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AI YUTTOY.

1. 48. προθεσεις .

προθ [εσμίας].

πα]εεχομενοις οι

1. 49. καλεν [ιαυλον κατα την ανω και κατα την Αιγυπτε] χωραν.

1. 50. προσαγορε υθησεθαι οι προσαγορε]υθησονται δε και παντας ιερείς τότες.

1. 54. και δευτες [ων και τείτων ιερων εν οις ιδρύσεται (or εστιν) η είκων του Θεον Επιφανους.

As it would be impoffible to enter here into a laboured and minute commentary, upon every hiftorical, theological, or li turgical fact, contained or alluded to in the infcription, we shall confine our more general remarks within a narrow compass; directing them to fuch points, alone, as feem to require an explanation somewhat in detail.

L. 1. nugle Bathewy. The Prolomies, befide Egypt, were poffeffed of Syria, Cy renaica, Lyfia, Pamphilia, and the ifle of Cyprus.

1. 2. κυρίου τριακοντα ετερίδων. This has been fuppofed, by the French commentators, with a deal of verbiage, to allude to fome aftronomical period, of which our knowledge is not at prefent clear. Allufions of a fimilar nature, though not exactly in point, having been obferved among the writings of thofe who have lavished praise upon the princes of the Eaft. L. 3. των δε άνω και κάτω χωρων. has been doubted, whether Upper and Lower Egypt are to be here fimply underftood; or whether in addition to the title of Lord of Thirty Years, we have not another reference to aftronomic obfervations; in which Ptolomy is compared to the Sun, as the great king of the upper and lower regions.

It

L. 3. ον ο Ηφαισος εδοκιμασεν. A mode of expreffion which agrees with the Greek tranfation of the infcription of Heliopolis given by Hermapion. He fays, in fpeaking of Rhameles, or ο Ηφαιςος ο των Taτng #goexgive (Amm. Marc. xvii. c. 4.) So the pfeudo-Callisthenes (Fabr. Bibl. Græc. xiv. p. 149.) calls him goпατoga θεων.

θεων

L. 3. 20 H210s EdwXEL Ty ny probably alludes to the vi&tories Ptolomy ob tained over Antiochus the Great of Syria. Υιου του Ηλιε, in the fame line, is a for. mule of expreffion not uncommon among the titles of the kings of Egypt. The

2

Heliopolitan infcription, in fpeaking of Rhamefes, joins this and the following title of Ptolomy Epiphanes together, His Tais aswrocios. The immortal fon of the Sun. Alexander the Great, it is to be remembered, gave himself out as the fon of Jupiter Ammon, and killed Clytus for refufing to adore him.

L. 4. ηγαπημένου του φθα. Phtha, one of the principal gods of the Egyptians, was interpreted among the Greeks by Vulcan. (See Jablonsky's Pantheon Egypt. Lib. 1. c. ii.) Suidas exprefsly fays, that it was the name under which Vulcan was adored at MEMPHIS*; the temple wherea, defcribed by Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, was the only one in Egypt fet apart to Vulcan.

L. 4. Αετού του αετού. In the frit copies of the infcription edited both here and on the Continent, the fecond AETOY was read AE TOY; but the examination of the original tone by no means warranted the emendation. M. Ameilhon thought he had found an authority for it in a decree of the Sigans in honour of Antiochus Soter, printed in Chifhull's Antiq. Afiaticæ, p. 52. μera TO LERENS ΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ βασιλέως Αντιοχε. It is fin. gular too that Mr. Akerblad, among the difcoveries already mentioned, found the repetition of Aetos in the COPTIC. The Eagle, the literal meaning of Aëtos (pre. ferved in the four lines tranflated on the plate) is fuppofed either to have been the fymbolic name, indicating the High Priest, or to have been in fome way conneRed with the figure of the bird which fo conftantly occurs on almost all the coins of

the Prolomies. M. D'Anffe de Villoifon

(Magas. Encyclop. 1803, vol. vi. p. 70.) thinks it the proper name of a particular prieft, Aëtes; and Profeffor Heyne, that the infcription fpeaks of Aëtes, fon of Actes.

L. 4. EW! Zorngwv, &c. These gods, in pairs, are the kings and queens, predeceffors of Ptolomy Epiphanes. E

new, Ptolomy Soter and his wife Arhicë; Θεων Φιλαδέλφων, Ptolomy Phi ladelphus and Arfino, Θεων Ευεργετών, Ptolomy Evergetes and Berenice; WY Φιλοπατόρων, Ptolomy Philopator and Arlinie.

