1891.] A, F. R. Hoernle— On the date of the Boiver Manuscript. 87 
that is, between 520 and 577 A. D. (see Anec. Oxon., p. 63 ff.). It ex¬ 
hibits throughout the exclusive use of the cursive form of ya, thus showing 
that this cursive form was fully established for MS. writing in the middle of 
the sixth century A. B. The next oldest MSS. are two, described as 
Nos. 1049 and 1702 by Mr. Bendall in his Catalogue of Buddhist MSS. 
in the Cambridge Library , p. XXXIX. One of them is dated Samvat 
252, which Mr. Bendall takes to be in terms of the Harsha era and to be 
equal to 857 A. D. For my part, I can see no valid objection, on paleo¬ 
graphic grounds, to understanding the date in terms of the G upta era, and 
as equal to 571 A. D. I do not notice any such material difference 
between the writing of the Horiuzi MS. and the two Cambridge MSS., 
as to account for a supposed interval of three centuries. Any how, both 
Cambridge MSS. exhibit the exclusive use of the cursive form of ya. 
The conclusion appears to me inevitable, that any MS. which shows, 
as the Bower MS. does , the exclusive use of the old form, or which shows an 
uniform absence of the use of the cursive form, cannot possibly be placed 
later than 550 A. D., and in all probability is very much older. The only 
question is, whether there are any indications in the Bower MS. that 
render it possible to fix its date somewhat more definitely. 
Here the following facts are to be observed. The first appearance 
of the modern cursive form of ya in any inscription is met with in the 
Bijagadh inscription of Vishnu Vardhana, of 371 A. D. (Fleet, p. 252), 
in sreyo, line 4 (if the plate can be trusted) ; and it is to be noted that 
it is used in junction with the vowel o. The old form, however, is 
more usual, as in ndmadheyena, 1. 3, and abhivriddhaye, 1. 4, in both 
cases with the vowel e. The first appearance of the transitional cursive 
form is met with about a century later (see below), but there can be 
no doubt that, though in the existing inscriptions, the first appearance 
of the modern form happens to be earlier, that form, as compared with 
the transitional form of the letter, is of later development.* Probably 
there was no great interval between the development of the two forms. 
In any case, the invention (so to speak) of the transitional form and, 
with it, the first beginnings of the modern form of ya, may, thus far, be 
placed at about 350 A. D. 
The actual first appearance of the transitional form occurs in the 
Indor copperplate inscription of Skanda Gupta, of 465 A. D. (Fleet, 
p. 68 ), in the words abhivriddhaye, 1. 4, and upayojyam, 1. 7, in both 
cases with the vowels e and o. Side by side, the old form occurs in 
yogam, 1. 9, yo 1. 11, abhivriddhaye , 1. 8. Other instances occur in the 
Karitalai inscription of Jayanatha, of 493 A. D. (Fleet, p. 117), in 
# A similar case, with regard to the development of the letter m, is noted by 
My. Fleet in his volume on the Gupta inscriptions, p. 3, footnote, 
