DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.

[No. 1.]—A fac simile of the oldest Hieratic writing extant—about the 15th century B.C. The hawk (the emblem of Divinity) and the man stand on something that “teters”—the circle between them (a serpent biting its own tail) is the ancient symbol of eternity. The Deity overbalances the man.

[No. 2.]—From a Greek MS. buried at Herculaneum in the year 29 B.C.

[No. 3.]—Written on papyrus in Egypt; in the 3d century B.C.

[No. 4.]—Written on papyrus 260 years B.C.

[No. 5.]—Specimen of a Palimpsest copy of Cicero’s “Republic” in the Vatican Library.

[No. 6.]—Phœnician writing on papyrus.

[No. 7.]—From a Pentateuch in the Bib^e. Nat^e. Paris, A.D. 450.

[No. 8.]—From a Greek Copy of the Book of Genesis, written in gold on purple vellum, A.D. 400.

[No. 9.]—From a MS. on papyrus written in Egypt 3d century B.C.

[No. 10.]—From a Charter of Childebert III. A.D. 703.

[No. 11.]—From a Charter of Charlemagne, about A.D. 785.

[No. 12.]—From a Charter of the Emperor Conrad I. A.D. 988.

[No. 13.]—Specimen of “Roman Saxon,” A.D. 600.

[No. 14.]—From a Charter of Dagobert I. about A.D. 620.

[No. 15.]—From an early Gælic MS.

[No. 16.]—From a Deed of William the Conqueror.

[No. 17.]—The monogram signature to a Charter of Charlemagne about A.D. 785.

[No. 18.]—From a Charter of the reign of Hugh Capet, A.D. 988.

[No. 19.]—From a Deed of Henry I.

[No. 20.]—From a Deed of Stephen, dated A.D. 1139.

[No. 21.]—From a Deed of the reign of Richard I.

[No. 22.]—From a MS. of Wyckliffe’s translation of the Bible.

[No. 23.]—“Set Saxon,” A.D. 850.

“Qui sub Pontio Pilato crucifixus est, et sepultus, tertia die resurrexit.”

[No. 24.]—From a Charter of Sebbi, King of the East Saxons, A.D. 664,

“Ego Sebbi Rex East Sax(onum) pro—confirmatione Subscripsi.”

[No. 25.]—Part of a Charter of Alfred the Great, A.D. 800.

[No. 26.]—From a Charter of Edward the Confessor, A.D. 1045.

[No. 27.]—From a Deed of the reign of Edward I.

[No. 28.]—From a Deed of William the Conqueror.

[No. 29.]—From a Deed of the reign of Edward III.

Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglias Dominus Hiberniæ, Dux Aquitaniæ, &c.

[No. 30.]—From the Will of William Mikelfeld, Nov. 7, 1439.

[No. 31.]—From a Deed of the reign of Edward IV.

[No. 32.]—From a Grant by William Wallace.

[No. 33.]—From a Deed of Richard III.

[No. 34.]—From a Deed of the reign of John.

[No. 35.]—Autograph of Lord Macaulay.

[No. 36.]—From a Deed of Henry VII.

[No. 37.]—From an English translation of the works of Chauliac, A.D. 1400.

[No. 38.]—From a Deed of Henry VIII.

[No. 39.]—From a MS. in the rounded hand of Italy, 15th century.

[No. 40.]—Letter from Columbus to the Viceroy of Castile, 15th century.

[No. 41.]—Letter of Anne of Brittany, 1514.

[No. 42.]—Signature of “Bayard,” the Chevalier.

[No. 43.]—Letter from Charles V. to Francis I.

[No. 44.]—Letter from Calvin, 1559.

[No. 45.]—Letter of the Earl of Essex, 1567.

[No. 46.]—Letter of Copernicus, 1473.

[No. 47.]—William H. Prescott.

[No. 48.]—Letter of Charles the XII of Sweden.

[No. 49.]—Rosseau, 1757.

[No. 50.]—Letter of Erasmus, 1476.

[No. 51.]—Letter of Queen Elizabeth to Henry IV of France.

[No. 52.]—Christina of Sweden, 1626.

[No. 53.]—Charles I. to his sister.

[No. 54.]—Oliver Cromwell, 1643.

[No. 55.]—Duke of Marlborough, June, 1706.

[No. 56.]—The Empress Catherine II. of Russia, July, 1773.

[No. 57.]—Washington, 6th Sept. 1788.

[No. 58.]—Louis XVI, June 30, 1773.

[No. 59.]—Robespierre.

[No. 60.]—Napoleon to Soult.

[No. 61.]—Wellington, June 19, 1815.

[No. 62.]—Lord Byron, Nov. 4, 1821.

[No. 63.]—Voltaire, July 29, 1757.

[No. 64.]—Edmund Burke.

[No. 65.]—William Pitt, March 27, 1803.

[No. 66.]—Wellington, April 21, 1834.

