4950 
ever uncemmon in any country into 
which the pyramid was introduced, It is 
alfo well afcertained, that, although thefe 
fiupendous edifices appeared to a {pectator 
en the ground to converge to a point at 
their fummits, yet, that, in reality, thefe 
fummits conitituted a platform for the 
ecojoint purpofes of facrifice, divination, 
and aftrology: fuch plattorms were fome- 
times, moieover, thrown forth at different 
diffances from the fides of the building, 
and gave a (till nearer refemblance to the 
pagodas of the Eaft. 
Yr, E, H, 1, 01, T, are all ophite or ferpent 
hicroglyphics; they are obelifks or co- 
Jumns, with platforms or ftorjes ; an ap- 
purtenance which the obelifk occafionally 
boaited, in common with the pyramid, in 
different parts of the buildings; except- 
ing in the inftance of 1, which, like the py- 
yamidal A, appears to be the emblem of a 
firucture devoid of excavation ; while the 
H and I are types of double obelifks, the 
former with a platform uniting the-two 
columns in the centre, and the latter on the 
iummit. Many of the Greek characters, 
I am well aware, were formerly exprefled 
by figures that vary, in fome degree, from 
thofe in prefent ufe: but fuch variations 
are not of any great confequence to the 
purpose before us ; although I fhall notice 
the change which has taken place in the 
E, as well as feveral others, when I ad- 
yance to the interpretation of their names. 
Z, =, X, are again all of them pyramidal 
letters ; the firft is a {eCtion of a pyramid, 
‘with termini reprefenting the divergef- 
cence of its angles; a defign equally ob- 
fervable in the fecond ; and the whole are 
admirably adapted to delineate the perpe- 
tual fiream of different pencils of rays from 
the folar orb in every different and poflible 
jire€tion. N,K, M, are compound charac- 
ters, and exhibit a combination of the folar 
pyramid, with one or more ferpentine obe- 
ditks: the N, like the %, pofleffing a mere 
fection of the former. 8B, P, ®, ¥, are 
zlto double characters, but compounded 
of the obelifk and crefcent; and are con- 
feguently both ophite and arkite ; the firft 
and third have a two-fold crefcent or arc, 
the fecond and fourth one alone. © ando 
are pure folar hieroglyphics, in which a 
different tafte is indulged from that which 
introduced the pyramids. The former 
may be fuppofed to be a large golden bail, 
with a table or platform in the centre, not - 
ciffimilar, perhaps, from that on the fummit 
ct the dome of St. Paui’s Church. The 
& is a charaéter totally different from all 
the reft, for its different members are to- 
tally disjoined and unconneGied. I have 
always. regarced it in its prefent form as 
Mr, Goed on the Origin of the Greek Alphabet, 
| [Janos 
imperfect ; I have long conceived that its 
central line was originally united to the 
two extremes by converlfe curvatures, 
Ge p2 
thus “> and that it was the archetype 
the Roman §,. which in pronunciation 
exhibits mof accurately the latter half of 
its powers : and I was extremely gratified 
in obferving of late a copy of an old 
Greek alphabet in Le Clabart, in which 
it occurs exactly like the Roman §, its 
immediate offspring. In a great variety 
of other copies, the lines are alfo conneét- 
ed, though in amore zig zag direction 
fill; from aJl which circumftances, as 
well as from the fmaller or running &, 
which is a mere diminution of the capital, 
as it appears on many ancient infcrip- 
tions, there can be no doubt, that this 
was originally a ferpentine hieroglyphic, 
The only remaining letters are the ¥ and 
the 2,.both of which are alfo moft obyi- 
oufly ferpentine; the former reprefenting 
the reptile pendulous from 4 tree, or raiing 
himfelf from the ground, with his head 
and tail elevated aboye the reft of his body, 
which hangs down in the figure of a loop, 
as it occurs in the Georgian alphabet, or 
a loop contraéted into a fingle line, as in 
the modern mode of writing the Greek 3 
and the latter exhibiting him ina coil more 
complete ftill, and, at firft, entirely fo, 
with the head and tail peeping out, or 
forming tangents beyond the circular line. 
This fort of device, as Mr. Allwood has 
jaftly obferved, is to be met with in almof 
every remain of Egyptian antiquity. 
In many of the Greek alphabets feveral 
of thefe chara@ers are totally fuppreéfled, 
or are very ‘differently imprinted; in 
others, on the contrary, we meet with one 
or two additional cha:a¢ters, and particu- 
larly with the F often written, as in the 
prefent inftance, like the Roman, but more 
frequently, I believe, thus ¢ : in either 
cafe, it is eafy to clafs the letter, as 
it will alfo be to arrange any other, when-: 
ever it be found to vary in its figure. “E 
may not, perhaps, have arranged them 
altogether aright, in the prefent curfor 
farvey ; but I hepe Ihave at leatt efta- 
blithed this principle, that they are uni-~ 
formly facred fyrabols appertaining to the 
different fyftems of idolatry profeffed by 
their inventors. And as, I truft, I have . 
proved this by their configuration, I now 
proceed to eftablifh it by their names. 
The'word alpha, typified ‘by the hiero- 
glyphic A,is very generally known to im- 
ply ‘ the breath, infpiration or oracle of 
God; from the radicals al-phi.-. No 
character could be better calculated to ex- 
x prefs 