L. 6. Μεχειρ οκτωκαιδεκατη; anfwering to the early part of March.

L. 7. Tego poga. Hefychius exprefsly fays, that the Pterophoroi were an order of prielts; (καλουνται δε έτως και των εν Αιγύπτω ιερέων τινες :) who appear to have been diftinguished by.wearing wings upon

ΦΘΑΣ, ο Ηφαιςος παρά Μεμφιταις.

their mitra, Gimilar to what we find in Clemens Alexandrinus, egoygaupaтsus Our Mega EW THs nepaλns. Figures of whom may be alfo feen upon Egyptian

monuments. L. 31. agraẞns; the Artabe, fpoken of by Herodotus, is particularly mentioned by the ancients as a Perfian measure; and M. Ameilhon hazards a conjecture that it was impofed on the facred lands and dependencies of the temple, immediately after the conqueft of Egypt by Cambyfes. L. 31. TW TE ATTEL α TO MYEVEL. Apis had a magnificent temple at Memphis, and was confecrated to the moon; Mnevis had another at Heliopolis, and was facred to the Sun. There was alfo another facred Ox (but of inferior confequence) called Onuphis, who relided at Hermunthe on the Nile. Being inferior in celebrity to Apis and Mnevis, he is without doubt confounded among the reft of the facred animals in the fame line; rois aλ2015 (wors TOIS EV Aryulw whofe names could not poffibly have been specified in a Decree.

L. 33. The Temple of Apis, mentioned in the former note, appears to have been called the Apeicum (Aristov), like the Athenæum (To Aonvalov), or the Serapeum, a temple of Serapis, at Alexandria. The Apeieum is mentioned by different authors of antiquity as a place of very great magnificence.

L.36. Ayalnı Tuyn, with good Fortune, with which the Decree is opened, is a formule of expreffion frequently found among the Greek infcriptions; and claffical readers will recollect its adoption by

the Romans.

L.43. xguous Bacinelas dexa. Strabo fays, (.xviii.) that the Thebais, the firit region over which the kings of Egypt reigned, was divided into ten nomes or diftricts; which may poffibly have fome connection with the ten crowns here men. tioned, as TeoxoTa açç. That the diadems of ancient Egypt, were adorned with figures of the Afp, we have various authorities; and it is particularly noticed by Elian, in his Trea ife on Animals: τις βασιλεις ακουω των Αιγυπτίων επι των διαδηματων φοβειν πεποικιλμένας ασπίδας. L. 54. The particular injunction mentioned in the laft line, that the Decree fhould be put up in the Temples of the firft, fecond, and third, Order, appears to to have been perfecily agreeable to the ancient ufage. In the treaty made by the people of Smyrna with Seleucus the First, given among the Oxford Marbles, we find an injunction very nearly fimilar: To de ψήφισμα το δε αναγράψαι εις τας σήλας MONTHLY MAG. No. 115.

(Marm.

ανατεθησομένας εν τοις ιεροις. Oxon. xxi. part II. p. 57.) And this Decree shall be engraven on STLÆ (fimall pyramids or obelisks) erected in the Temples. Lastly, De Sacy, fays M. Ameilhon, is of opinion, that the εyxwgiα reαupata, mentioned at the clofe of the Decice, does not allude to the vernacular language of the whole of Egypt, but only the dialect of the particular nome in which the copy of the Decree was to be erected; and tupposes, that should another copy be difcovered, we might expect to find the vernacular portion in a different idiom to the one in question.

Such are the remarks we have ventured to offer on this curious relic. The Hieroglyphic system being the fruit of a fucceffive, and more than ordinary, application, on the part of the Egyptian priecits, to the particularities of their home-bred animals, and to the fecret myfteries of other forms, there are few reasons to fuppofe that we can ever attain a thorough knowledge of this part of the Decree: alphabetical analyfis can doublefs give no aid to the dif covery. But of the Vernacular portion, our hope of elucidation is increafing; and Mr. Akerblad has shewn in one intance, already quoted, how much affifrance may be expected from it in filling the chafms of the Greek. The Vernacular and Greek parts of the infcription reciprocally throw light upon each other; but little affiftance must be expected from either of them in illuftration of the Hieroglyphic, fince acutenefs of judgment was confeffedly exerted to its utmoft ftretch in keeping that language perfectly remote from common apprehenfion. In this Decree the worship of the Egypto-Macedonians appears to have been blended with that of the Egyptians; a meature probably dictated both by policy and neceffity. The inauguration of PrOLOMY Philometor, when the infcription was fet up, was in the 168th year previous to the Chriftian æra.

