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on the fhore watched with eager eyes for his return ; old iEgeus 

 faw the black fignal, and certain that his fon was dead, he threw 

 himfelf from a rock into the ^gean fea f . 



The fignals of Agamemnon are beautifully defcribed in JEC- 

 chylus, and every Ration is pointed out with geographical accu- 

 racy. 



Tamerlane's telegraphy was not very refined, but it was 

 fufficiently intelligible. Whenever he laid firgt to any town he 

 ufed to employ three fignals — the firft day he fet up a white 

 flag, to fignify that he was difpofed to ufe clemency ;o thofe v/ho 

 immediately furrendered ; the fecond day his fignal was red, to 

 fignify that he would have blood, and that the lives of the 

 governor and of the principal ofHcers of the garrifon mufl pay 

 for their temerity ; but the third day his black ftandard declared 

 that whether the place furrendered or was taken by florm every 

 body fliould be put to the fword and the town utterly de- 

 ftroyed. 



The Moors built many towers in Spain ; they were placed 

 on the principal eminences in the kingdom, from whence, by 

 means of lights and fignals, they could correfpond with each 

 other. Thefe towers in many places flill remainj. The cele- 

 brated 



f Perhaps Cervantes rccollcSed the black and white fails of Thefeus when he 

 wrote his Galatea. 



t The Afiatics and Arabs pradlifcd the art of fpeaking by (ignals, as we are told 

 by HaflVlquill and M.'iri;jni. 



