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The letter L in the above table exhibits a On a comparison of the characters in our singular change from the uncial form in the tablets with those of Pompeii, so obvious a superior length of the base to the perpendicu- similarity occurs, that it suggested itself inlar. S also is carried considerably above as stantly to the acute observation of one of well as below the line, maintaining a similar our best scholars at the first glance, but his character with our ƒ which we use on the distinguished position does not permit us here duplication of this letter. The O is fre- to insert his name. Now these bear the date quently annexed to another letter, as or. unquestionably of 79 a. D., for at that period It is also subjoined to. HT and Q ex- Pompeii was submerged and from the walls hibit remarkable affinities to our current hand. marked either with a stylus or nail, we gain The E formed by two strokes,, many specimens of the current hand. Thus, is a remarkable irregularity both from the Syftu sustuli, VISTAS vestalis, exRoman uncial and our current form. The V discharges the office of U and V. The J, hibit characters the same as on these tablets; longer than the I, is found at the end of the union of V or U with S final as in words, as Jvlj, Collegj. The i nowhere re

ceives any dot or point over it. From the SELERY Severus.

similar character of the B and D in these inscriptions we suspect great confusion has arisen in words into which these characters enter. Our author refers to the donation of Odoacer in proof of this point, where we find such forms as, Judeatis, suscridsit, scridsit, nodiscum, &c. With respect to the connection of letters, the union of vowels with consonants in the writing occurs more frequently than that of consonants with each other. The letters d, f, g, q, m, p, r, t, all admit this union. Three or four letters frequently occur without any break or separation. We refer our readers to p. 60 of our author's work for an illustration of these forms; this current style, in a table he there gives, possesses, at least, an antiquity as early as Cicero.

M

Of the singular form of the E, MONV

NTUM (monumentum,) furnishes an exemplar. Many more examples exhibiting a conformity of character to our tablets might be adduced, but we must, in mercy to our printer, refer our readers to the work before us for further illustration. Contractions occur but rarely in our tablets :---Neq(ue), homin, hom, h; Aldur once in the last line, Ald in the middle, for Alburnum, which is also found with all its letters. We find also ss for supra scripto; act(um); et IMP (eratore); CS or Css for consulibus. The letters is probably also imply i(nfra) s (criptum). As to punctuation, there is little or none in these tablets; no commas or other

stops appear, and periods or full stops but vide a remedy, even after the lapse of twenty

rarely. The orthography, like the modern Italian, is defective in aspirates as abere, aberet, abuerat, abiturum; the contrary to this is often exhibited in ancient inscriptions, where we frequently read aspirates hac for ac, have, harena, holitor, Hosiris, heæ controversiæ, &c. I in these tablets seems to be confounded with E, reddedisse, reddedisset; there are also numerous inscriptions in which the same orthographical variety occurs, as in reddedit, possedet, &c. E also appears to have as early as this period assumed the present representation of Æ, as in questores, presentes. The letter D is interchanged with T, as quit, quot. In Menofili, the letter f occurs, as in the Italian, for ph. Nor must these variations be considered as errors of the librarius, for each copy agrees in the same style of writing. The specimen is unique and perfect of small hand and current-writing; no fault of the librarius or copyist is

years. The word "proponere" may be also noticed, which is of common occurrence in edicts, actions, &c. The curiosa felicitas of the jurists of Rome, circa verborum proprietatem, is carefully preserved. We shall offer a few observations on the words Magister, Quæstores, Collegium. On the first of these we refer our readers to the dictionary cited above for many of its combinations, to which we shall append a few more. Magister was a general term among the Romans for numerous offices civil and military, private and public. Our word Master has not even yet parted from its ancient associations: thus we have Masters in Chancery, Masters in the Exchequer, Master of the Rolls; and amid the Romans we have, independent of the titles given in the dictionary to which we have alluded, a magister palatii, balneorum, gladiatorum, census. The emperors in addition to these offices, which are described in

traceable; no erasure by his own or correc- the work we have alluded to, made use of a

