[ 743 ] 
L E T T E R IV. 
- t ■ - “ ' , 
Reverend Sir, Chrift-Church, Oxford, Oft. 10, 1754. 
Read Nov. H.'^T O T long after I had finilhed my 
‘ 754 - 1^1 con j e< 3 ;ures upon the Palmyrene in- 
feription publifhed by (1) Gruter and (2) M. Spon, 
I received a mod: obliging letter from M. l’Abbe 
Barthelemy, member of the Royal Academy of In- 
feriptions and Belles-Letters at Paris, and keeper of 
the medals in the French king’s cabinet; wherein he 
informed me, that he had taken great pains to ex- 
plain that infeription, and another drawn in the fame 
character, published likewife by (3) M. Spon. As 
he feemed to think, that he had not intirely deci- 
phered thofe inferiptions, he recommended it to me 
to take them both into my confideration, and try 
what I could make of them. I received alfo, at the 
fame time, from that very learned and polite gentle- 
man, as a prefent, a copy of his reflections upon 
the alphabet and language of Palmyra ; which, espe- 
cially as the piece itfelf is the refult of great fagacity 
and erudition, I efteem as an additional favour. 
M. l’Abbe Barthelemy acquainted me in his letter, 
that he had procured a molt faithful and exadt copy 
of the fecond Roman Palmyrene infeription, which 
enabled him to exprefs it by the fquare, or Chaldee,. 
. . . T / • Cv.'r: •• 
(1) Jan. Gruter. Corp. Jnfcript. ex Recenf. & Annotat. Joan. 
Georg. Graev. p. lxxxvi. Amftelaedami, 1 707. 
(2) Jac. Spon. Mifcellan . Erudit. Antiquitat , p. 1. Lugduni, 1685.. 
(3) Idem ibid. p. 3. 
letters. 
