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XXXVII. Some Observations on an antique Marble of the Earl of Pembroke

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2012

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Extract

At Lord Pembroke's seat at Wilton, there is a very antient altar of Bacchus, of more consequence than vulgarly imagined. The inscription, which ends in a circle round it (for so Mr. Cowdry describes it, p. 116.) runs thus:

This marble and inscription are unquestionably very old, as I judge both from the form of the letters, and there being no appearance of the four last invented letters of the Greek Alphabet.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1770

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References

page 156 note [g] Chishull, Inscript. Asiatic.

page 156 note [h] Shuckford's Connection, Vol. i, p. 259.

page 156 note [i] Salmasii, Inscript. vet. explicat. p. 47. edit. Crenii.

page 156 note [k] Dr. Taylor's Commentar. ad Marmor. Sandvic. p. 6, 7.

page 156 note [l] Mr. Cowdry's book, cited above.

page 156 note [m] Anthologia Graeca p. 82. edit. Brodaei.

page 156 note [n[ Seldeni Comment. ad Marm. Arundel. p. 120. edit. Maittaire. This character is not found in the Sigean inscription, as Dr. Shuckford alledges, p. 256. yet it is in Dr. Chishull's Alphabet, p. 3.

page 156 note [o] Salmasius, loco citat.

page 157 note [p] Salmasius, ibid.

page 157 note [q] Maittaire's Marm, Oxon. p. 563.

page 157 note [r] Fabric. Bibl. Graec. Tom. I. 591.

page 157 note [s] Helvici Chronologia.

page 157 note [t] Chishull, p. 14.

page 158 note [u] Stillingfleet, Orig. Sacr. p. 384. See also Grot. de Verit. p. 52.

page 158 note [x] In reading this ingenious letter to the Society, I made the cursory observation, which I here beg leave to subjoin. There is a similar word, I mean, ἀλαὸς, whose middle syllable is used both long and short by Homer. Cons. Od. Θ. 195. and K. 493. The reason of it is, that λα in ἀλαὸς is naturally long; but poetically shortened by preceding another vowel; but I never met with the second α long in ἀγαὸς, not even in the hymns (said to be) of Orpheus, in their corrupt state: And were we to allow it produced by the insertion of the Aeolic Digamma, without inserting another after ὀμιχρὸν, I cannot see the propriety of making this syllable also long; unless the μ, being a liquid, has the power of lengthening a short syllable, as some grammarians maintain; with whom I cannot readily join hands, because this liberty would render metre very precarious, and almost useless the addition of η and ω to the Alphabet by Simonides. I should chuse therefore, rather to let the Inscription stand as it does than begin with in the middle of a verse; and drawl ἀγλαόμορϕον into five long syllables. T. M.

page 158 note [y] Dr. Shuckford's Connection, Vol. i. p. 256, 257.

page 159 note [z] Scaliger's Animadvers. on Eusebius, p. 110 and 116.

page 159 note [a] Montf. in the Diar. Ital. p. 55. draws an argument from this form of the R, to prove that the famous gospel of Saint Mark at Venice is in Latin; and I am of opinion, that, though we see the Canine letter in this shape on this marble, his argumentation is not the less conclusive, by reason, that in the fourth or fifth Centuthe P was the established and general character.

page 159 note [b] Chishull, p. 11.

page 159 note [c] Montsaucon, Palaeographia Graec.

page 160 note [d] Herodotus, p. 307. edit. Gronov.

page 160 note [e] Shuckford's Connect. Vol. i. p. 258, in Not. p. 261. in Not. p. 263. and 265.

page 160 note [f] Fabric. Bibl. Lat. Tom. I. p. 670.