48 MR. T>. SHARPE'S OPINIONS. 



by Homer or Herodotus we have no ground for 

 dating its application earlier than between the 

 time of the latter author, and the days of Strabo ; 

 that is, during the period when the Persians 

 retained possession of the country, after their 

 conquest of it. 



We shall now briefly notice the passages of 

 Mr. Sharpe's appendix on the " Lycian lan- 

 guage," wherein he speaks of those words and 

 parts of the inscription on the Xanthian Obelisk, 

 which he has been enabled to translate, and 

 which he considers to be the earliest specimen of 

 that language. 



In page 433, Appendix B. he says, "As far 

 as I can judge, the Lycian language appears to 

 have more resemblance to Zend than the Per- 

 sepolitan ; yet all three are of the same family, 

 which we may call Persian ; and it is not impro- 

 bable that this monument may have been one 

 of the five altars of the Persian religion." 



In page 434, " From the Greek inscription on 

 the north-east side of the Obelisk, we are enabled 

 to collect that it is an order addressed to the 

 Lycians by some sovereign ; the only person 

 mentioned is the son of Arpagus, who is spoken 

 of as a prince or governor, and to whom perhaps 