In an early Number of the Monthly Magazine, it is intended to infert an engraving of the great Sarcophagus, commonly cald the Tomb of Alexander the Great, which has lately been depofited in the British Mufeum. The plate will be accompanied with other particulars, befides those which have already been published in this work. These two subjects, the Triple Injcription, and the Sarcophagus, are the most curious fpecimens of antiquity lately brought from Egypt, and the only ones which ap. pear to deferve the particular notice of the public.

*3 H

To

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

I

SIR,

Was nefther furprised nor offended at the letter, p. 318, in your laft Number, figned Querift, refpecting Mr. Farmer's Memoirs and Manufcript. The enquiries, which I own are natural, deserve an answer, and I am happy that I can give you a fatisfactory one. The MS. faid to be preserved from the flames, was given by Mr. Farmer, with a view to its publication, a little before his death, to a friend, who ought to have printed it fooner. His name will be inferted, with the reafon of its delay. Befides this, another valuable paper of Mr. Farmer's will be inferted, containing an extract from his curious piece on the cafe of Balaam, which was unfortunately destroyed. This was taken by his learned friend, the late Michael Dodfon, efq. In addition to thefe, there will be several Letters of Mr. Farmer, the originals of which may be seen by any relpectable perion who doubts their authenticity. As the whole will shortly be before the public, I fhall leave it to speak for itself.

I am, Sir, refpectfully your's,
THE EDITOR.

May 7, 1804.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

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SIR,

N opening your Magazine of this month, I have just cast my eyes upon an enquiry propofed by Mr. Marr, on verfe 270 (or, in Brunk, 262) of the Edipus Tyrannus of Sophocles.

The omiffion of the augment in educUxnce is no violation of Mr. Porfon's canon, as this word is preceded by a long vowel. In this fame play, verfe 1504, we read, ὦ φυτευσαμεν.

Profeffor Dalzel has fallen into a fimiJar mifapprehenfion of this matter. On verfe 1523 of this fame (Edipus, Kaι yag 'ngarnoas, he writes thus: à 'ngarnoas, i. e. à engaτnoas. Plane tamen perfuafum babet Porfonus, non licuiffe in Attico fermone augmentum abjicere. But here the augment coalefces with the relative. Vide verfe 722. το δεινον δὐφοβειτο.

Higham-bill, May 5, 1804.

I am, Sir,

Your's, &c.
E. COGAN.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

T is ftated by Dr. Johnson, that Pope

I received froby Wallh the counsel from

which he feems to have regulated his ftudies. Walsh advised him to correctness, which, as he told him, the English poets

had hitherto neglected, and which, there fore, was left to him as abafis of fame. Neither any of Pope's works, nor perhaps any other production of the human mind, has been fo much read and committed to memory, for nearly a century palt, as his Univerfal Prayer. Yet, on reading it over lately, with a view to Ms. Trimmer's faftidious and narrow fpirited criticilims, I obferved in it two infances of what. appeared to me palpably bad grammar, but which no critic has yet noticed, at least to my knowledge. They occur in the two following verfes, and are marked with Italics.

Thou Great First Cause, leaft understood,
Who all my fenfe confin'd,

To know but this, that thou art good,

And that myself am blind.

Yet gave me in this dark eftate, &c.

Thou who confined, and thou gave, are as contrary to grammatical correctness as thou who is would have been. Affuredly the verb fhould have been in the fecond perfon, " contined ft, or haft confined." The poet feems to have facrificed his grammar, in order to preferve the word confin'd as a rhyme to the word blind. Exeter, April 5, 1804.

