The Ogham Coll is not an Alphabet, as our modern Bards have made it, but Circular Scales, for the due ordering of the terminating Vowels in Verfe, and was originally the fame with the Arabic Derwyet (m) or Circles given by the learned Dr. Clark, in his Profodia Arabica, published at the end of Pocock's Carmen Tograi, Oxford 1661. The Circle thus became the Emblem of Poetry. Circulus Poematis Genus: Ad Anni autem fimilitudinem Poematis etiam genus Circulus appellatur, cujus Ariftoteles Analyticis meminit. (Hieroglyp: Hori. Apollon: p. 412.)

We refer a more particular defcription of the Ogham, to a future publication, and shall only observe, that our Scythian Hero, being the fupposed author of this menfuration Table of Verse, he was called Meafar, from Meas exact measurement, Cadence, whence probably μσa Mufa; if not from Mofar, Eruditio; hence the Greeks made Hercules, the Mufagetes, or conductor of the Muses. Abbe Le Fontenu, quotes Diodorus, Ifocrates, Paufanias, Ariftotle, Dionyffius Hal. to prove Hercules was a man of univerfal knowledge, skilled in Theology, Philofophy, Aftronomy, Poetry, and the Art of Divination, and therefore a fit perfon to be honoured with the title of Mufagetes (n).

The Scythian or Irish Hercules having voyaged into Africa, and ftudied under Egyptian Artists, as our history confeffes, might there have learned the Rudiments of Literary writing. I confefs, I am inclined to think that Nemed and his Colony,

(m) Hence the Irish Draohad a bridge, an Arch, or Circle. (n) Acad. Bell. Lettr. T. 7. P. 51. 62.

i

were the Phænician Kings (Shepherds) as Africanus calls them, for the 6th and laft is called Affis by Manetho, and by Africanus and Eufebius, he is called Archles: but by Syncellus he is named Kertus, which I think is a corruption of Creat i. e. Science, another name of our Irish Hercules.

The Emblem or Symbol of Literature, with the Irish is a Tree, (o) or a Serpent, or both: the Tree has been converted to a Club: Cull the Irish name of Hercules-Mercurius, fignifies a Club, and alfo a tree; hence we find on all the moft ancient medals of Hercules, a Club, a Tree, a Serpent, or a Lyre, for he was Ogham, that is, the Harmonic Circle, the Hercules Ogmius of the Gauls; he was the Ruftam of the Perfians, because Rus in Irish fignifies a tree and knowledge or Science.

The Olive tree in Irifh called Scol-Og, or, SgolOg, that is, the Botrus Herculis, or Berry-bearing tree of Oga, was particularly dedicated to him: hence the Greeks made that Tree facred to Minerva, who in the Tyrian language was called Oga, not Onga, with two gamma, as we have proved in the introduction; hence Scol Sgol metaphorically fignified learning, wisdom, prudence. 0 Sgol or Segol in Chaldee implies, proprietas, fubftantia, proprium, and it is the Vowel of three points,

, becaufe like a Betrus or cluster of Berries, fay the Hebrew Lexiconifts. But Scol is any tree bearing Clusters: Heb iw Efhcol, botrus; (p)

אשכל & Scol שכל and from the fame Root we have

Efcol intelligentia, intelligere & Now Scola the

(0) Particularly the Mulberry and the Olive-Hercules's Club was of the Olive tree.

(p) The place was called the Brook Efkcol because of the Clufters of Grapes. Numbers Ch. 13. V. 23.

fame.

שכל תנא,Ehcol Carmen eruditum השכל .fame

Scal-tana a Master of Arts. iw Mefhcaloth, Scientiæ. The Rabbins faw plainly this metaphor of the word Scol; in the Talmud, Sota and Temura, we have this explanation, Quid eft N Efhcol? (i. e. quare fic dicitur) Vir in quo omnia funt, and fuch was our Scol-Og or Irish Hercules. In like manner Sith, the Olive tree, in Irish Suith, fignifies a man of letters; it is fynonimous to ha Dar, fays Schindler, which word we have fhewn from Hutchinfon and the Rabbins, always fignified the tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden; the word fignifies Splendor, Gloria, in its proper fenfe, and thus Sith, is derived from Siu, Splendor, fulgor; thus Caftellus, makes y Ef-Shaman, the Olive tree, the Pynus or Cypress, (for it is doubtful which), to beba Dar; multum fallor, nifi w Saman hic idem fit quod ha Dar Lev. 23. 40. Citrus, viz. Targ, arbor oleaginofa à cujus vel cortice elicitur Oleum Av. 1. & 2 (be Catub, fecundum Catub) apud Nehem; aperte hoc indicat. Aff. Hof. 2. 5. See Caftellus at w Saman. Here we have the Olive tree explained by Targ whence Targum, Explanation, Interpretation and by Catub, which fignifies Writing, but what is ftill more, ND Cattab or Kettub, is a name of Mercury, the fuppofed Author or inventor of Letters. N Mercurius qui Scripturæ præeft. (Schindler.)

