braries in Europe contain fuch Cufic fragments as the Bodleian. The alphabet of the Homerites was probably derived from Affyria, their moft antient characters being called Suri or Syriac in an Arabic treatife on them in the Imperial library at Vienna. Paleftine and Phoenicia are proved by antient authors to have antiently belonged to Affyria; and their language clearly proves its Babylonic origin, being merely a dialect of the more antient Affyrian. The Samaritan is the fame as the Phoenician.

Such was the extenfive and moft antient original learning of the Chaldeans and Babylonians, ot borrowed from the Perfians or Egyptians, that in dictionaries Chaldean was fynonymous with a learned man. From the fquare temple of Bel at Babylon was borrowed the form of the Sicilian temples, that of the Sun at Palinyra, that of Solomon, and that which fucceeded it. The Tower of Babel, which does not appear to have been deftroyed or rebuilt, was in the centre of Babylon, fquare, with feven or eight towers rifing above each other, narrowing in proportion to the height; had a pyramidal appearance, and is called by Strabo, xvi. Ilugaμss Telpaywvos. -Every Indian pagoda on both fides of the Ganges is of a pyramidal form. Thofe of Deogur, which exhibit the earliest ftage of Hindoo architecture, are fimple pyramids without any light whatever within. The Shoomadoo, or great temple of Pegu, is pyramidal, compofed of brick, and without excavation or aperture of any fort. The fame form is obfervable in the Egyptian pyramids, which were fepulchres, as that of Bel. Confidering the Chaldeans were inventors of aftrology, which is the principal fiudy both of Indians and Chinefe, and other adfeititious circumitances, we are led to refer this form and name to Chaldea, in whofe language, as well as in Hebrew, amud fignifies a column; and, as it imitated fire, the Greeks made it pyr-amis, after the Greek pyramid, as Bel was the Sun. Babylon in Egypt was a colony of that in Chaidea, and the pyramids and obelitks food quite near to it.

Chap. IV. on “ Writing" brings the matter to iflue, when to our great mortification we find, that Democritus compofed a book, II Tw Back segar ypaμmalar, On the fucred letters

fed at Babylon, which book is LOST in the wreck of time, "and no antient author has left us any information refpecting the nature, form, and fhape of thefe letters:" the more fcope, therefore, for the fagacity and penetration of an indefatigable linguift. "But a writing has at length been found different from the fquare Chaldaic, still ufed among the Jews, and found at Palmyra from the Cuthean or Samaritan, the Etranghelo or antient Syriac, alfo called Chaldaic, and the Sabean, otherwife called Mendæan or Nabathæo-Chaldaic; in fhape refembling none of the characters hitherto difcovered, excepting thofe feen in the celebrated ruins of Chehilminar. And though the Babylonian feem to have at top a fhape fomewhat different from the Perfepolitan, this is to be afcribed only to the different workmanship, or different ftyle of writing, as is the cafe in different countries and at different periods. Thus we may fee the fame Perfian character as reprefentel 100 years ago by Herbert, who had no knowledge of our Babylonic ones, exactly nail-headed like them; and antient gems and cylinders found in Perfia exhibit nail-headed characters exacily of the fame kind. The reafon why the Affyrians ufed characters shaped like nails may have been arbitrary. The Romans and Etrurians ufed to drive a nail annually into their temples. Moft of the Roman characters feem to be a mere compound of nails; and, though fome of them appear to have a rounder fhape, we find, that the Greek and Etrufcan alphabets whence they were derived, and which exhibit a more jutt and original form, were all pointed, and acquired roundnefs only in the courfe of time." (37-40.) That the moft antient characters of Perfia refembled nails has been already feen; and that they were derived from Babylon is proved, not only by the greater antiquity and culture of the Chaldeans, but alfo by the teftimony of Themittocles, noticed by profeffors Tychten and Munter in their recent diflertation on the Perfepolitan inferiptions, and before then by Nicbubr in his defcription of the ruins of Chehilminar, where this traveller very judiciously remarks, that the nail-headed characters to be met with in Perfia are perhaps the more antient Atiyrian letiers of which Themificcies fpeaks. Or if the authen

fent, except by means of a greater quantity of fuch characters to employ the art of combination, ard thus to decypher their meaning, (which we fhall be better able to do when more copious materials fhall be procured, from the Eaft by the liberality of the honourable Eaft India Company;) or, til thefe are obtained, to judge by well-founded reafoning what they may probably contain." (p. 56.) By following the latter method I fhill endeavour to prove, that thefe infcriptions are ordinary infcriptions on bricks, as was ufual among other nations. We not only find the fame inferiptions on almoft all, but we fee the greater part of the furface is left vacant, which would hardly be the cafe if they contained aftronomical obfervations, or other remarkable events. One indeed differs from the reft, but it contains enly a narrow impreffion, as is ufual in works of pottery. Now Beauchamp has obferved, that the bricks of each quarter among the extenfive ruins of Babylon had a peculiar impreflion, though all thofe of the fame quarter iefembled each other. Another of thefe bricks differed only in a very trifle from the reft. The inferiptions are álfo as common on the bricks buried in the walls, as on thofe on the outfide. M. de Sacy wrote to me from Paris, that thofe fent thither are quite different from thofe I fent impreflions of. If I receive any others, I fhall prefent them as a fupplement to this work." (p 56-60.)