tion from another hand is apparent; for, though we find in one "ad statione" for stationem, this is not without ancient authority, since we read on Marbles, "ardente lucernam, cura agant, pietate redere, post ea uxore," &c. An apparent solecism must also be carefully noted as really no error, for "legi continetur," which occurs twice, is forensic Latinity, and it must be noted that "contineri" is construed legally with the dative. The style, though forensic, is in pure Latinity, nor are such expressions as "abere aut abiturum" to be held as marks of barbaric style, since they were probably the ancient legal style, equivalent to our "feme sole," and other legal terms. Coeval inscriptions with our own exhibit similar forms, as in particular that ancient conveyance by Herennius executed in the reign of Severus and Caracalla, A. D. 174, in which, towards the end, we find the words "dolum huic rei abesse afuturumque." The word "cautio" also occurs in these tablets, a very common juridical expression, for the full sense of which we refer our readers to a work from which we have already quoted, the Dictiary of Roman Antiquities; this word passed into Gothic.

onary

We have the words "cautionem suam, in qua eis caverat, recepisset." A "cautio" is any writing in which security is provided for a party for money lent. When this instrument is destroyed it is equivalent to the cancelling the debt. We say "Cavere cautione

magister cognitionum sacrarum, dispositionum, admissionum. The republic also had its magister pagorum, decuriarum, morum, curiæ, fani, larum, sacrorum, regis, juvenum; and the office of magister societatis was held by the father of Plancus, who was auctor maximarum societatum, plurimarum magister. In similar manner with the societates there were magistri collegiorum, heads of houses or presidents of colleges. There was the magister collegii Saliorum, collegii fabrum, aurificum, &c.

Our tablets describe Artemidorus as magister collegii, and his office is called magisterium. In similar manner we have the magisterium equitum sacerdotum, morum, &c. These collegia were evidently similar in numerous instances to our merchants' guilds or city companies, and were either settled under the senatus consulta or monarchical decrees. Augustus, on discovering the danger resulting to him from many other bodies which met under the appellation of collegia, abolished all, saving the collegia fabrûm, fictorum, &c. Three members of a college formed a congregation. Many of these colleges contained large numbers; some were restricted in complement, such as the collegium Æsculapii et Hygiæ, to sixty men. The one spoken of in our tablets, collegium Jovis Cerneni, contained fifty-four. In Pliny's address to Trajan he consults the emperor as to a collegium fabrorum of one hundred and fifty. And due care is taken by him that no

et cautionem, cavere in re, de re." A simi- one should be received into this number but lar legal expression we have in "rationes ille a faber, or abuse the purposes of the college reddidisse." If any errors occurred in these to any other end. "Nec erat difficile cusdetails of calculation care was taken to pro-Itodire tam paucos." Trajan was, however,

