36 ? 
ALP 
A L P 
Divided again into 
4 Labial , eb ep ev ef. 
Dental, ed et eth etj^ ez efs ezh eih. 
4 Palatine, eg ek el er. 
3 Nafal, em en ing. 
Mr. Sheridan obfcrves, that our alphabet is ill calcu¬ 
lated for the notation of the Englifli tongue, as there are 
many founds for which we have no letters or marks: and 
there ought to be nine more characters or letters to make 
a complete alphabet, in which every Ample found ought 
to have a mark peculiar to itfejf. The reafon of the de¬ 
ficiency is, that the Roman alphabet was formerly adopt¬ 
ed for the notation of the F.nglilh language, though by no 
means fuited to the purpofe. 
Many "authors are of opinion, that letters derive their 
forms from the pofitions of the organs of lpeech in their 
pronunciation. Van Helmont has taken great pains to 
prove, that the Chaldaic characters are the genuine al¬ 
phabet of nature; becaufe, according to him, no letter 
can be rightly founded without difpoling the organs of 
fpeech into an uniform pofition with the figure of each 
letter; and, in fupport of this fyltem, lie has anatomifed 
the organs of articulation. 
The learned bifiiop Warburton, however, aferibes the 
origin of alphabetical writing to hieroglyphics, or to a fe- 
ries of objeCts or figures fo delineated as to reprefent the 
ideas of the human mind. And that, when philofophy 
advanced, and learned men wrote, the exaCt delineation 
of hieroglyphic figures becoming too tedious and too vo¬ 
luminous, they then, by degrees, perfected another cha¬ 
racter, which he calls the cunning hand of hieroglyphics; 
thefe, being at firft formed only by the outlines of each fi¬ 
gure, became at length a kind of marks, which led to the 
conftrudtion of letters, and confequently to the formation 
of an alphabet. 
Mr. Nelme, on the contrary, has endeavoured-to fiievv, 
that all elementary characters or letters derive their form 
form the line and the circle. His alphabet conlifts of 13 
radical letters, four diminilhed, and four augmented. The 
radicals are L, O, S, A, B, C, D, N, U, I, E, M, R. H, 
according to him, is derived from A ; P from B ; T from 
D ; and F from U; thefe are called diminilhed letters. 
The augmented ones are, Z from S; G from C; W from 
U; and Y from 1 . He proves that his characters are very 
fimilar to thofe of the ancient Etrufcans : but all charac¬ 
ters are compofed either of lines and circles of the form¬ 
er, and of parts of the latter. Mr. Gebelin again, dedu¬ 
ces them from hieroglyphic reprefentations; and has given 
feveral delineations of human figures, trees, See. in con¬ 
firmation of this hypothefis. 
One of the molt Ample alphabets has been formed by 
making two perpendicular and two horizontal lines : 
a | b | c 
Thus, d | e | f Front which may be deduced 
h r I h I ‘ 
fiine different characters or letters. Thus, 
a I lb I |c T] | e 1 |f g| | h | | i. 
k 
1 | m 
many more as ” 
0 
P 
q 
r 
s 
P may be fufficient for the nota¬ 
tion of any language, by adding two or more points to 
each character. Though thefe fquare characters are not 
calculated for difpatch ; yet they may be made as expe- 
ditioully, or more fo, than the Tartar, the Bramin, the 
Cafbmirian, or many others. Writing compofed of thefe 
characters, is at firft light fomewhat like the Hebrew. 
Mr. Dow, author of the Hiltory of Hindoltan, lately 
formed a new language and alphabet. This language, and 
the characters formed for its notation, were fo eafy, that 
female of his acquaintance acquired the knowledge of 
them in three weeks, and correfponded with him therein 
during their intimacy. 
To Alphabet, v. a. To range in the order of the al¬ 
phabet. 
ALPHABF/TICAL, or Alphabetic, adj. \_alplmbe - 
tique, Fr.] In the order of the alphabet; according to the 
feries of letters. 
