[ 2S 9 ] 
rather than didance of time. But befides that fuch a 
notion runs counter to what he had before 13 advanced, 
this by no means feems agreeable to truth, or the na- 
tural courfe of things. For the Punic and Phoenici- 
an alphabets were originally the very fame, and con- 
tinued fo, or nearly fo, I make not the lead doubt, 
long after the foundation of Carthage. And this is 
rendered highly probable by the letters preferved on 
many Carthaginian coins. To what then can we fo 
properly afcribe the aforefaid variations as to didance 
of time, fince the letters fo varied in the Carthagini- 
an territories had undoubtedly the fame forms with 
thofe of the correfpondent elements in the more an- 
tient Phoenician alphabet, (ufed both there and at 
Tyre, Sidon, Citium, &c.) feveral ages before? In 
fine, the fame characters at fird prevailed both at 
Carthage and in Phoenicia ; though thefe, or at lead 
feveral of them, in after ages, affumed pretty different 
forms. So that the more any Punic or Phoenician 
literary characters, in whatever country found, re- 
cede from thofe that formed the Samaritan or earlied 
Phoenician alphabet, the later they ought undoubted- 
ly to be deemed, as I have elfewhere obferved. Nor 
will M. l’Abbe, I flatter myfelf, notwithflanding the 
infinuation hinted at here, be dilpleafed with me, if 
on this occafion I fhould adopt another I+ of his opi- 
nions. 
After the Carthaginian provinces had been fubdued 
by the Romans, the people dill retained the ufe of 
their antient proper names, and fpoke the Punic 
i 
f 
13 De I'Orig.des Chin. par M. d*e Guignes, p. 39 ’ A Paris, 1700. 
14 M. de Guign. ubi fup. p. 39. 
tongue. 
