118 Dr. Kennedy Bailie's Researches amongst the inscribed Monuments 



Rejecting, therefore, all such contrivances for facilitating or expediting 

 labour, my uniform method was, to make myself acquainted, in each instance 

 which presented itself, with the import of the words, when it was at all possible 

 for me to do so. This, after some practice, was of great utility in enabling me 

 to abridge the trouble of a repeated inspection, as established formulse were of 

 constant recurrence, and the known succession of words thus at once suggested 

 itself to the mind. In cases, where the characters were so defaced or mutilated 

 as to afford no clue, or next to none, to the sense, my practice was to read 

 the several tituli orthographically, that is, to resolve them according to the 

 known laws of termination of their components ; I mean, according as they were 

 nouns, verbs, or particles, thus to establish what may be termed resting-places 

 for the eye, while the hand was occupied with the task of committing the record 

 to paper. 



This method, or rather what was consequent upon it, dexterity of trans- 

 cription, effected often somewhat more than a mere abridgment of labour : for 

 it is clear, that the same law of sequence which enabled me without actual in- 

 spection to anticipate sentences, supplied me also with the means of restoring 

 them when broken off or effaced. I have thus been frequently guided to the 

 general import, at least, of a document, the first appearance of which was most 

 unpromising to the copyist. 



An example, or two, may not be uninteresting. 



There are few formulae of more constant recurrence, particularly in the 

 ancient sites of Asia Minor, than epigraphs on the coffers {<ropo\) in which 

 families of distinction laid their dead. By far the finest of these I met with 

 was one in the upper quarter of Akhissar, the ancient Thyatira, it wanting only 

 the operculum, but the body of the sarkophagos being in perfect preservation. 

 The name of the individual who had caused it to be constructed is recited, the 

 spot where he had it placed, the purposes which he had in view ; and then fol- 

 lows a prohibition to all others meddling with, or in any way making use of, 

 the soros, under a heavy penalty, which might appear to have been twofold ; but 

 this I shall explain more fully in its proper place. 



The titulus concludes with stating, that the customary formality was observed, 

 of a copy (dvTiypa(j)ov) being deposited in the office of the registries, (to dpxelov,) 

 in this case, perhaps, the senate-house ; with the name of the pro-consul for the 



