( 44 1 )

Liter# txfclirt tapit, aut ente jam tantijper expolitum Scripturos Genus a Me-rovingico in Edtgantiorem Formam commutavit , qua tn eandem Formam e-•vafit, qua hailtnus Minuti Romani Characteris Ncmenrettmt, (Lib. i. Cap.ii. Num. io.) And if this Change was not wrought in a Moment, be-cause tbe Transcribers uled to the old Mercvtngian Hand cönform’d it totheNew, as much as theycould, yet that wore off by Dcgrees; so Mabillon ,qua |~Carolina Scriptura] principio nonnihil Mcrovingici Characteris habebattnurmijium ; at fttbmde'Politior effeti a, in eandem formam, Stc. Mabillon ac-knowledges, that Alcuin introduced the Modern Punctuaion inro theFrtntb MSS. and Reeords, which he Learn’d from the Saxoni, particularly£• * j for afuii Period, as is manifest to all that shail look ii.to the SaxonM S S. or Piinted Looks in Imitation ofthem.

Besides, all our Latin MSS in England, r.ll forne time aster the Conati ff,were writ in the Saxon Char aller, So Arthbistiop Parker Publifh’d AjjenitsMenevenfis : and there are several Latin M S S in the Univerfity Library ofCambrtdge, writren in the Saxon Charas!er. And it is no Wonder thatthole Lttters which expressed Sounds not uled in the Roman Tongue, stuuldbe lest out by the Frencb Tranfcribers, whoat the fame time might use Sax-on Copies : So that it is not stränge Voffus sliould be Mistaken, when hcthought stand O were from the Greek, and (I, who did not confi-det them tobe both Runick Lttters , which were introdue’d upon aparticu-lar Occasion, by Cbilperic, who took them from the Vtfigctbs in Spam, asWormius (de Literatur a Runica) has probably Proved from Gregarius Turo-nenlist and a Qonstitution of the fame Cbilperic Piintcd i a Goldaß us : yet fwill not Deny, but Theodore, or tome other of thole Greeki, who in thatAgehadsogreatlntercourle with England, might introduce forne Greek Let-ter s to expreß thole Sounds which they had not inthtir Own Language ;from hence they were carry’d into France , with the re st of the Saxon Al-phabet, and so into Italy ; which Mabillon also in Effect acknowledges, whenhe läys, Hanc tamen Scripturit Formam non Franci d Romanis, qui Longo-bardicis pajftm Elementis tunc utebantur , jed d Francis Romani accepiffe'videntur •

3. Amongst the few Coins which I purchascd of the Sexton of Honedon : m”.^

I lind thele 3 not mention’d by Sir P. S. vid. Fig. 19. “•:<>»• p. 874.

F, S- r§.

XXXI. I. There was a curious Piece of Antiquity Ltely found at Aß.<cl- s/Si».

ney in Somerset (hire j the place where King Alfred Built, as Milton affirms, a on AntiquityFcrtrefs, But according to William of Malmsbury, a Monas try, in Memory(as forne have thought) of his Deliverance, Obscure Retreat to that place, will. Mus pr »v*and Concealment in it, from the Danes. The Work is so very Fine thatsome have Question’d its ti ue Age : But in all Probability, it did belong tothat great Ktng. The Edge is thin, a3 far as theLetters. The Letters arcon a plain Rifing Obliquely. All within the inner Pyramidal Line is ona Plane equidistam from the Reverse. The Representation sin that upperPlane) seems to be of some Person in a Chair. It is in Enamel, coveredover wlth a Cbrystal; which is secur’d in its place by the lictle Lcaves eom-Vol. III. L 1 1 ing