S. F. M.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

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SIR,

F on our coaft journals were kept of the natural history, ftriking phænomena, and maritime events, every fea-port might, in a few years, furnish materials for a work of no inconfiderable amufement, to say the least of it, viz. an Historia Littorum Cornu bienfium. Befides the more stationary objects of curiofity, fuch as the fhells, the cliff and fubmarine plants, &c. the appearance of any uncommon fish or fea-towl; the migration of the pilchard, herring, or mackerel, fhoals; the exact time of their arrival, continuance, and departure; any unufual rife and agitation of the tides; a near or distant waterspout; the electricity of the atmosphere, its degree, at different times; thefe notices, and many others, might not only afford the man of leifure and obfervation a peculiar pleafure and opportunity of philofophical fpeculation and research, but, by the communication of them, confiderably add to the flock of national and general knowledge. would fuch a perfon deem it beneath him to fet down, in a distinct column, a fuccinct narrative of storms and fhipwrecks;

Nor

remarkable efcapes from the danger of the feas; the unexpected arrival of foreign veffels fron: very remote parts, their con2 ftruction

ftruction and destination, the costume and manners of their crew, &c. On this last fubject I beg leave to give a brief example, for the truth of which I can appeal to many who were eye witneffes; and I give it partly from my own knowledge of the fact, and partly from the notes of fome, and verbal communications of others, of my townfmen.

The Algerines in Cornwall.

On Saturday, the 27th of September, 1760, in the night, a large xebecque, which was an Algerine corfair, ftruck near the Chimney-rock, on the fouth fie of P.nzance She was called the Cavallo Branco, or White Horfe, Almidah Benicouda, commander; the carried 18 fix-pounders, and 220 men, of whom forty or fifty were Turkish foldiers, the remainder Moors. I fhall never forget the terrors of that night. I was about eleven years of age, and was called up by my mother, am:dit the ring ing of the alarmn-bell, and the beating of drums. The first report was of “a French man of war or privateer," whofe crew they faid were landed; the fecond was by far more dreadful," an Algerine, with the plague on board." Nothing could equal the bustle and panic which this occafioned. Some ventured towards the beach, but quickly returned, affirming that they had fmelt, at a great diftance, the plague-imell, and, in confequence, drank fome brandy as an antidote. This was purely the effect of a terrified imagination. Several of the Moors, on the striking of the vetfel, leaped into the fea, in order to fwim to fhore; fome indeed efcaped; but the night was fo extremely dark, and the furf ran so high, that at least thirty-five or forty of them perished. At three o'clock, or near that time, the mast went by the board; and, after some time, part of the crew came on fhore on the maft, and others as the tide receded.

At break of day what a fpectacle prefented itfelf! A huge veffel of the most fingular construction, at least to an Englith eye, wrecked and mutilated among the rocks! Men with long beards, ftanding in grou, s, and having turbans on their heads, and dead bodies lying on the fand! They had imagined our hore was the Spanish coaft, and expected, of consequence, certain flavery; but when convinced they were on English ground, they exclaimed, with great joy, "Ingleterra! Ingleterra! bona Ingleterra!" It was recollected, that a perfon of the name of Mitchell had been much in the Levant trade, and that proba bly he would be able to talk to then: he was accordingly fent for; and, having a

fmattering in the Lingua Franca, as well as Italian, he became interpreter.

At first they were conducted to a place called the Barbican, where foup was provided for them. In the mean time, the Savage floop of war being then on this ftation, Capt. Peard fent most of his people to act as fentinels, until fuch time as a party of foldiers fhould arrive from the neighbouring towns. The next day they were lodged in a decent house in the front treet of the quay, and fome time after marched to a building called the Foily, two or three fields diftant from the town; but the officers, fome of whom were hand fome and portly men, were feparately lodged at the Sandybank, near the battery. Every attention was fhewn them, and every comfort, confiftent with their quarantine, administered to them. Their apparel was nothing extraordinary; the common men wore a coarfe brown cloth, and fome of them had the neck and end of their dress coarfely embroidered with coloured worfteds. A few fabres were found, the han dies of which were inlaid with mother-ofpearl; alfo fome few mufkets, ornamented in the fame manner; befides which there was nothing difcovered of any value. Thefe became a prey to fome bad fellows, were fecreted, and afterwards fold. They remained here five weeks, under quarantine; and at last, by order of goverament, were put on board the Thomas tranfport, which took them to Falmouth, where La Blonde, a frigate which had been taken from the French, arrived, and convoyed them to Algiers.

The Algerines behaved very well in this place; but at Falmouth, where fome of them were permitted to land, their conduct was far from orderly.

