HOLMES ANNIVERSARY VOLUME 



GLYPH E 



The sixth glyph of the Supplementary Series occurs less frequently 

 than the fifth, appearing only in about a third of the texts under 

 observation (see Table VII). It is the last, moreover, of a normal 

 Supplementary Series (i.e., A, B, X, C, D, E, F, and G) ever to have 

 a coefficient. 



It is composed of but two essential elements: (i) the moon-sign, 

 same variant as in Glyph A; and (2) a bar-and-dot coefficient ranging 

 from I to 19 inclusive, the distribution of which is shown in Table IV. 



TABLE IV 



I 



2 



3 



4 



5 



6 



7 



8 



9 



10 



11 



12 



13 



14 



15 



16 



17 



18 



19 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 









NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



NO. 





NO. 



NO. 



NO. 



39 



2? 



73 

 74 



16 



26 

 51 

 65 



6 



46 



7 

 15 



18 

 28 



49 



14 

 19? 



37 









22 



24 



25 



21 



23 



15? 





17? 



33? 



12 



There are several indications that we are again dealing with the 

 same kind of a moon variant as in Glyph A. To begin with, the moon- 

 sign in Glyph E always has the large "eye" element, as in A, instead 

 of the three small dots as in C and D. This objective difference, which 

 has already been pointed out, indicates in itself a corresponding dif- 

 ference in meaning between the two pairs of glyphs and affords a 

 slight clue as to the meaning of E. 



The moon-sign in Glyph A, it will be remembered, stands for the 

 number 20; it therefore seems probable that the same character in E 

 has the same value. But here the analogy breaks down, since in A 

 the coefficient is always attached to the right of the glyph or below, 

 while in E it always appears to the left or above. This difference, as 

 already pointed out in connection with Glyph A, probably indicates 

 a difference in the process by which the coefficient affects the main 

 element, in the one case by addition and in the other by multiplication. 



The inference appears reasonable, therefore, that the coefficients 

 of Glyph E are joined to the moon-sign by multiplication, and the 

 coefficients in Table IV, therefore, are to be multiplied by 20. And 

 since the unit of Glyph A is the kin, it is probable, on the ground of 

 general similarity, that the kin is also the basic unit of Glyph E. 

 This latter point is strongly corroborated by the Supplementary Series 



[384] 