The refult of this difcuffion is: 1, that the mail-headed characters found in Perfia are real characters; 2, ufed not only there, but in Babylonia and Chaldæa; 3, not derived from Perfia but Babylon, and therefore ought in future to be called rather Babylonian ; 4, are very likely the facred fetters of Babylon, on which Democritus wrote; 5, that they were the Chaldaic characters mentioned by the Antients, rather than the fquare Chaldais now ufed by the Jews; their being found on common bricks is of little moment, for the Egyptian hieroglyphicks occur on monumcats of every kind; 6, that feVeral other alphabets of other nations feem to have been originally derived from Babylon, where, 7, there exified 2000 years ago a perpendicular monogrammatic writing 8, that the Perfepolitan infeription ought not to be read perpendicularly; but, when fa fituated

2.

An Hiftory of the Parish of Whalley and Honor of Clitheroe, in the Counties of Lancafter and York. By Thomas Durham Whitaker, LL. D. Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Blackburn, 1801.

WE view with approbation another candidate for topographical fanie exemplifying by his own exertions, that "Topography has charms for a writer, and thofe too refulting even from her want of dignity and of diftance: to exalt fcenes of daily obfervation into fubjets of literary enquiry, to account for firiking but obfcure appearances in his own vicinity; to reconcile apparent contradictions in antient dates or facts of which the objects are familiar; to trace fome neighbouring work of antient art, which is now magnificent in decay, to its perfection or commencement; to compare fome great revolu tion of a kingdom with its effects upon private property, provincial dialect, or domelic manners to develope the progrefs of parochial endowments in which himself has an intereft; to trace the origin and alliances, the advancement or decline of families with which he is connected; and to combine them all with objects endeared by early has bits and long affociation; cannot but afford a mingled exercise to the powers of reafon and fancy, of obfervation and memory, gratifying in an high de

Who claims relationship to a fifter of Dean Nowell, p. 227.

gree

gree to the topographical writer." Convinced that “the lightest effußions of a ferious mind ought to be directed to the ufe of edifying, and while hiftories and novels, the most popular in their nature, and the mofi extenlive in their circulation, were daily illuing from a licentious prefs, as the vehicle of impiety and fedition, he does not wish to diflemble that he entered upon the prefent work with a deliberate purpofe, which the enfuing pages, it is hoped, will prove that he has not forgotten, of giving a contrary and perhaps a new direction to Topography, that is, of vindicating the prefent conftitution of England, and of ferting the interefis of religion, by the occafional introduction of fuch remarks as appeared to arife out of the subject."

The Hiftory of Whalley-is traced from the British and Romau periods; in which, however, the author "has been foreftalled by a writer, who, to all the ftores of erudition, adds an ardour of fpirit which no difficulties can difcourage, a penetration which no obfcurity can bathe, and a fplendour, yet perhaps a wildness, of imagination, which, if it throws over the page of hiftorical antiquity fomewhat of the air of romance, feldom fails to delight where it is impoffible that it thould CORVince. And if the calm invefiigation of facts and appearances, however, fometimes led the Hiftorian of Whalley to differ very widely in his conclufions from the Hiftorian of Manchetter; if, in particular, after much reflection, he has been compelled to reject the autho, rity of an Itinerary, which, as it feconded the great Antiquary's impetuous fpirit of topographical difcovery, was adopted by him with too little inveftigation of the evidence on which it refied; he has endeavoured at leaft to bear in mind, that the eccentricities of genius, like the extravagances of virture, are to be touched with a tender and refpectful hand.”

Foremo in his lift of obligations ftand the 16 folio volumes of Collections, containing not fewer than 20,000 original charters, made by Chriftopher, fon of Richard Townley, efq. and now in the library of Charles T. efq. of T. in purfuance of a great plan, carried on in concert with his ilfurious friends Dugdale and Dodfworth, in the troublefome times of the Jaft century, the tranfcript of the now left chartulary of Whalley abbey in

lead." (p. v.)

With thefe ingenuous profeffions in our view, we follow the author in the detail of his labour.

Book I. chap. I. treats briefly of the Roman history, and afcertains the tract occupied by the Sciantü, and that the Belijama of Fiolomy was the Rible. and not, as Mr. Whitaker determined, the Merfey; and the credit of Richard of Cirencester is reduced to that of a modern Antiquary, and the Monk of Ravenna a better guide. Ribchester is the Roman ftation Coccium, or Rigndunum, and has many confiderable marks of antiquity in inferiptions, &c. When Leland vitited it, "there was a place where the people fabled the Jues had a temple." There is the fame tradition at Leicester, and probably from the fame caufe. Two inferiptions in Horfley and the laft edition of Camden feem wanting here. The Watling-fireet proceeds from Ribchefter to Coin and Caftercliff (Colunium), and in another direction to Cattleshaw (Cambodumum). Coln feems to have been populous in the Roman times; and many of their coins have been found thereabouts. A road from Mancinium to Ilkley (Olicans) pailed thro Whalley parith; and pointing to Cambodunum there joined a road from thence to Ilkeley. At the foot of Blackfione