Excerpt from The d104 of the Iguvine Inscriptions: With Interlinear Latin Translation, and Notes The earlier tables are in the Etruscan character, and will be read in the original by the very few who have leisure and taste for fundamental study. For all beside, the inscription must nu dergo a process of translation into another type, which involves delicate considerations. Oriental and Western Alphabets do not coincide throughout. First of all, we find in the Etrusco Umbrian but one letter for o and 11, which is not wonderful; for the letter, of which the Greeks made 0, is the consonant Ain with the Phoenicians. Hebrew and Arabic characters (when written, as usual, without points, which are comparable to our accents) have but one letter Waw to denote 6 and yet this does not imply that the languages have not the distinction. A Hebrew pronounces d1o Sfis, a horse; and l'nn T6ra, the law. To write ln Roman characters Sus and Tura for them, would misrepresent the language. Equally, when the Arabs pro nounce Dain, a debt, and Dien, the faith, but write them alike, it would be wrong to do the same in our types. Of course, if we had no means of knowing the sound, we should have no choice; nor have we always the means in Umbrian. N everthe less, finding in Roman letter Esono, sacred, and Futu, be thou; we learn how to transcribe the corresponding words from Etruscan character, which are neither to be Esunu and Futu. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871.