'.

;

must remain stationary. I would further observe, that when the episèmons' cannot be used for the Number 6 among the Letters for calculating Names, &c. then the letters a and are its equivalents in number-as (aé ;) because a' equals 1, and é equals 5 or else s' or 'would equally produce the Number 6. And if neither the episèmon s', nor the LETTERS aé, &c. are used to denote the number 6, then the monosyllable is its legitimate substitute; so that there is no sort of difficulty in making the Number 6 with the Letters of the Greek Alphabet, without having recourse to the episèmon . In short, the 24 LETTERS of the Greek Alphabet are always sufficient to calculate any numbers contained in Names of Men, Cities, Kingdoms, &c. without the introduction of the three ea, which are used only in calculating NUMBERS. The simple circumstance of the episèmon having been numerically placed BETWEEN the 5th and 7th Letters of the Greek Alphabet to denote 6, shews most clearly that it is neither one, nor two Letters, nor the power of either; but a distinct character introduced into the vacuum of the di-gamma, arbitrarily filled up, when it is more convenient to express the Number 6 by one cypher, than by two separate letters, which are equal to it in point of numerical value--viz. «é or dß' or vý.

Mr. Faber has not produced one single example of the assumed use of the exiμ or cypher for the contraction s, which, in truth and reason, he ought to have done in order to satisfy the old school

of Divines, as well as to ground an Argument for discarding the Epsilon () in Aarêivos; and when he has done so, we shall be better prepared to agree with him about the further propriety of interchanging the word βλασφημος with Αποςατης, for which I cannot see any justifiable reason, either on scriptural or on classical ground.

CHAPTER VII.

ON THE PROPER USE OF THE

MARK

OR ACCENT,

WHEN PLACED ABOVE OR BELOW THE μ Fav, OR, CYPHER, WITH THE PROBABLE ORIGIN AND USE OF THE SAID EPISÈMON.

σ

FROM the abundant evidence given in the preceding Chapter, it may be considered conclusive, that the MARK being placed ABOVE the EPISEMON', when it denotes 6 among the Letters of the Greek alphabet is then the CHARACTERISTIC distinguishing it from the form of the stenographical contraction of a and 7, or 5, which never has, nor can have, any such Mark either over it or under it at any time or place; for it is always the same in form and value wherever you may find it in words, whether in the beginning or middle of a word. It is only one form of the Eμo or cypher ', which has induced Mr. Faber to suppose it to be of the same import with the contraction, but the other three forms of it F. V. G. are so totally dissimilar to the unchanging form of the contraction 5, that there is not the slightest room

for comparison or confusion. Moreover, as I have said before, all grammarians place the well-known contraction in alphabetical order, among the sigmas, i. e. between Rho and Upsilon, and NOT between Epsilon and Zeta, as is always the case when the episèmon or cypher s' is brought forward to denote 6, and consequently put in the 6th place; and it may therefore be concluded, from the SITUATION of the episèmon, when used among the letters, that it is either derived from the Eolic Digamma, and ought to be pronounced-Episèmon Gau ... Ταυ ... Tau... as a Classic of great reputation supposes : or it is a stenographical form of the Di-gamma F, by rounding off its angles, in the writing of running-hand; and AROSE OUT OF the original form of the di-gamma,' which is the opinion of the learned Dr. Marsh, Bishop of Peterboro'; and I am inclined to believe that both these opinions are correct, because the episèmon F or occupies the very place of the ancient Digamma, and is used for the same numerical purposes, namely, to denote 6-and that EVERY CAPITAL LETTER in the Greek Alphabet, (of which the Digamma was formerly one) has a SMALL CHARACTER to represent it, and generally two or three others (vide Greek Grammars) besides, the Greek term on being annexed to it, demonstrates that it is different in appellation from any of the GREEK LETTERS, or CONTRACTIONS, for although every small Greek Letter, as a, B, y, d, &c. is entitled to a Mark above and below it for arithmetical purposes, yet we are never accustomed to call them,

:

...

...

episèmon a' or episèmon p ... or episèmon y or episèmon &', &c. It appears to me that the au (which may be omitted) is put after the episèmon by Grammarians to give it a hard or long sound-to distinguish it from the single gamma-and to give us the proper pronunciation of the character, as Gau, Fav, Tav.

The Latins have sometimes used the Eolic Digamma F, by turning it upside down to express the LETTER V, and it is very probable from this circumstance that the Eolic Digamma (designated by Grammarians Episèmon F or Episèmon Fa) has obtained its present Grammatical appellation of Ταν both from its similarity to the Roman Letter F, and its being occasionally used to represent the Letter V.

...

...

I will here give one example from Hubert Goltzius' Thesaurus, for such ancient usage, Digamma Eolicum, pro V. ut AMPLIAJIT TERMINAJIT Q.

DIMI. JUMENTUTI. OCTAMIA. VII. JIR EPULON. XV.

MIR. S. F. Adverte hic Eolicum digamma 1, contineri ea figura, quali ab Imp. Ti. Claudio adjectum tradit Priscianus. Claudius enim prioribus litteris tres adjecit, teste Suetonio, qui in vitâ ipsius ita refert: Novas etiam commentus est litteras tres, ac numero veterum, quasi maximè necessarias, addidit. De quarum ratione cùm privatus adhuc, volumen edidisset, mox princeps, non difficulter obtinuit, ut in usu quoque promiscuo essent. Extat talis scriptura in plerisque libris, ac diurnis titulisque operum."

1 Goltzius. Thesaurus Rei Antiquariæ. P. 285. Edit. Antwerp, 1644.