( 44° )

tor for F tookics Rise ffom them j for ia this Alphabet we have

and V torD; oo 2 andZ for S: however this will evince in lome mea-fure, the Practice of such lnverjions which made s>me Learned Men takcthem for Runic, Gothic , or indeed for any Charatteri with which they werelittle accjuainted.

(h .) [n. 9.] This and the Reverse of 11, are tobe Read alike; tho’ thsywere Coind at different Places, as appears from the Varietj of the Letten.

(i.) which is used here for [_». 16.] for M, is frequently used in thatColleÜion of Saxon Ccittt prefix’d to ^£lscd's Life.

(k.) This Gota Mone, or God’s Money, [n. 1 7.] was the Peter- Peneewhich was Colltcted Yearly, and feni to Rome. Ina , one of the Kings of theMercians, first gave it: thence it was conftantly paid afterwards, eho’ nowand then Intermitied in the Heat of the Danijh Wars. I suppate this Caincame out of an Ecclefiajlical Mint.

(/.) The true Original of Sterling is Starry, The Common People ob-serving the Großes upon the Coins, which look’d like fb many Stars , call’dthem Sterlings , Starry pieces. Ling is an Adjettive Termination in theSaxon Language ; so in time the Word became Subftantive, and was usedpromifcuoufly for Penny..

(m.) The 19. and 21 Reverses are to be Read alike, tho’pofsibly theymight be made from Different Stamps. The Letters m both (for neitherare very Ciear) will mutually explain each other. I read it M 7 ^rHFC M HONE) or Alalmsbury Money: The j?, which is an en-tirc Letter, seems to have been taken from the SquareB, ox ^

(n.) This P was the old Saxonp, or W ; lb it was Willcm, not Pillem.The Saxon Charatter which was Pull and Plain, gave Rise to that finaliBeauriful Character, which we ufually call the Roman Letter. The ancientRomans, for ought that yefappears to the contrary, wrote all with One Uni-form Ch ardi er, sometimesGreaterand sometimes Leis, ofthe fame Figurcwith the Great Les ers in mir Alphabet . This they took from the Greeks ;and itis Ufbalinalltho Alphabets of the Oriental NatioBs. The 3 Inscriptionsin Gruter , (pag. 185. z p. 6y x. z.pj 82 7-)only Preve that they had our Small*i?>b, b, for we have no Hinfs in our MSS. of any others. Aster themSucceed the Francick or Merovingian Cbaratter, entirely Lest off in Tran-scribi ng Books aster Charlemagne. The Not anes kept it Longer; only bymaking it Longer, they brought it to something like the Italica , towhich kposlibly gave Rise. The Specimens in MabtlUns Fourth Book, deRe Diplomat ica, will put this paff Doubt. AII this while the Saxon Cha-racter was used in England , whosc Alphabet is Evidently the fame withthe Small Roman , excepi forne Letters which exprelfed Sounds Proper toTheir Laoguage, as %}>j % : Wherefore when Alcumus , ( Scholar toEgbert , Archbilhopot York) went over imo France to Charles the Great, andafterwards fent for Bo ks out of Egberts Library, as may bc gathered fromWilliam of Malmsbury, he introduced that Fine Way of Wmingywhkh immedi-atcly took place with all but the Publick Notaries. Mabillm owns the thingin Effect tho’ he Dissembles the Original : Prima Stirpe extsnttd, Carolus M.

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