1804.] Decree of the Egyptian Pricfts in Honour of Ptolomy Po. 41% 
tion of one letter, as in the Greek ; the A 
ufed in the latter language being a perfect 
firanger to the alphabet of the Egyptians. 
From thefe he proceeds to Berenices; 
finds Aétos with the Egyptian 7 prefixed, 
as in the inftances of Arfinoé and Alex- 
ander, to mark the genitive cafe ; and 
difcovers the Greek expreffion, ovileZcic, 
retained, though in Egyptian characters, 
at the clofe of the eighth line; as well as 
the recurrence of many of the Ptolomean, 
titles in a fimilar manner; the versacular 
idiom, it is probable, having no expreffions 
adequate to their tranflation. Finally, 
however, he agrees with M, de Sacy in 
one point, that the eyywesa yeauuarte, 
er vernacular letters, mentioned at the 
clofe of the infcription, correfpond with 
the dymotime, or vulgar kind, already 
mentioned from Hercdotus. And we 
have no doubt but they mult be the fame 
with the more common fpecies of writing 
fpoken of by Diodorus Siculus: but with 
the two former Mr. Akerblad is deGrous 
of connesting the dieratic letters of Cle- 
mens. Alexandrinus, forgetting that the 
epiftolic or epifiolographic kind,’ mentioned 
beth by Clemens and Porphyry, was of a 
nature more likely to anfwer the def{crip- 
tion. The dieratic was confefledly appro- 
priated to the priefis, and exclufive of the 
circumitance that Porphyry calls it the 
Sfymbolic, its charaQers could newer have 
deen termed eyywesoss. Tine hieratic of 
Clemens was probably the see of Hero- 
dotus, who, when he de(crives the letters 
of the Egyptians, does not appear to have 
included the fenfible, imagery in. which 
their abftrufer dogtrines were recorded. 
As the copy we have given of the 
GREEK part, exhibits both the faults and 
deficiencies of the original, we fhall here 
prefent, in one view, firft, the apparent 
errors and omiffions of the fculptor ; and 
afterward, fuch parts of fentences as in 
many cafes, feem likely once to have filled 
thofe vacuities which decay or violence 
have occafioned on the ftone. 
Line 1. Bacirsiwy occurs for Barirewy. 
1, 6. es£rrogevoxcevos for ELGTOGEVOPAEVOS. 
1, 3. &¥ Tw ey Mendenegws for ev TH ey 
Meeepes sows. 
9. O fy Barsrcws for o ex Bacireue. 
Ti. ortiyas for citimas. 
I$. umaglavrwy for umagyovray. 
18. eydeAcipeerva for exdsAcineva, 
19. wereTave lor meocerafay, ° 
21. wuavrag for Gare. 
22. oxvgayprern for ayugwpecyn, 
22. xoenmas for yooenyia. 
23. xovou for yeove, 
ft. 30. THI for rn or on, 
A, 34. Uromase for roropasou. 
’ 
eo 
ere iad Paid oad) Abe Beet. 
1. 35. tov for tepaw. : 
1, 37. OsAiwarogey for Ditomarogey, 
1.39. arecerrnleras for magsonoerat. 
1. 44. acmidcepdwy for acmdcedov. 
1, 46. tgicvadsz for terxnade, 
1, 47. wae for wage. 
1 50, Oustac for 6uctac. 
lig2. woe for qape. 
Tt is alfo to be obferved, that the A and 
A, Oand ©, are each frequently inter- 
changed with the other: and the only _ 
way in wifich we can account for the’ 
continual recurrence of fuch errors, is, 
that the Decice ‘was originally written on 
the papyrus, and delivered to an Egyptian 
{culptor who did not underftand the lan- 
suace he was hired to engrave. In one 
‘untlance, however, if our information is 
correct, the fculptor appears to have been” 
told of an omiffion; over the firft o in 
xovov (line 23) Profeffor Porfon is faid ta 
have pointed out a fmall 9; as if the en- 
graver was dehrous to repair the blunder 
he had made, by interlineation. 
We now come to the reftoration of 
deficiencies, in which all poffible advan 
tage has been derived from the enquiries 
of thofe who have gane before us. Our 
greatelt obligations are probably due to 
M. Ameilhon, who edited the Greek part 
of the Decree, with particular care, at 
Paris, in 18023 others have been obtained’ 
from the remarks of Mr. Gough, in the 
Appendix to the Coins of the Seleucide ; 
two or three from the Commentarii So- 
cretatis Philologice Lipfienfis, vol. U1. P. ii. 
p.275. Nor have the remarks of Profeffor 
Heyne, M. Danflede Villoifon, and others, 
in the Magafm Encyclopedique, béen over-. 
looked. ‘The words fupplied are thofe 
placed within the brackets. 
Line 27. tay yweav ef mipbeo|cavlac. The Leip- 
fic Commentarii propole Snwravrag. 
1.23. cuvrerscOnf coda: ra] weornuarle. 
1.29. wrau[rwg 82 x] as. 
I. 29. oS[owj wv ; 
1. 30. ar tng afvaribe jucevng... .oneoif wee 
l. 31, wody uleplioooy...-avensv[ say ages] 
aUTo.. 
vores | Copcevewy Ja 
Xeueia re ufas aeyver]e. 
evTors aavnuo| vos eos To] Ozi0¥. 
TARA “aya [2 wavlaltng Bactheig or 
ayaSla per ermidog| tne. 
umaeyota t[huie aatle|] or wrage 
xovra rote Geos nas] , 
ew Evecy[erav, nas ta]. 
emipalrvecare tone], 
Harecnevacuer[a nara Tor voperpeov] 
TeOTOV OF HAAACOV] Tero. 
Deas ev[rass meyarats ra |yayugerw or 
ev [Oe Eoprarg ney gre |ynyugeciy. 
A. Ao vaov yeluceoy ey Tw TymiwTele Tov} 
bE ERY, 
}. 32. 
Fs 35° 
1. 34. 
15. 
1. 36, 
1. 37. 
1. 38. 
1, 39. 
1. 4Ce 
1.42, 