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of a different opinion, and did not accede to to in the conveyance executed by Herennius, the petition of the Proconsul. Our author of which we have spoken above, A.D. 174; has with great diligence collected, at page 77, Nico, Νικων ; Menophilus, Μηνοφιλος ; both every possible existing body of this character common on marbles. There existed also in Rome. He has well inspected Muratori, during the reign of A. Severus, a Præses Gruter, &c., and has drawn into one mass Moesiæ, Menophilus, when the Goths invaded every possible institution to which the name that country. Valerius and Julius sufficiently "Collegium" could be given. These bodies, attest their Roman origin. Offas we shall when incorporated, held their property under notice hereafter as we proceed, which we the same tenure as the state. They had a shall now do, to indicate the connection common chest, could sue and be sued. Our between the spots where these precious relics modern incorporations are clearly traceable were found and the Roman authorities of that to this source. Some of these magistri were period. Abrudbanya is a small village in annual, others quinquennial, others perpetual. Transsylvania. The Romans there had asTheir sodales maintained a common worship, suredly one of their principal gold mines. sacrifices, seal, device, treasury, temple. They Four places in Dacia are famous for metalswere united in life, and in death they were Abrudhanya, Offenbanya, Körösbanya, Kisnot divided, possessing a common tomb. banya. The first alone appears to maintain Their co-mates received a public funeral. traces of its ancient character, and the mountThe sportula, or dole, was distributed at their aineers still find gold sand in the streams gates to the people. They had many festal about it, and various pieces of rock containdays, some of which evince the strong attach-ing gold are found. These are brought into ment of the Romans to beautiful nature, as Abrudbanya, then broken to pieces with a the Dies Violaris, when that flower began to hammer, the precious metal extracted, its bloom, the Dies Rosæ, &c. As in our uni- quantity ascertained, and an equivalent given versities, ladies were allowed the privilege of for it. This takes places every Monday, on contributing to such institutions, and received which day the mountaineers bring it down to the appellation of "mater collegii." A Abrudbanya from all quarters. Dacia affords curious endowment of this character by Mar- at present but a very inconsiderable quantity cellina we recommend to the consideration of the precious metals, gold and silver; but of our readers at page 83. In further proof anciently, if we can credit Pliny, in the time of the genuineness of our tablets and in illus- of Nero her mines gave daily fifty pounds of tration of their contents we extract a similar gold, and Hannibal is also reported to have document in style and words, "Descriptio drawn daily from one mine three hundred decreti cujusdam Ceretanorum," A.D. 113, pounds of siver. Abrudbanya attests by its now at Rome. It runs thus, "Descriptum et magnitude what care the Romans had bestowrecognitum factum in Pronao ædis Martis ex ed on this portion of their metallic empire. commentario, quem jussit proferri Cyperius The history of Dacia may be very briefly Hostilianus per T. Rustium Lysiponum scribam in quo scriptum erat id quod infra scriptum est." This supplies our letters is, or infra scriptum. The letters in italic furnish from Strabo and Curtius. At his death, they us clearly with powerful marks of the genuine dismissed Lysimachus, whom they had capcharacter of our tablets by the recurrence of tured, with the brief advice, that he should the words, or their synonymes, which we have hold in recollection his defeat for his instrucdistinguished by italics. Various other ancient tion and amendment. Over a long series of marbles might easily be cited in corrobora- years they were a terror to Rome. Cotyson, tion. These tablets exhibit a senatus consul- Boerebista, Dorpaneus, and lastly and best tum complete in all its parts, month, day, known, Decebalus, amid their kings, infused consuls, and emperor. The proper names considerable panic into the Roman armies. also furnish additional proof. That of Apol- Domitian bought a truce for twelve years of lonius is very remarkable, since we learn this later sovereign, but Trajan gave him from Julius Capitolinus that there was a stoic war for tribute. Decebalus was unable to of this name of Chalcedon, who attended M. withstand the forces of the empire, and Dacia A. Verus. The genitive "Artemidorus yielded to Trajan. The emperor, however, Apollonii (filius), Valerius Niconis, Offas did not neglect his conquest, and bestowed Menofili, Julius Julii," follows the Greek on it many local and civil benefits. The mode in sons of Greeks probably. Artemi- inhabitants soon lost their original character, dorus and Apollonius occur on various in- and Romenia probably furnishes a trace of scriptions in Gruter, and the first is also in their attachment to their civilizing conthe Anthology. An Artemidorus is referred querors. St. Bernard conferred on it the

summed up for our present purposes. The inhabitants maintained a gallant conflict against Alexander the Great, as we learn Offa, Affa, Yffe, is spoken of as in the direct line from Woden.

