as hard g or gamma; this pronounciation of g foft is what the Rabbins call the AB jod order. The ghain of the Arabic is placed among the fupernumerary characters. It is evident, that the Arabian author understood the Egyptian language, by placing jim in the order of the giangia of the Egyptians. In moft cafes, where the hard G of the Hebrews and Chaldæans occurs, the Egyptians fubftituted K, as Cufa for Gofen; Pha-cufa, oftium Gofen. Potius de Gofen dicendum eft, quam Ifraelitarum fedem expreffe memorari notiffimum eft. Hanc pro Phacufa ut habeamus, rationes funt 1. Affinitas nominis, præfertim fi, quod vir eruditiffimus obfervat, vox ea fcribi notius debet, Kara, Kia, quia Ægyptii litera g carent. 2. Conditio regionis. Fertilis enim eft ob viciniam Nili, inque introitu Ægypti, in quo locum elegiffe familiæ fuæ Jofephum credibile fit ex Gen. 46. 28. (Regni Davidici et Salomonæi defcriptio, Auct. J. M. Hafio) hence Gefil, a fertile barony in the King's County. It is a valuable circumstance, that the Egyptian alphabet follows the number (22) and the order of the primitive alphabets, the Hebrew, or Chaldæan, and the Syriac, which has been so strangely diflocated in the modern Arabic, originally the fame in both refpects as thofe, which is demonstrated, paft doubt, by the numeral values of the prefent Arabic, by no means corresponding to their present, but to their ancient places. Thus the third letter Taj, ftill retains the numeral value of the laft Hebrew letter Thau, 400. The last letter Ya retains the value of the Hebrew 10, because the tenth in order. Norden has given us a drawing of an Egyptian monument, where the Arbor intellectualis, as Kircher calls it, is finely expreffed-the Arbor Sephiroth of the Jews, and the Feadh of the Irish, from whence Hercules was named Fidius. In this drawing is represented a tree, under which is feated Thoth, or Mercury, pointing to an oval scutcheon, filled with characters, placed in the midst of the branches, and explaining them to a man standing on the other fide of the tree. (See Pl. 58. Norden's Travels).* The oval and the circle were fymbols of fcience, as we learn from Horapollo-and the whole certainly points to the tree, the symbol of knowledge. See Preface, p. lviii. The Egyptian Tree Alphabet correfponds with the Irish Ogham, in the number of lateral ftrokes, from one to five, and never exceeding that number. If the Ogham is read in the ABgitir order, the A correfponds with A in the annexed scheme. The yod is also similar, having five branches or ftrokes on each fide-but no other letters correspond in organic power, according to the order of the Ogham alphabet. I am therefore convinced, that we A copy of this plate is in my Collectanea, Vol. V. Pl. 8. have have only the Diagram, on which the alphabet was formed, which was on five concentric circles, (See Vindication, pl. 1.) but that we know not the power of any character, but the first and the yod or I. The Ogham Alphabet confifts of twenty-five characters. Now all agree, that the Irish Alphabet confifted of seventeen letters only: it appears from thence, that the seventeen were confonants, and that the original alphabet had the vowels marked on the confonants, like the Sanfcrit and Ethiopic; confequently the Tree Alphabet is not fo old as the character alphabet, or if older, seventeen of the Ogham were found fufficient. In the annexed scheme it is vifible that, beyond the of the Hebrew, the remaining part of the Tree Alphabet is additional, they are formed in a different manner. That the ancient Irish had an alphabet of the fame power as the Chaldæan, is evident from many inftances to be found in the Dictionary, I need only refer to the letters D and M as convincing proofs. PREFACE. |