- - ifi iOMftbaoi sfajflJ >p amol jj* ftfiuoa t/tc ssjk '., T jJsoowle .. bold fa^y-ifia rrroil awrflo Br 3*>?» [tB3 l< fi irnb^t BBOfWi ftorp c si brrs t 73dtjrD ni girbhW% fiA aw .V^VpfiW^ «3fll<7> ":C *fi!*S«l *i*JfiH fi-'H ^ •••••• . J - < ■'. ' ' A T , A Let- Chap.< IX. OF WRITHING. 227 A Letter-founder's bill for a fount of Roman letters for the French language, taken front a'curious work, intituled, Manuel Typograpbique, by Moijf. four nier the younger. Tom i. p. 239 (1). POINTS. ACCENTS. SMALL LETTERS. < ;0 C a b ■» m OCO.l 5000 IOOO c — — 2600 9 1 5° d - - 3200 e - 10500 f IOOO g IOOO h 800 i m m 55°° j 500 k «» a* IOO 1 - - 4000 m * • 2600 11 - 5000 - ~ 4500 P 200D q I5OO r m m 5OOO 3 35°° f 1800 t 5000 u 5000 V 1200 X 400 y 300 z 400 DOUBLE LETTERS. ae - oe w & " a ft fi fi ft a ff IT ffi iTi ffl # 100 IOO IOO 500 -300 600 400 500 IOO 5° 300 400 200, 250 5° 5° 5° * [ § - 1800 400 300 1600 IOOO IOOO IOO IOO 200 5° 5° 59 5° 5° 5° 81" a 1 e 1 u a a o V u e 1 A o ft e 1 li •;OT 5° 1600 5° 5° 5° 500 300 50 50 100 . IOO 35° IOO IOO IOO IOO IOO IOO (1) This curious work is in 2 vols, duodecimo, and contains Tetfer-founders bills fof various languages, which enable us to judge of, and compare the number of founds that occur in each language. It alfo exhibits a greater variety of alphabets and types than are to be met with in any other book on the Art of Printing : though types, in imitation of different kinds of writing, were caft in the infancy of the Art. In 156 1 Valerius Doricus printed at Rome a curious book on all kinds of Writing, ancient and mo- dern. This book contains fpecimens of a great variety of writing pra£tifed in different ages and countries ; fome of thefe fpecimens are printed from types made to imitate wri- ting, and others from carved blocks of wood. This book alfo contains a Trcarife cn the Art of Writing in Cipher, and is a moll curious fpecimen of early typography ; it was written by John Baptift Paiatin, a citizen of Rome, about the year 1540. There are other editions of this book, and fome works of the like nature were publifhed in Germany abo uc the feme time. 228 ORIGIN AND PROGRESS Chap. IX. CAPITALS. A B C C s D E E E A E F G H I J K JL M N O P CL R S T U V X Y z CE W 320 100 250 25 300 45° 5° 20 20 120 120 100 35° 200 20 300 260 320 300 250 200 320 320 320 300 250 100 80 80 3° 3° 2 5 SMALL CAPITALS. A B C 9 D E E E E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V X Y Z JE CE W 200 60 120 150 35° 5° 20 20 60 60 5° 250 100 20 180 l S° zoo 200 I 20 IOO 200 200 200 200 100 5° 40 40 20 20 20 FIGURES. - 250 250 200 20O 200 200 200 200 20O 200 SUPERIORS. 20 IOO 5° It is fcarcely to be fuppofed, that the firft Letter-founders were verfed in the analyfis of the founds of language ; but their bills are highly worthy the attention of thofe who wifh to be converfant in the do&rine of Sounds, ADDITIONS [ 2 2 9 ] ADDITIONS and CORRECTIONS. Pag.; 2. aftar. line 11. add, Human voice is produced by two femi- circular membranes in the middle of the larynx, which form by their feparation, the aperture that is termed the glottis. The fpace between thefe membranes is not one- tenth of an inch, through which the breath, transmitted from the lungs, paries with confiderable velocity : in its paffage it is faid to give a brilk vibratory motion to the membranous lips of the glottis, which produces the founds called voice, by an operation fimilar to that which produces found from the two lips of a hautboy. Galen and others affirm, that both the larynx and the wind-pipe co-operate in ren- dering the breath vocal ; but later authors do not agree in this opinion. It i'cems however neceflary for the production of voice, that a degree of tenfenefs mould be communicated to the larynx, or at leaft to the two membranes above-mentioned. The voice thus formed, is ftrengthened and mellowed by a reverberation from the palate, and other hollow places of the in fide of the mouth and noftrils; and as thefe are better or worfe ihaped for this reverberation, the voice is faid to be more or lefs agreeable, and thus the vocal organs of man appear to be, as it were, a fpecies of flute or hautboy, whereof the membranous lips of the glottis are the mouth or reed, and the infide of the throat, palate, and noftrils, the body ; the wind-pipe being nothing more than the tube or canal which conveys the wind from the lungs to the aperture of this mTifical inftrument. (See Dr. Beattie on the Theory of Language, p. 246. Lond. 1 783, 4to ). P. 3. et alibis for enquiry read inquiry. P. 5. n. 5. 2d col. 1. 1 1. for invention read convention. P. 6. at line 4. add, The reader will find feveral curious particulars con- cerning hieroglyphic representations, efpecially thofe ufed by the North American Indians, in 44 A Treatife on the Study of Antiquities " by T. Pownall, Efq. (London, 1782, 8vo ) which work contains many things worthy the attention of the hiftorian and the antiquary. See alfo Hjjhire Generate des Voyages, Paris, 1754, 4to. Hh P. 13. 2 3 o ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. P. i;r. laft line, Doctor Bernard, and fome other refpectable writers, whom we have followed, are miftaken as to the derivations of fome of the alphabets here mentioned ; particularly in the Ethiopic, the Armenian, and the Runic; which miftakes are corrected in the next chapter. See p. 88. 90. 9 ■.. Ibid. 1. 10. Oenotrus brought his colony of Arcadian & into Italy about 286 years before the Trojan war, or 1470 years before Ch rift. See Dion. Halicarn. Antiq. book I. feci. 1 1. See alio Virgil's JEn. I. 534. Ibid. 1. 23. " Built feveral cities." Dion. Hal. (ut lupra, leel 17.)' fays, that a colony of Pelafgi, who inhabited Theflaiy, were carried into; Italy by Pelafgus, and landed at one of the mouths of the Po, called Spines (this was f aid to have been about 1385 years before Chrifr). P. 55. i. 4. The colony brought into Italy by Evander from Arcadia: ;v'Out 1244 years before Ch rift, is mentioned by Virgil, JEiu vTIX. THE G