1885.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 69 



furnishes the only difficulty in deciphering texts of this kind. 

 Another point that deserves particular attention is that whereas 

 the Hieroglyphic can run from left to right or vice versa, the 

 Hieratic and Demotic can be written from right to left only (cf . 

 above), whence all Shemitic languages are written in this way. 



The third kind of Egyptian writing, the Demotic called 



i| ^ g l| Ij ^^===^ sexi-en-shai, or "writing of letters" in the 



Rosetta Stone, which originated about 700 B. C, is even 

 more cursive than the Hieratic, and looks much like short-hand 

 Egyptian. We find many inscriptions, both legendary and 

 funeral, of the latest period written in this style, though it was 

 used most frequently for contracts and tlie most secular purposes. 



These three methods of writing, however, were soon obliter- 

 ated when Greek influence began to be felt in Egypt, Coptic 

 took the place of them all in the fifth century of our era. The 

 Greek alphabet was substituted for all Egyptian letters, except 

 seven which were retained for soimds not existing in the Greek 

 language. To this Coptic we are altogether indebted for our 

 translations of Egyptian inscriptions, for, strange as it may 

 appear, the Egyptian language in the thousands of years of its 

 existence had hardly undergone any material changes. The 

 relation may be expressed thus — Coptic : Hieroglyphic, Hier- 

 atic and Demotic : : Modern English : English of Chaucer's and 

 Spenser's time. 



As far as the grammatical analysis of texts of various periods 

 is concerned that of the oldest time presents the most difficulties. 

 The sentences are very concise and the words pregnant with 

 meaning, while many odd and antique idiomatical expressions 

 meet the eye everywhere. The time between Thothmes III 

 and Ramses H (1600-1200 B. C.,) the golden period, of 

 Egyptian history, represents Egyptian literature in its highest 

 state of perfection. Of that period we possess the most monu- 

 ments. The style of writing had broadened considerably, long 



