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one to forty distinct characters ; and it is probable that the 
latter was the original number, for we have evidence that it 
was divided into classes, each of eight characters ; and, as these 
were regulated by the sacred number eight, we may well 
believe that another sacred number, forty, determined the 
extent of the futhorc, and completed the 5th class. (I shall 
henceforth, for convenience, speak of each rune by the num- 
ber of its class and its position therein.) 
This evidence is furnished by the Wadstena bracteate, on 
which the futhorc is divided into eights ; and by the S. Gallon 
MS., which mentions several varieties of secret runes, — viz., 
lis-runa, which were simple repetitions of the rune lis ; the 
number of short strokes in each group denoting the class to 
which the character intended belonged, and that of the longer 
ones its position in the class ; Lago-runa, differing only in 
the use of Lago for lis ; Hahal-runa, consisting of branching 
stems in which the branches to the left denoted the class, and 
those to the right the ordinal rank of the letter ; and Stof- 
runa, in which the class is denoted by dots, placed above 
others which indicate the ranks. As an example, the word 
CORVI is given in each kind of writing, and it appears 
that C (Cen) is I 6, O (Odil) III. 8, R (Rat) I. 5, V (Uur) 
1. 2, and I (lis) II. 3. 
This notice, therefore, of secret runes, vindicates the order 
of the futhorc as far as the 2ith character, and reveals the 
fact that its division into classes of eight characters each was 
fully recognized in Germany. 
In England, at Hackness, in Yorkshire, one example of 
inscription in Hahal-runa exists, but it is unfortunately too 
much defaced to be read satisfactorily. In Scandinavia, 
where the futhorc was reduced to sixteen runes, examples of 
Hahal and of lis-rune are found, and Liljegren, in his notice 
of this kind of writing, says that the futhorc consisted of 
three divisions, Fe heading the first, Hagl the second, and 
