C 400 ] 
than to perfift in it ? To give up a point than to at- 
>. tempt the defence of it, when he feems even to 
look upon it himfelf as altogether indefenfible ? 
The laft word but one of the infcription M. l’Abbe 
reprefents by the Hebrew characters oSpyOHD, 
taking the fecond letter for He. He has likewife 
given us a pretty good account of oSpyO, the latter 
part of it ; but has only juft mentioned the particle 
HD, formed of the two firft letters. And in this he 
has, perhaps, aCted prudently enough. For none of 
the fignifications of that particle, at leaft none that 
I can find, will accord with the fenfe of that part of 
the infcription in which it occurs ; whereas if we 
fuppofe the fecond element to be Mem^ as I am fully 
perfuaded it is, every difficulty will immediately va- 
nifh. This I have clearly demonftrated in my for- 
mer remarks. I muft beg leave farther to obferve, 
as pertinent to the prefent occafion, that as a variety 
of winds will give a variety of directions to a fhip’s 
motion, any navigation effected by different winds 
may be termed crooked, any voyage performed by 
their affiftance oblique. So that we cannot infer 
from either of M. l’Abbe’s tranflations of the word in 
queftion, that the two Tyrians mentioned in our 
infcription were thrown upon the iftand of Malta 
by a tempeft, as this learned author has been pleafed 
to aftert. The latter of thofe tranflations was owing, 
as he informs us, to “ the favour of certain fuppo- 
“ fitions, which, for brevity’s fake, he has l'up- 
“ prefied.” 
From what has been faid it appears, that the cha- 
racter denominated He by M. l’Abbe, and by me 
Mem , is an objeCt of fomc importance, with regard 
to the explication of this infcription. If it be taken 
for 
