—I do not think it difficult to throw light upon the Karlsbad inscription sent to you by HERMES. I believe that there is a mistake either by the inscriber or the transcriber, and that the word CEdIt ought to be written CeDIt. The chrono-grammatic letters or numerals would then be MDCCVVVVIIIIIIIIII = MDCCXXX = 1730. There are, however, as you have printed it, three other capital letters, but I observe they are not in the same type as the numerals. The question then arises, how do they appear in the original inscription? do they all appear there, or only the first two. It is possible that they, i.e. H. H. T., may be the initials of the name of the then owner of the house I should like this explanation better if the only capitals, not numerals, were H. H., the initials of the first two words of the inscription, and unmingled with the numerals. It would then be H. H. MDCCXXX, or as it would appear upon a house of the present day:
H. H.
1730.
It is probable that by inquiry at Karlsbad, if it were worth while, the name of the owner and date of the house might afford a certain solution of his difficulty. The doubtful letters may be the initials of the maker of the dial.
GRIFFIN.
P.S. Upon what authority does your correspondent E. H. D. D. (Vol. iv., p. 507.) assert that "E in such compositions stands for 250?"
Passage in Jeremy Taylor (Vol. iv., p. 435.).
—I have to thank your correspondent F. A. for calling my attention to a passage in the present edition of Jeremy Taylor, in which the bishop cites a "common saying" concerning Repentance. I had already discovered the error which F. A. alludes to, my attention having been called to the words in question, by finding them quoted by Jackson (Sermon on Luke, xiii. 6. et seq.); and a MS. note in the margin by a former possessor of the volume gave me the true account of the sentence.
I am living at a distance from libraries, and without the opportunity of examining questions; but I believe F. A. will find that he has slightly misunderstood L'Estrange; the sentence in question not being found in Coverdale's translation of the Bible.
C. P. E.