l'origine des fleurs de lis, par M. Rainffant, Docteur et Profeffeur en Medecine à Rheims, 1678. Montfaucon alfo fpeaks of that of David, found engraved in miniature, in a manuscript of the tenth century, and which is furmounted by a fleur-de-lis (Monum. de la Monarchie Françoise, T. 1. Difcours prélim. p. 19.). It is therefore evident, that the ornament called lis, (lily) was not a symbol peculiar to the Kings of France: and it is by no means astonishing, that it formed a part of those, which were employed in the mysterious antique representations of Egypt, fince it was formerly the emblem of power of fome fovereigns of that country, or of the bordering territories."

A French author, whose name I do not recollect, afferts that the French brought this emblem from the East, on their return from the Crufades. If this be true, they may have seen such a sceptre in the Eaft, which an Arab might have explained by

Shaaralyzz, the emblem of power, or fome other word compounded with jzz, fignifying an emblem. In Chaldee and Arabic yzz fignifies power, dignity, grandeur, magnificence, and hence probably the French fleur-de-lis, the flower of authority, for it is not probable they formed lis from the Latin lilium.

I cannot conclude this introduction, without ftrongly recommending to the Irish antiquary the pursuit of Ogham inscriptions, and the collecting of every thing, that has been written on the subject. Sufficient authority has been lately produced from the East, to convince him that the Irish Ogham is not the work of dreaming monks, or of ignorant bards, as fome very learned divines, but ignorant antiquaries, would make us believe. European travellers, particularly the English, when once on Oriental claffic ground, are too full of the thoughts of describing pyramids and magnificent temples, to attend to inscriptions they dont understand.

One Irish Ogham infcription has been published in my Vindication and the London Archæologia. Another has been discovered by a learned friend, and will be described in the volume of Tranfactions of the Royal Irish Society, now in the prefs.

An infcription has also been discovered lately by Monfieur Michaux, in the gardens of Semiramis, near Bagdad, near the fcite of old Babylon: by his description it should resemble our Irish Ogham.

In the Magazin Encyclopedique, VI ANNE'E, printed at Paris in 1800, is the following notice.

"Cabinet of Antiquities of the National Library. "Permit me, through the means of your journal, to make known to the lovers of Chaldean Antiquities a precious monument, which I have brought from Perfia. It is a stone

34

of the nature of bafalt, eighteen inches high and twelve broad, weighing forty-four pounds. The furface is entirely covered with infcriptions. The letters or characters are formed of Straight Strokes, without any rounding or turning, as we fee in the characters of other languages. I found it about a day's journey from Bagdad, in the ruins of a palace called the Gardens of Semiramis, near the river Tigris. The ruins fhew it was once a very magnificent palace; there are immenfe fubterraneans and aqueducts."

"It is probable, that this ftone was brought to this palace from the interior parts of Perfia, because the mountains of Perfia abound with rocks of bafalt, whereas the foil of Babylonia is argilaceous, without any mixture of ftony substances. The ruins of the towers and other ancient edifices in Babylonia are, for that reafon, conftructed of bricks and bitumen."

"On the other hand, it is very probable that the people of the interior of Perfia, and those who inhabited the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, at the time this monument was infcribed, had the fame language."

"This monument may be seen during two decades, the third, fixth, and ninth, from the hour of ten to two, at the Library of the Cabinet of Antiquities. After that period, I fhall take it away, being obliged to depart with Captain Baudin, on further fouthern discoveries.' A. MICHAUX, Member of the Institute.

(Signed)

As we have not yet been favoured with a drawing of the characters difcovered by M. Michaux, we cannot compare them with the Irish or any other Oghams.

From the book of Oghams, tranflated and published in my Vindication, it appears, that the first Ogham characters were intended to represent trees thus which is exactly the Chinese Key, or character for a tree, except the additional oblique ftrokes. And we are further told these tree characters of the Ogham were invented by Sóme, the deity prefiding over trees and plants, and that each character was named after fome tree in honour of this deity. According to Jablonsky, Some was the name of the Egyptian Hercules, furnamed Ogham, or the Mysterious, by the old Irish. In the Puranas of the Brahmins Sóme is the Sanfcrit name of the deity prefiding over trees and plants, and Ogham fignifies myfterious, in

the Sanfcrit.

In the fame book we are told that Sóme, or Soim, was alfo named Kenn-foela, or Conn-faola, which is not unlike the Confulus of the Chinese, the author or inventor of letters. CHON apud Egyptios HERCULES, quanquam Seldenus dubitet: in Sina CONFULUS literarum

et

et artium inventor (Hornius de Orig. Gent. p. 238.). Conn-faola, in Irish, fignifies the learned Conn, which was another Egyptian name of Hercules, xN Chon; dicuht Herculem lingua Ægyptiorum CHON vocari (Jablonsky Ægypt. Panth.). Sóma, in Irish signifies the effence of wisdom. Sóma, i. e. Saibhreas ealahna (O. Gloss.) Somou has certainly the fame meaning in the Egyptian language, for in the Coptic, Exodus 1. 10. we have maren-fomou, circumfcribamus illos, let us deal wifely with them.