appellation of terra auri, and Trajan seems making great progress, may soon, however, to have been equally sensible of the metallic supply even these difficulties. Offas is unworth of his conquest, and in his vows to questionably our Saxon name of Offa; a king Jupiter Stator for the conquest of Dacia he of the East Angles of this name existed in does not forget to return thanks also to Jupi- 575 A.D., another turned monk in 709, a ter Inventor pro detectis Daciæ thesauris. third was contemporary with Charlemagne Gellius tells us that the Forum Trajani was in 755; and among high Saxon descents, formed ex manubiis, or the money raised from the booty taken from Dacia, N. A. 13, 14; and the column of Trajan attests also Nor is this mixture of names uncommon the rich value of the spoils from this people. in Roman monuments; we should be led to This country was the scene of many perse- expect it from the reason of the case, from cutions of the Christians, for Adrian and the long intimacy and connection of Britain Trajan sent them into it to be hewers of with Rome, and Herr Massman has constone, and drawers of water, and excavators firmed it by numerous instances. The coins in the mines. L. D. Aurelian, the emperor, constantly found throughout Dacia show that when he was unable to check the incursions great intercourse had subsisted between the of barbarians on this country, then a Roman Greeks and that country as well as the province, placed numerous inhabitants from Romans. Our author, however, does not it in Mesia, which obtained the name of touch eight lines of most singular character Dacia Ripensis, or Aureliana. Scythians, which occur together with Greek quotations Goths, Huns, and, lastly, the Hungari, fol- on the waxen tablets, but commends them lowed each other in rapid incursions into this to hands amply worthy of them, to Böckh, unhappy country. Trajan had withered Franz, Lepsius, Grotesend, simply stating their force by numerous colonies drawn from that in his notion they are to be read from them; five may certainly be counted. The an- right to left; the characters are certainly very

cient marbles around Abrudbanya give melancholy attestation to its ancient wealth; of these, we extract the following as a specimen :

"PRO SALUTE DOM. NN. L. SEPT. SEVER. ET M. AUR. ANTONINI ET P. SEPT. GETAE. CAESS. AUGG. CULT (ores) IOVIS DEDIC. VIII. K. AUG. MUCIANO ET FABIANO COSS. COLL. AURAR."-p. 107.

remarkable. The prayer, oracle and other inscription appear unconnected, and simply things jotted down at hazard on the tablets.

A few words on Verus, whose name appears on the tablets, may not be deemed irrelevant. He was a mere voluptuary; he passed through life in the indulgence of every vice and appetite that could disgrace nature; a laughing-stock even to the effeminate

Of this collegium aurariorum (or auraria- Syrian. But the unseen scourge of his rum), we have quæstor and master and sub- crimes and luxury was at hand, and with it master, to whom, perhaps, the Aurarian the deadly pestilence was approaching with mines were confided. We shall conclude rapid strides. It was probably moving by this article with a few observations on the the side of the emperors into Rome; earthgeography of our tablets. Where then, in quakes involving the fall of many a city, the first place, is Alburnum, which is stated inundations, repeated blasting of crops, the as the locality of the college in question? deadly locusts in fierce swarms, were its Our author frankly confesses that he had heralds. Antoninus betook himself to various never heard of such a spot in Dacia. The salutary and pious measures, but war being terms, too, of the writing are singular, "Actum menaced by the barbarians in numerous Alb. majori." Now, Abrudbanya, in its directions, the brothers set out to encounter latter portion, banya, implies a mine, in the it, but near Aquileia, Verus was seized with common language of Hungary; and nume- a sudden attack of apoplexy in a carriage rous mining districts, some of which we have with his brother. A vein was opened, he quoted above with this termination, banya, was carried to Altinum, remained mute for doubtless derived it from this circumstance; three days, and then died in the 39th or 40th* but though this would account for the termi- year of his age.

nation, we have no such word as Abrud in Mareus Antoninus set out alone for the war. Hungarian; and here alone our author fails * Herr Massman is not very consistent with in the attempt to identify Alburnum with himself in this statement, as our readers will perAbrudbanya, if indeed the bold conjecture of ceive by a reference to p. 18 as compared with p. Cerneni as identical with the Zernensian 139. Petavius, Rat. Temp., says "Sed in ipsâ pro

colony be not another instance. The diligent fectione Verus, apoplexia correptus inter Concordiam et Altinum, periit A.c. 171 si undecimum imperii collation of the language of these countries attigit, vel 169, si nonum haud excessit." The year with ancient tongues, which is at present of the death of Verus cannot be exactly determined.

He appears to have died by the pest at Vi-ART. II. -Geschichte des Ersten Kreuzzugs.

Von Heinrich von Sybel, Doctor der Philosophie and Privatdocenten der Geschichte an der Universität zu Bonn. Düsseldorf, bei J. H. C. Schreiner.

