2. Pag. 100. ΚΑΤΕΛΘΟΝΤΕΣ ΕΙΣ ΟΛΟΓΕΣΙΑΔΑ ΕΝΠΟΡΟΙΑΝ ΕΣΤΗΣΑΝ: Descendentes Vologesiada Commercium stabiliverunt, Anno 558, sive Anno Christi 247. Whereby it appears, that this People having had their Trade interrupted by the Wars between the Romans and the Persians, under Gordian; did now send an Embassy to the Court of Sapores King of the Persians, to get it re-established; which succeeded according to their Desires. Vologesias was a City built by Vologeses King of the Parthians in the time of Nero, on the Euphrates below Babylon. Ptolemy calls it Οὐολογεσιάς; Stephanus, Βολογεσιὰς; Ammianus Vologessia; and Pliny lib. 6. Vologesocirta.

3. Pag. 101. ΚΑΙ ΟΥΚΟΝΙΣΩΝΑ ΦΕΙΔΗΣΑΝΤΑ ΧΡΗΜΑΤΩΝ. I submit it to the Judgment of the Criticks, whether this faulty Place may not be amended by reading it ΟΥΚ ΟΙΚΕΙΩΝ ΑΦΕΙΔΗΣΑΝΤΑ, &c. as likewise whether ΔΙΣΜΑΛΚΟΥ in the same Inscription may not be instead of ΜΑΛΛΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΜΑΛΚΟΥ, which is the Ingenious Conjecture of that excellent Grammarian Mr. William Baxter.

4. Pag. 102. Septimium Vorodem Procuratorem Ducenarium Augusti & ΑΡΟΑΠΕΤΗΝ. This Word, if Greek, is faultily transcribed; and in one Copy I have seen, the Ο is very small, as I suppose it on the Stone, which might occasion the transcribing thereof without it in the former Voyage (Pag. 130.) So that 'tis most probable that 'tis the remains of some other Letter almost worn out. I conjecture it to have been ΑΡΤΑΓΕΤΗΝ, Π being taken for Γ, and that this Septimius was Præfectus Annonæ, having the Care to see that the City were sufficiently provided with Bread; which was a most necessary Officer in a Place that must needs be furnish'd with Corn from Abroad. And this same Septimius, (in the Inscription, Pag. 105.) is stiled .... ΕΟΔΟΤΗΝ ΤΗΣ ΜΗΤΡΟΚΟΛΩΝΕΙΑΣ. lege ΚΡΕΟΔΟΤΗΝ, which should signifie that he was the Distributor of the Emperor's Munificence in Flesh to the People. These Inscriptions bear Date in April, Anno Dom. 267. not long before the Death of Odænathus, who is herein stiled ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ: and 'tis not improbable but he might institute such a Custom, as at the Publick Charge, to give the People a Largess in Flesh on particular Days, to reconcile them to the Dominion of their Fellow-Citizen. This is certain, that Aurelian first instituted such a Custom of giving Flesh at Rome: The Words of Vopiscus are, Idem Aurelianus & porcinam carnem populo Romano distribuit, quæ hodieque dividitur; which Custom continued till the time of Constantine, when (according to Zosimus) one Lucian, who had this Office of distributing Swines Flesh at Rome, had Interest enough among the People to set up Maxentius for Emperor; and Salmasius assures us, that it was not discontinued till the time of Heraclius. It will not therefore seem strange, if I suppose Aurelian might find that Custom at Palmyra, and at his return from thence institute the like at Rome.

I am inclined to believe, that not only those two Inscriptions, Pag. 102, and the last of Pag. 103, but also that of Pag. 106, were in Honour of the same Septimius Vorodes who seems to have been a great Favourite of Odænathus, and was without doubt respected by the Romans on that account, whom I conclude to have effaced all the Memorials of Zenobia and Waballathus, insomuch that no one appears, among those many taken, that was set up during the six Years they reigned. The Name Vorodes seems the same with Orodes, which was the Name of the King of the Parthians that slew Crassus: and the Persians having, about forty Years before, expelled the Race of the Arsacidæ, 'tis not improbable but the Remains of that Royal Family might fly for Succour to Palmyra, and this Vorodes might be one of them.

5. In two other Copies of these Inscriptions; the first of pag. 104. is read, Σεπτίμιον Αἰράνην Ὀδαινάθου, and not Ὀδαινόθου as in the first Copy, and perhaps ought rather to be Ὀδαίναθον, as being the Inscription under a Statue of the same Odænathus, who is here, as well as on his Tomb, stiled Illustrissimus Patricius, but without a Date.

6. ΥΠΟ ΙΑΡΙΒΩΛΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ (pag. 101. & 109.) It cannot well be doubted but that this Deus Jaribolus is the same with what Gruter (pag. 86.) and Spon (in the first of his Inscriptions) reads ΑΓΛΙΒΩΛΩ. By the Figure of the Idol extant in Spon, it appears that this God was made with the Moon upon his Shoulders, and consequently was the Deus Lunus worshipped by the Syrians, whose Name, in the Language of that Country, could not be better expressed than by Jarehbol ירה ביעל Dominus Lunus. Whence I am induced to believe, that Gruter mistook it ΑΓΛΙΒΩΛΩ for ΑΓΑΙΒΩΛΩ, the Ι in the beginning, and the lower part of the round stroke of the Ρ, being effaced, so as to pass for Γ. I have taken care to have the Stone purposely viewed, as also to get from thence the exact Figure of the Syrian or Palmyrene Characters thereon, wherein there is an irreconcilable difference between Spon and Gruter. By the help of these, compared with two others taken at Palmyra, which I have by me, (they being all very near the same Date,) I hope we may be able, one Day, to make out the Palmyrene Alphabet: But it were to be wish'd our Travellers had transcribed them with more Curiosity, and taken more of them.

By the way, it is remarkable, that the Person who dedicated this Monument, in Gruter and Spon, is stiled Λ. ΑΥΡ. ΗΛΙΟΔΩΡΟΣ: and the same Name occurs in a broken Inscription which Mr. Hallifax omitted in his Letter to Dr. Bernard, as being too imperfect. It stood on the right Hand of the entrance to the little Temple described pag. 110. and was thus,

ΛΟΥΚΙΟΥ ΑΥΡΗ[ΛΙ]ΟΥ ..... ΗΛΙΟΔΩΡΟΥ ΤΟΥ.

And after a Blank of three lines all worn out except one single Ο, there followed,

[ΤΕΙ]ΜΗΣ ΧΑΡΙΝ ΕΤΟΥΣ....... ΜΗΝΟΣ [ΑΠ]ΕΛΛΑΙ[ΟΥ]. And that imperfect one in pag. 104. seems to have relation to the same Name.