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knowledge of these characters, and of this language, may be found hereafter to be a valuable acquisition It may possibly assist the rightful heirs, when nestored to their patrimony, to discover the treasures of darkness " and the hidden riches of secret places : I therefore, hope, that the subject will attract the attention of those gentlemen, who are learned in Rabbinical literature. I think, I I may confidently submit the follow= complete discovery of the Alphabet. I leave others to decide on the origin of these characters.

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א ב ג ד ה ו ז ח ט ח

ל מ נ ס ע פ צ ק ר ש ת

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Af few of the letters in the Inscriptions appear in varied Forms; namely, 3, sometimes 2; _ 7, sometimes 7.?; _ Y,

sometimes 4,5, I, sometimes. I, I, 15; - I, sometimes $554;I. twice [];. y. sometimes 7 : - 3 supposed 37;. 3, final, supposed to be 7:7, sometimes 7;. Fr double Mr.

I now proceed to apply this corrected Alphabet to the inscriptions, N: + 11 & 12, before mentionés, as follows. LG GHR GJ

XI

בל תיחל ברם וניא תת

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אמה אלה סל ברוה בדת

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These four lines, which, as I noticed before, copied by Mr Wood, from the inside of the magnificent. sepulchre, (partly represented in plate N:57 of his Work!) and supposed, by him, to form two inscriptions, I consider to be only one ; and I now submit an amend = ed interpretation of it as follows.

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7" Trust not in the high place or the valley Popread the wing, inhabitants of the world; to give "strength; but choose ye the covenant. O'people with purity, exalt divine huth; elevale yourselves, through satiety in the law. • yourselves husho

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I believe that the tomb, in which these divine precepts are inscribed, was erected under the direction of the illustrious Bling Solomon; and I may hereafter state

e my reasons for this belief. In the meantime I will observe, that the sentiments contained in this inscription, appear to be quite characteristic of his noble and elevated genius; and seem to have been dictated in the same spirit; as the following passage taken from his book of Wisdom. If your delight be "then in thrones and sceptres. O ye kings of the people : " honour wisdom, that ye may reign for evermore " The Hebrew of this inscription seems to be pures & there = fore, it may be reasonably concluded, that it must have been written previous to the invasion & conquest of the City by the Babylonians; because the rest of the inscriptions (if we except N:3) appear to be in the

Chaldean dialeds my remarks for the present with

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hope, that these few particulars may serve to attract the attention of the Royal Asiatic Soccer towards these interesting remains: or, that they ma at least, induce, future travellers, to rescue, from the vages of time, and the desolating hands of the Mahometans, as many of these an of these ancient memoria ? hey may be able to discover, among these venera ble and beautiful ruins. I have been informed? that there are inscriptions in the vaults of the palaces, at both Balbec & Palmyra, which have "not been copied by modern travellers.

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BanPrescot
31 Jany 1831.

Since writing the above, I think I have discovered, so far as the dates of these inscriptions go, the methi's notation used by the Palmyreneans. I have placed The Greek dates, which were copied from the same mar . bles, opposite each, respectively they from right to left

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The marbles from which; the following were taken had the Palmyrene alone.

333 }}

60 5 3 the year 3560, or probably 3290
11733 IIII. X MÉ 4537,

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42.67

No IV, VI, VII, refer to the Seleucian era, and III, XII, 10 the year of the Creation;

5th February 1831

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