Date, close of the 16th century.

(See Archaeological Journal, vol. x., p. 86.)

Notices of Archacological Publications.

THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF THE ART OF WRITING; A connected Narrative of the development of the Art, its primeval phases in Egypt, China, Mexico, &c.; its middle state in the Cuneatic systems of Nineveh and Persepolis, to its introduction to Europe, through the medium of the Hebrew, Phoenician, and Greek systems, and its subsequent progress to the present day. By HENRY NOEL HUMPHREYS.-London, 1853. Large 8vo. 176 pp. With numerous plain and coloured plates and woodcuts.

The somewhat lengthy title-page of this elegant volume explains, to a certain extent, its peculiar character as well as the views of its author. He has taken up and endeavoured to work out, so far as a popular view of the subject will admit, the theory of Champollion, that the primeval state of the art of expressing ideas was simply pictorial; that subsequently these pictorial representations took the form of ideographs, expressing more complicated ideas or sentiments in addition to objects; that this was followed by the first step towards the representation of sounds, instead of objects, which was assumed to have been followed by the gradual creation of a complete set of signs, representing the sounds of languages-in fact, of a more or less perfect alphabet.

The first half of the volume before us is therefore occupied by an enquiry into the nature of the writings of those countries in which alphabetical characters were not, or only rarely, employed, and taking the above system of development as his guide, we find the picture-writing of the Mexicans placed at the head of the descriptive portion of the volume, their mode of writing never having progressed beyond that of simple pictures; this is followed by the ideographic system of the Chinese, the hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic writings of the Egyptians, the cuneiform inscriptions of Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia, and the phonetic literal writings of the Phoenicians. In treating the subject in this manner, the author has brought together a mass of interesting matter, which will doubtless be new to many of his readers. We cannot, however, adopt so universal and regular a mode of development. The want of all traces of pictorial writing in the early monuments of Judea and other parts of the East, and the simultaneous employment in Egypt for many centuries, of the three distinct kinds of writing, seem sufficient proof that, in some countries at least, certain marks or figures were invented to represent sounds produced by certain peculiar movements of the lips and tongue of the speaker, just as in musical notation; and if, as has been supposed by some writers, the earliest languages were monosyllabic, the difficulty of combining some of these marks (arbitrary in their origin, but fixed in their application) so as to form such monosyllables, does not seem so very great.

Having arrived at a real alphabetical system, the writings of the Hebrews and Samaritans,' followed by the Greeks and Romans, are investigated; to the last of these, as the parent of our own modern letters, scarcely sufficient

1 It is to be regretted that greater space has not been given to an examination of the rock-inscriptions of Mount Sinai.

space has been allowed. The opinion is adopted that a cursive hand, in which the letters are conjoined together, was not employed in the time of Augustus, and the writing found scribbled on the walls of Pompeii favours such an idea; but the inscriptions in the catacombs of Rome, and the charters of Ravenna, evidently show, from the occasional junction of the letters, that the Roman tachygraphers were not ignorant of its use.

The author has devoted considerable space to the writing of our own country, and he has given an extensive series of illustrations from the earliest period to our own times, a number of autographs of eminent persons being added to the plates representing earlier specimens of writing; those of the middle ages, of course, allowing the introduction of fac-similes from illuminated MSS. of various dates, which have been executed by aid of chromolithography; and thus the work is brought out at a moderate price. One of the fac-similes from the famous Anglo-Saxon book of the Gospels, written at Lindisfarne (MS. Cotton. Nero, D. IV.) is remarkably well executed. It might be wished, however, that a little more care had been bestowed on some of the fac-similes of plain writing, many of them having too attenuated a character.

The latter chapters of the book are devoted to the origin and use of punctuation, of capitals, writing materials, writing instruments, inks, &c.We must, in conclusion, notice the very elegant cover of the volume, representing carved and pierced ebony, fixed on red velvet, and displaying a most attractive appearance.

By

THE HANDBOOK OF MEDIEVAL ALPHABETS AND DEVICES. HENRY SHAW, F.S.A. London: Pickering, 1853. Imperial 8vo. Thirty-six Plates, printed in colours.

*

N several occasions the attention of our readers has been invited to the illustrations of Mediæval Art, Costume and Decoration, produced by Mr. Henry Shaw in his various attractive publications. The useful Manual which we would now recommend to their notice must prove highly acceptable to the antiquarian student, and not less welcome to those who may seek, for practical purposes, the information which is here conveyed in so pleasing a form. A volume

of more costly character was published by Mr. Shaw, in 1845, with a similar character, but more costly and elaborate in its execution, and not sufficiently within the reach of many by whom such a series of characteristic examples of Middle-age Palæography, available for

*

Alphabets, Numerals, and Devices of the Middle Ages. 48 Plates. Imp. 8vo.

the requirements of Architectural or other Decorations, had been long desired. In the useful work of reference under consideration a selection will be found, comprising the examples in Mr. Shaw's larger publication most calculated to prove extensively useful; and with these are combined sixteen new plates, displaying an assemblage of subjects, beautiful as decorative designs, and interesting to the archaeologist.

We may advert especially, in the volume before us, to the illustrations of the forms of Arabic Numerals, to which the attention of our readers has frequently been called, through notices of ancient examples, described at various times in the Journal. Mr. Shaw has supplied several authorities from ancient MSS. and inscriptions, commencing from the thirteenth century. Amongst the richly varied forms of Letters will be noticed the graceful and quaint "Riband," and the Branched or Floral, Letters of the sixteenth century; the eccentric grotesques from early printed books; with examples of this description, there are here given numerous specimens of monograms, combinations of letters with diapered or other decoration, and the quaintly involuted scrolls which abound in medieval works. Mr. Shaw has enabled us to display here a pleasing sample of his illustrations, in the pendent jewel, composed of a monogram, and supplying a beautiful example of the

favourite kind of device so much in vogue in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The fashion prevailed, indeed, to such a degree, that the entire dress and the trappings of the charger were not unfrequently wholly semés with letters allusive to the name of the wearer, or to some conceit of gallantry. A remarkable and early example of such vestes literate is presented by the effigies of Richard II. and his queen, Anne of Bohemia, in Westminster Abbey. Mr. Shaw has augmented the attraction of his