SOIM was much venerated in pagan Ireland. Many wells or fountains were dedicated to him, as we learn from Archbishop Cormac, under the words Sopar-Soma, which he explains by tobar-colas, the fountain of knowledge; from thefe fountains the priests pretended to draw responses from Soma, whence Sopar-Soma, the oracle of Soim; fapar, librarius: fæpe etiam refpondet Hebræo 1 nebia, propheta. Wherever the Phoenicians fettled, they established this kind of oracle, as we learn from Pliny and Vitruvius, Di Zama, Zoma, fons in Africa canoras voces faciens, cujus potu canoras fieri voces tradunt Plinius & Vitruvius. (Bochart). The Arabs preserve the name of Zem to a well at Mecca, pj pj Zem-Zem, nomen putei Meccani, verba mussitavit magus. (Gol.).—It is remarkable, that the Arabic words gheib numa, fignify the bottom of a well, and prophecy.

Such wells, in pagan Ireland, as were not dedicated to Soim, had a Giola-beifd, a Naiad,* attending them, from whom they pretended to draw the patruin or oracle, and to this day, affembling at a well to hear Mafs is called a patruin, from the Ch. 5 patriun, oraculum, coloured over now, as if to pray to the patron Saint. Giola beifd is also Chaldaic, na gula, fontium numina, Naiades. boust, idola, numen. (Leigh).

Hence the oracular fountains of the Greeks-aquam credunt ejus fontis fub terram mergi, et mulieres facere fatidicas. Eft in confeffo apud omnes, quod oraculorum Colophorium per aquam responsa reddit: effe enim conftat in antro fubterraneo fontem, e quo bibit propheta.

I call on the impartial reader to declare, if it was poffible for Monks or Bards of the fixth and seventh centuries, to have introduced fo many Ægyptian and Chaldæan names and circumstances, in Irish history, which has been fo ftrongly dwelt on by men, who pretend to style themselves Irish Antiquaries.

According to the book of Oghams, the organic power of the character was by the number of branches on the right or left of the trunk of the tree, from one stroke to five, and it is remarkable, that the Persepolitan and Babylonian strokes or darts never exceed that number. We find alfo in the Book of Oghams, that the branches were fometimes

ornamented with three short strokes, representing an arrow head, inftead of one straight line, and then instead of this figure it formed this figure(representing the Chinese characters, which Couplet calls birds claws.) And according to à diagram explained in the Book of Oghams, of which I have given exact delineations in my Grammar and Vindication, it appears, that it was originally intended to be read from top to bottom, and therefore one perpendicular line was drawn from the top to the bottom of the page, to serve as the trunk of the tree, for each letter, to fave trouble, feparating each character by a point. According to this diagram, the perpendicular might be let fall to the left, and the inscription be read from left to right in manner following.

On the Babylonian tiles lately sent to England, an account of which was published by Dr. Hager in the Monthly Magazine for August 1801, there is a character named in Irish A mancoll, and Fleafg, that is, the bundle of rods or the fheaf of wheat. The Babylonian character is thus formed, the Irish Fleafg is thus formed and is faid to be the dipthong AO.

We shall now proceed to the epitome of the ancient Hiftory of Ireland, a fresh and ftrong dofe of opium seasoned with Indian fpices for the rude and reverend author of the Antiquities of Ireland, whofe grofs language makes no impreffion on the author of the Vindication. It is only the little and mean mind that loses poffeffion of itself on every trifling provocation, while a great and firm spirit keeps its place, and rests on a basis of its own, unshaken by the common disturbances of life. This reverend author, after pirating the Phallic monument from my Vindication, has the effrontery to fay, it is the only thing in Vallancey's foporiferous works, worthy of observation, and that it is a common representation of the Deity of the Belga!!! (Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. 2. Preface) Most learned antiquary!! Can the reflection of the fable scarf conceal the blushes of this modest divine!

POSTSCRIPT.

POSTSCRIPT.

The Ogham or Tree Alphabet, of the ancient Irifh, difcovered in an Arabic Manufcript lately brought from Egypt.

Since the Preface and Introduction were printed off, I have been favoured with a letter from a learned friend in London, of which the following is an extract.

"18th JANUARY, 1802.

"YOU have read in the newspapers, that a Mr. HAMMER, a German, who has lately travelled in EGYPT and SYRIA, has brought to England a manuscript written in Arabic, containing an explanation of the Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and has tranflated it into English. The original, my friend, Mr. W., did me the favour to fhew me, and explain several of them. The book contains also a great number of Alphabets, fome of which are denominated those of the Egyptian and Greek Philofophers. Two of these confift entirely of TREES. One I have copied, which I fubjoin, and an Egyptian Alphabet. The other TREE Alphabet is fo nearly the fame, that it could add nothing to the general idea, being verily a variety. One thing is remarkable, that the number of letters in the Egyptian Alphabet is the fame with that in the Hebrew, whereas the other has the fame number as that of the Arabic. NICHOLS has, I hear, undertaken to print the translation, if not the original, so that we may foon expect to have it. You will find the alphabet is according to the Hebrew order. I understand this manufcript is confidered of authority. I am fure it must give you pleasure." See Pl. II.

To fhew how the Arabic agrees with the Hebrew and Chaldæan, I have added the Hebrew Alphabet, by placing the characters over the Arabic. It is remarkable that the

Tjim

of the Arabic comes in the place of thegimel of the Hebrew, which we pronounce

as