c M 9 ) 
manner inftead of meeting in an Angle 2 ; and 
*Plamtdes , a Greek Writer, has kept the true Ara- 
bian Form v, like the Roman Five, which the Euro- 
peans inverted. [SeeTAB.II. Fig . i ] The laft Altera- 
non tbisFigure received among us, was by railing the 
ihorter Leg horizontally. But no Infiance of it parallel 
to this in the Worcefler Date, or any Thing like it, 
has before appeared. As there feems therefore no 
Reafon to fuppofe. it a Seven ; fo I think a probable 
Conjecture may be offered, what it was defigned for, 
and that is, thd Roman Numeral . Ten, 1 which was 
made in this Form, like an X ; to which Character, 
in our old fquare Hand, this fuppofed Seven y 
would very well agree, by fupplying only the two 
extreme Parts to the right Hand, in this Manner 
which may eafily bethought to have been decayed, 
and worn away by length of Time. 
As there is no Realon to take the middle Cha- 
racter for a Seven, fo neither is there any to fuppofe 
the firfl was intended for a Nine, being thus placed 
before two Roman Numerals, as I take them both to 
be. It has indeed fome Similitude with that Figure- 
but that is nothing more, than what was antiently,. 
and (till is, common to the Letter OP in that Hand, 
which refembles a double 0>with an oblique Stroke 
turned inwards from the Bottom of that to the right 
Hand; fo that if the other to the left be taken a- 
way,that which remains will appear in thisFcrm Q, 
like what is here called a Nine. And every one 
knows, who Has any Acquaintance with antient In- 
fcriptions, that Letters frequently perifh in this Man- 
ner, one Part before another. 
a Adth. Chron. Lib. I. Cap. 4. 
Upon 