The colored engraving is an illustration of the picture writing of the Mexicans, from Lord Kingsborough’s great work. The blue border represents a series of years, distinguished by the dots. The compartment with five dots representing the fifth year of the reign, that with ten the tenth, and so on. The pictures of the acts of the Prince being connected with each special year by means of a connecting line. The additional symbols have different significations—that of the flower signifying a calamitous year, &c. In this plate King Acamapich is represented in the first and sixth year of his reign; at the top of the page are warlike instruments, signifying his preparation for war; the figures below, on the right, are the four cities—Quahnahuac, Mezquic, Cuitlhuac and Xochimilco—represented by descriptive symbols. The four heads on the left are those of the respective kings or chiefs of these cities, beheaded by Acamapich, each distinguished by the iconographic symbol by which his name was expressed in this system of writing.

These picture records, which would have illustrated the unknown history of this continent, were destroyed in “mountain heaps” by the first Spanish archbishop of Mexico—an act of fanatical vandalism equalled only by the burning of the Alexandrian Library, and the vast hoard of Moorish literature at Granada by Ximenes.

Pl. 1.
1.
[Hieratic text]
2.
...μασιν.στερον πο.αι
...ιψόμεθα ὅταν δὲ πε.
...αν καὶ δόξαν ἐ[κ] τοῦ
μαθήματος φῶσι περιγί-
νεσθαι λέγωμεν ὅτι
<π>κο<λ>ι-
νά τε προφέρονται πολ-
λ<α>ῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ
λειπόμενα [π]λειόνων καὶ
3.
ναὶ οὐ Ἀλκμὰν ὁ ποιητὴς
οὕτως ἀπεφαίνετο οὐ-
4.
Διοσκουρίδης Δωρίωνι χαίρειν. τῆς πρὸς
Δωρίωνα ἐπιστολῆς τὸ ἀντίγραφον ὑπόκει-
Snyder Black & Sturn 92 William St

Pl. 2.
5.
teterrimus
et ex hac vel
homines heretici maxime
quia non ds illam dedit
-catur; quia et legem ds dedit
-varet propter certam
6.
[Phœnician text]
7.
κῡ, καὶ προσοίσουσιν
οἱ υἱοὶ Ααρων οἱ ἱερεῖς
8.
ἐξῆλθεν δὲ
-τησιν αὐτῷ
Snyder Black & Sturn 92 William St

Pl. 3.
9.
κϛʹ Ξανδικ[ο]ῦ αʹ Θῶυθ κεʹ
10.
[flourish representing “I(n) C(hristi) N(omine)”] Childeberths
11.
Et nostra indulgentia in aelimosina
12.
Et ut huĩs cõplacitationis pceptũ firmũ stabileq;
13.
abbas sirum pater
14.
quotienscumque petitionib[us]
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Pl. 4.
15.
Nirsatimini curio annso
16.
W rex anglo[rum]
17.
KAROLVS
18.
in eisdem degentium orem nostre celsitudinis
19.
h. dei gra rex
20.
S rex—Anno m.cxxix
21.
Ricard di gra Rex Angl
22.
IN þe biginyng was þe wrd and þe
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Pl. 5.
23.
qui sub pontio pilato crucifixus:
& sepultus tertia die resurrexit
24.
+ ego sebbi rex east sax pro
25.
dccclxxvo—Ego alfred gratia di rex hanc
26.
nomina hic caraxata sunt—EADUUEARDUS
27.
Istud starr recog est
Snyder, Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 6.
28.
Will di gra rex—Sciatis me concessisse
29.
[E]dwardus dei gra Rex Angl Dominus Hibnie & Dux A
30.
This is the laste Wil ind{en}tid of me Willia Meklfeld Esquyer being
Snyder, Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 7.
31.
Edwardus dei gr Rex Anglie &c
32.
Wlls Walays miles Custos regni
33.
Ricardus dei gratia Rex Anglie &c.
34.
Johannes Dei Gra Rex Angl
35.
T B Macaulay
36.
Henricus dei grā Rex Anglie & Francie
Snyder, Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 8
37.
it was saide aboue in þe chapitle of
38.
Henricus octavus dei grā Angl & Francie rex
39.
fecunditatem modo celi per multra
40.
Señor
dejado nō se puede
41.
Monsieur mon bon frere
42.
Bayart
Snyder Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 9.
43.
monsr mon bon frer
Charles
44.
le 22 de Decembre 1559
45.
I. Caluin
46.
singularj, qua studiosos prosequi solet
47.
W H Prescott
48.
[illegible]
Snyder, Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 10.
49.
ne rentre pas dans l’ame aussi
50.
at ego nō possum omnem
51.
affection & solide Amitie
52.
Vostre approbation
53.
I cannot refuse this
54.
reade and expound the Scriptures
Snyder Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 11.
55.
happy success in this
56.
J’ai lue le memoire
57.
well affected to the
58.
votre amour pour le bien public
59.
Le comite a pris toutes les mesures
60.
les anglais ont bombardé Granville
la division de bateaux canonniers ayant
à bord la 24^e légère a marché à eux
61.
Wellington
Waterloo, June 19 1815
Snyder Black & Sturn, 92 William St.

Pl. 12.
62.
They are very civil
about “Cain” but alarm^ed
at its tendency—as they
63.
faites je vous en pris le moins
64.
you have an armed Tyranny to deal with; &
65.
I conclude from your letter
66.
Wellington &c
Snyder Black & Sturn, 92 William St.