1841.

enna. It is said that on the seventh day of the attack, his son alone was admitted to see him; but soon dismissed, for fear he should take the disease. His son being thus dismissed, he covered his head as if to sleep, and died on the night following. Thus Ir was towards the close of the eleventh cenpassed the emperors. Our tablets indicate tury (1074), that Gregory the Seventh, pertheir own era. The Marcomanni invaded haps the most remarkable man that ever the Roman provinces in 168, having routed swayed the pontifical sceptre, first gave the 20,000 Romans; they conquered again in world any official intimation of an approach174, invaded Dacia in 178, attacked Panno-ing crusade.* The character of the man and nia in 252, were repulsed in 304, embraced the circumstances of the time all seemed to Christianity in 396. Thus fiercely did Ger- favour the project. Engaged as the pope had many fight against Rome, and at last, as Herr been, from a period long previous to his acMassman piously observes, Rome was not cession to the Holy See, in a struggle against their conqueror, but Christianity. These the temporal influence exerted within the tablets, drawn up by the Tabellio Resculus, Church, occupied with the magnificent relate evidently to this period of the Roman scheme of erecting a spiritual empire before annals. They show that out of fifty-four which all worldly potentates should bow, enmembers of the college of Jupiter Cernenius, dowed with a genius whose splendour has only ten or twelve remained, and probably never been denied, and acting with a sincerity the college was confused, disturbed, and dis- which can hardly be questioned, his insatiable solved in consequence of the great pestilence. ambition, and his intolerable arrogance, have We here close our remarks on the most inte- nevertheless made it doubtful whether he deresting remains of antiquity that have been signed his intended crusade to serve the recently discovered; and although they may Church chiefly in the East or in the West. not equal in importance the valuable marbles It could hardly have escaped the notice of so ably annotated on by Böckh, of the Re- so penetrating a statesman, how great would cords of the Athenian Navy, or excite equal be the advantage to the papal power could interest with the Homer of Mr. Bankes or the ambitious princes of Europe be induced the Oration of Cicero by A. Maio, or the va- to draw off their turbulent nobles with their rious papyri now unrolling, or possibly what disorderly retainers, to the scene of a distant may yet arise from the site of the lost decads and a religious war. Still less could the of Livy, or the treatise of Cicero de Gloriâ, more important advantages escape him which extant in the time of Petrarch, yet do they his plans would derive from the high tone of lend light on the cursive character of Roman religious feeling which a war against infidels writing, that no other document could supply, and on behalf of the Holy City would necesindicating the various mutations of the lan- sarily excite. Obedience to ecclesiastical guage, and filling up a vast gap of desiderata, authorities, the vital importance of union with which were scarce even faintly anticipated, the Church and her chief pastors, the supreclearing up the inscriptions at Pompeii by macy of the throne of St. Peter over all analogous characters, and, in one word, dif- earthly dignities, mediately in temporal and fusing a more exact sense of the language by immediately in spiritual matters-such were the close peculiarity of their terms, and by a the lessons which it was the sole object of perfect freedom from any false reading or Gregory's pontificate to teach, and such interpolation. The material of which they would be more effectually taught by a cruare constructed has been wonderfully pre-jsade than by any operations in western Chrisserved, and the frail wax retains in perfection tendom which the popes could ever hope to the characters from the stylus as fresh in some effect.

instances as though executed on the instant. The novelty of the design, the vast ideas Such are the mutations of time, and such the of oriental splendour which then prevailed, light the gold mines even of Transsylvania the discoveries which might be made, the can produce. What then may we not ima- noble field for the display of combined valour gine will be yet derived from those eyes into and devotion, the extraordinary and enthusithe past, the mummy and Pompeii? We astic manner in which, when the scheme was trust we have yet to learn many new views

of antiquity; and for ourselves are fully prepared to relinquish all anterior prejudice or confined reading before this teaching from the tomb, this voice from past ages.

* Sylvester the Second had previously addressed the Church on the subject, and proposed himself to lead the chivalry of the West, but the proposal met

with no sufficient response, nor was the scheme of Gregory brought to maturity during his pontificate.

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