It is faid, that while the tranfport was at Falmouth, the late Admiral Bofcawen came down to Tiegothen to fee his brother, Lord Falmouth, at which place the captain of the Thomas paid his refpects to him. The admiral advised him to behave with the greateft kindness and civility to the Algerines, as they were at that time very friendly to our nation; and he hoped there was plenty of good provi fions on board for their ufe. The captain affured him there was plenty of excellent pork, but ve y little beef. "Pork! (cried the admiral, who was too much in the habit of fwearing,) d-n you, the navy, board and victualling office together! Do not thefe blockheads know, that the religion of the Turks and Moors forbids them to cat pork?"

This xebecque 'had been on a pirating excursion,

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IN

SIR,

"N the fecond volume of Biffet's Hiftory of George III. the author, in commenting on the declaration of American Independence, obferves, that "General Washington, though fo ftrenuous and efficacious a fupporter of American refiftance to what he confidered oppreffion and ty ranny, was far from approving of an entire diffolution of the connection." And to prove this affertion, he quotes a letter which he fays was written by the General to his friend, Mr. Lund Washington.

That the hiftorian may be informed, that in making this quotation he has giyen credit to a forgery, I take the li berty to request you to publish in the Monthly Magazine the encloted letter from General Washington to the Secretary of State, which was published at the time in all the Gazettes in America, but which it seems never came to the knowledge of Dr. Biffet.

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SIR, Philadelphia, March 3, 1797. "AT the conclufion of my public employments, I have thought it expedient to notice the publication of certain forged letters, which first appeared in the year 1777, and were obtruded upon the public as mine, They are faid by the Editor to have been found in a small portmanteau, that I had left in the care of my mulatto fervant, named Billy, who it is pretended was taken prifoner at Fort Lee, in 1776. The period when these letters were first printed will be recollected, and what were the impreflions they were intended to produce on the public mind. It was then fuppofed to be of fome confequence to ftrike at the integrity of the American commander in chief, and to paint his inclinations as at variance with his profeffions and his duty. Another crifis in the affairs of America having occurred, the fame weapon has been reforted to, to wound my character, and deceive the people.

"The letters in question have the dates, addreffes, and fignatures, here following:New York, June 12, 1776. To Mr. Lund Washington, at Mount Vernon.-To John P. Cuftis, Efq. June 18, 1776.-New York, July 8, 1776. To Mr. Lund Washington. New York, July 16, 1776. To Mr. Lund Washington.-New York, July 15, 1776. To

Mr. Lund Washington.-June 24, 1776. To Mrs. Washington.

"At the time when thefe letters first

appeared, it was notorious to the army immediately under my command, and particolarly to the gentlemen attached to my perfon, that my mulatto-man, Billy, had never been one moment in the power of the enemy. It is alfo a fact, that no part of my baggage, or any of my attendants, were captured during the whole courfe of the war. Thefe wellknown facts made it unneceffary during the war, to call the public attention to the forgery by any express declaration of mine; and a firm reliance on my fellow-citizens, and the abundant proofs they gave of their confidence in me, rendered it alike unneceffary to take any formal notice of the revival of the impofition during my civil adminiftration. But as I cannot know how foon a more ferious event may fucceed to that which will this day take place, I have thought it a duty that I owe to myfelf, to my country, and to truth, now to detail the circumftances above recited, and to add my folemn declaration, that the letters herein defcribed are a base

forgery; and that I never faw or heard of them until they appeared in print.

"The prefent letter I commit to your care, and defire it may be depofited in the Office of the Department of State, as a folemn tefti

mony of the truth to the prefent generation, and to pofterity. Accept, &c.

GEORGE WASHINGTON."

To Timothy Pickering, Ffq. Secretary of State.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

THE very interefting correfpondence your last month's Magazine, re

lative to the papers formerly in the Scotch College at Paris, induces me to inform your illuftrious correfpondent, and the other gentlemen who have obliged the public by their communications, that the indefatigable historian, Mr. Carte, in confequence of an allowance of 1000l. a year from feveral noblemen and gentlemen, went to Paris, and tranfcribed the whole of the materials relating to English history which were then in that library. There papeis were, after Mr. Carte's death, purchafed by the late Mr. Cadell, who lent them to Mr. Macpherfon, when compofing his Hiftory, and by whom, I believe, they were never returned. As the existence of thefe invaluable documents is at prefent matter of confiderable doubt, it is poffible, that if enquiries are made, Mr. Carte's tranfcripts may be found in the hands of the reprefentatives of the former gentleman, or at leaft in the custody of thote to whom the care of his papers devolved upon his death.

I am, Sir, &c. J. W.

To

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