1899.] 
Section II.—Block Prints. 
85 
Fourth Set. (Plate XII). 
This set comprises eight books. Two of the books contain also 
other texts in addition to their own, viz., No. VII contains also the 
text of the Fifth Set, and No. VIII, of the Seventh Set. 
The text of the Fourth Set consists of a formula, containing five 
lines of writing. There appear to have been two blocks, from which this 
formula has been printed off; for I have noticed a very slight differ¬ 
ence in tbe dimensions of the print: in Books I, III, V, the lines 
differ by £ to yy an inch in length from those in Books II, IV. The 
enclosing lines of the block of the longer print alone are preserved in 
book No. VII, and this block measures, within tbe enclosing lines, 
3§ x 2£ inches. 
Two of the books seem to afford indications whereby to determine 
what is top or bottom, right or left, and beginning or end of the text. 
These are Nos. II and VI. No. II is printed with three columns on each 
page, and a column consists, as a rule, of six impressions of the formula ; 
but there are two pages on which the columns contain 6^ impressions, and 
one page on which they contain only 5^ impressions ; as illustrated by 
Dn the margin. On the other hand book No. YI is printed 
with 2^ columns on each page ; that is, two columns contain, 
each, two complete impressions of the formula, while the third 
column contains only two half-impressions of it; as illustrated 
in diagram II. It would seem right to conclude from 
diagram I, that ab c must be the top-line; for if ghi 
were taken to be the top-line, the printing would have com¬ 
menced with a mutilated formula. Similarly diagram II 
would show that a is right and c left of the formula, and 
that the reading of the latter must commence, not with c , but 
with a ; or in other words that the formula must be read 
from the left to the right. It would follow, therefore, that 
if the formula is to be read in the European fashion, it commences in 
the left-hand upper corner, as shown in the photographic facsimile on 
Plate XII ; or, if it is to be read in the Chinese fashion, its com¬ 
mencement lies in the right-hand upper corner. Unfortunately, as the 
case of the Fifth Set shows, the argument is not so conclusive as would 
be desirable. 
diagram I 
I 
• • • 
a b c \ 
def\ 
6 
g h i ) 
a b c ) 
i 
def ] 
2 
II 
• abc 
a b 
• ab c 
a b 
'-w 
1 
2 
1 
2 
No. I. Book. 
Belongs to M. 7. Said to have been found at Aq Tala Tuz. 
Size, 23| X 13|.” Number of forms, 36. Riveted with three copper pegs, 
