( ‘59 ) 
there mutt have been fome of them longer, and fome 
of them fhorter, according to the different Fancies of 
the Writers. Military Men might fometimes write 
with the Point of their Daggers, and from this Prac- 
tice the Words Stylus and ‘Pugio came to be confound- 
ed j but Men of Bufinefs and private Perfons cannot 
be fuppofed to have made ufe of Daggers for Writing. 
He obferves alfo, which is no fmall Argument for his 
Side of the Queftion, that if Monf ancon had confut- 
ed the numerous Draughts he has publifhed of the 
Habits belonging to the old Greeks and Romans , he 
would not have found one of thefe Implements, either 
as a Fattening or an Ornament upon them. 
He proceeds next to a Defcription of thefe StyU 
found in Scotland , and fhews how they were accom- 
modated to the Bufinefs he fuppofes them defigned 
for j but as the Copper Plate prefix’d to his Dilferta- 
tion will give us a much clearer Notion of that, I (hall 
refer you to it, and only take notice that the fifth 
Figure in it is fo intirely different from the others, that 
he himfelf is in fome Doubt about it, and owns it 
might have ferved the Arufpices, in examining the 
Bowels of Animals, and have been one of thofe 
Inftruments called Exjlifpicta. However, he thinks 
that if he fhould pronounce it to have been a 
StyluSy he fhould not be much out of the way, 
fince the Ancients had their *Theca Graphtarit? ,which 
Name will agree very well with this Brafs Cafe, and 
the Inftrument found within it. From the Stylus 
ufed to form Letters- comes that figurative Exprefiion, 
that a Perfon writes fuch or fuch a fort of a Style , 
to 