Gaoth is another name of Hercules in Irish, because the word fignifies Wisdom, prudence, Letters it fignifies alfo the Sea; but I doubt much if this is the true meaning of the Word,

for

for IT Goit in Egyptian is the Olive: unless they borrowed the word from our Nemedians when in Africa, hence Aireach-Gaoth an Epithet of Hercules in Irish, of which the Greeks formed Archegites,

Herculem primum Oleaftri ramo coronaffe. Ad Græcos autem ex Hyperboreis ufque ab Hercule Oleaftri arborem tralata memorant, qui dicantur ultra Boream habitare. (Cal. Rhodiginuş. Lect. Antiqu. p. 483: hence I prefume Odin took on him the name Gaut; from the Sui-Goth. Gæta, Ænigma: commemorare, invenire, acquerere). See Ihre at Gœta (†).

In Montfaucon Vol. 2. p. 225, we find a Symbol of Hercules-Mercurius or as we should express it in Irish of Ogham-Thoth; it is a Tree converted by the Greeks into a Club, with the Caduceus at top at bottom lye fome Sgol or Secol; OWN (Pl. 2. Fig. 1.) Montfaucon thinks them Ears of Corn, and that this Medal was defigned to fignify Hercules, Mercury and Ceres; there is no Infcription. Scribunt Græci Herculis clavam fuiffe ex Oleaftro, quam apud Sardonidem is reperiffet quinetiam depofitam in Trazene apud Mercurii Statuam quem vocant. (Lud. Col. Rhodiginus. Lectionum Antiquarum. p. 458.) Oleam in Olympia plantafle Hercules memoratur. ib.) a. a. in the figure at top are two rut or palm branches, to fignify that Hercules was

πολύγιομ

(id.

Che

ניתן Confilium עט Cogitare געא,Vis, Virtus ניתא +

Githan Character, figura literarum Gath Struas lignea quæ refert formam torcularis: Angl. to get by heart, to forget. So Carmen from Cerem Vinea; the weaving of the branches one through another.

the

the inventor of writing, for fignifies Sculpta and Ramus Palmæ. Hence Chreat in Irish, Art, Science, writing; and hence one of the names of Hercules in Irish is Chreat, hence the Greek xxpaσow Atticè χαράττω, χάραγμα, χαρακτήρ, Latin: Charader, pro Scriptura, et literis. See Prof. Bayer de Num. Heb. Samar. p. 22. Nota; and Buxtorf. Lex. Cald. P: 38.

In the fame Author Vol. 1. is a Hercules of Tarfus, with a Serpent twisted round a pole fixed in the ground; this cannot be the Hydra, fays Montfaucon, for Hercules is not in the attitude of striking it (Pl. 2. fig. 2.) It is not the Hydra, but the Symbol of Wifdom, and therefore properly applied to our Ogha. It is very remarkable that this Serpent is the Arms of the ancient Milefian Irish, who draw their Origin from this Siim Breac. "The Milefians from the time they firft conquer❝ed Ireland, down to the Reign of Ollamh-Fodshla made ufe of no other Arms of distinction in "their Banners than a Serpent twisted round a "Rod, after the example of their Gadelian An"cestors: But in this great Triennial Affembly "at Tara, it was ordained by Law, that every "Nobleman and great Officer fhould by the "Heralds, have a particular Coat of Arms affign"ed to him". (Keating's Hift. of Ireland, large fol. p. 143).

In the fecond vol. p. 224. is another Hercules, standing by the Scol-Og, the Olive Tree, or Tree of Hercules, the fymbol of Literature; he holds in his left hand a sprig or branch of the fame tree, and with his right he refts on his club. (Pl. 2. fig. 3.) At the foot of the tree is the lyre, the fymbol of Hercules Mufagetes, and from the