ALPHABE'TICALLY, adv. In an alphabetical man¬ 
ner ; according to the order of the letters. 
ALPHZE'NIX, white barley-fugar, to which is given 
an extraordinary name, to render it more valuable. This 
fugar, which is thought good for colds, is made of com¬ 
mon fugar, which is boiled until it becomes eafy to crack, 
when they pour it upon a marble table, greafed with oil 
of fweet almonds, and mould it into various figures with a 
brals crotchet. It is eafily fallified with ftarch. 
ALPHE'A, a name of Diana in Elis, given her when 
the river Alpheus endeavoured to ravifh her without 
fuccels. 
ALPHEG, [of alle, all, and fegan, Sax. to enjoin 
t]. d. a man fit for all things; one that can do any thing ; 
Jack of all trades.] a Chriltian name of a man. 
AL'PHERY (Mikipher), born in Ruflia, and of the 
imperial line. When that country was torn to pieces by 
intefline quarrels, in the latter end of the 16th century, 
and the royal houfe particularly w'as fo feverely perfecuted 
with impoftors, this gentleman and his two brothers were 
fent over to England, and recommended to the care of 
Mr. Jofepli Bidell, a Ruffian merchant. Mr. Bidell, when 
they were of age fit for the univerfity, fent them all three 
to Oxford, where, the fmall pox unhappily prevailing, 
two of them died. The furviving brother entered into 
holy orders; and in 1618 had the rectory of Wooley in 
Huntingdonlhire. Here he did his duty with great cheer- 
fulnefs and alacrity ; and, although he was twice invited to 
back to his native country by fome who would have ven¬ 
tured their utmoft to have fet him on the throne of his an- 
celtors, he chofe rather to remain with his flock, and to 
ferve God in the humble ffation of a parifh-prieft. Yet in 
1643, he underwent the fevered trials from the rage of 
the fanatics ; w ho, not fatisfied with depriving him of his 
living, infulted him in the moll barbarous manner; for 
having procured a file of mufqueteers to pull him out of 
his pulpit, as he was preaching on a Sunday, they turned 
his wife and fmall children into the ftreet, into w'hich 
alfo they threw his goods. The poor man in this dif- 
trefs raifed him a tent under fome trees in the church¬ 
yard, over againft his houfe, and lived in great diffrefs 
until the refforation put him in poffellion of his living 
again. He returned on this occafion to Huntingdon- 
fliire, where he did not day long; for being upwards of 
80, and withal very infirm, he could not perform the du¬ 
ties of his function. Having, therefore, fettled a curate, 
he retired to Hammerfmith, where diortly after he died. 
ALPHESIBOE'A, the daughter of Phlegius, a pried 
of Bacchus. She married Alcmeon, and received the fa¬ 
mous necklace of Eriphyle for a nuptial prefent; but, be¬ 
ing divorced fome time after, Ihe prevailed on her bro¬ 
thers to revenge the affront, who murdered herhufband. 
ALPHE'US, or Alpheius, a noted and large river 
of the Peleponnefus ; which, riling in Arcadia, and, run¬ 
ning in a fouth-wed courfe, pours into the Sinus Chelo- 
nitea, about ten miles to the fouth of Olympia. The po¬ 
ets fable drange things of this river ; particularly, that, 
out of love to the nymph Arctliufa, it runs under the fea to 
Sicily, and burds out at the fountain of that name in Syra- 
cufe. Its waters were reckoned good in the leprofy, which 
is called Aby the Greeks ; and hence the name Al¬ 
pheus .—Paufanius adds, that the Eleans had a law, which 
condemned any woman to death that Ihould either appear 
at the Olympic games, or even crofs this river during that 
folemnity : and the Eleans add, that the only woman who 
tranfgreded it, had difguifed herfelf in the habit of a maf- 
ter or keeper of thefe games, and conducted her fon thi¬ 
ther; but, when fhe faw him come off victorious, her joy 
made 
