190 
labials — eb, ev, ep, ef. 
dentals — ed, edh, et, etb, es, esb, ez, ezb. 
20 consonants. \ palatals — eg, ek, el, er. 
nasals — em, en, eng. 
aspirate — b. 
Tbree compounds — j = edzb, cb = etsb, and x = eks. 
Two of our letters superfluous, viz., — c = ek or es, and 
q = ek before u. 
Regarding x also as superfluous — according to tbis scbeme 
tbirty- seven cbaracters would be required to express tbe sounds 
of our language, and besides tbese, tbe promoters of tbe present 
pbonetic movement rigbtly require two more to express tbe 
vowels in 2ntt and now. Tbat tbe futborc actually expressed 
nearly every one of tbese sounds we may well believe, since, 
as far as our knowledge of its powers extends, we find tbat it 
included many wbicb tbe abecedarium does not. 
Tbe names of tbe runes tbemselves, tbeir occurrence in 
ancient inscriptions, and a comparison of tbe words in wbicb 
tbey occur, witb tbe same words in tbeir modern form, are, 
of course, our only criteria as to tbeir value, and tbese are 
not always certain, since words migbt be difierently pro- 
nounced, as tbe runes would bave difierent powers, amongst 
difierent tribes. Tbe Nortbumbrian inscriptions, few as tbey 
are, bave supplied twenty-six runes, and amongst tbem nearly 
all tbe vowels, wbicb may be arranged as follows : — 
lY. {2.)—Asc, "asb," a^. 
lY. {l.)—Ac\ " oak,'' a3 or o^. 
lY. (4.) — JEar, , a^. It occurs in tbe words fedrran, 
and heafuncBSy at Rutbwell. 
III. {Z.)—Eoh or eh, e^. 
III. (8.) — Oethel, e^. It occurs in tbe word gidrefid at 
Butbwell, but at Falstone it is expressed by and seems 
scarcely to difier from tbe last. 
II. (3.) — Is, Tbe long is expressed at Rutbwell by II. 
