Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/174

 124 EARLY SLAVONIC ANTIQUITIES, 111 the annexed illustrations, a. represents the inscription on the first column. B. c. those of the second, and d. the single letters of the third and fourth column ; E. the real size of the character ; f. the same inscription as A., the crosses being left out. Finally, under G. is given the alphabet as formed by the author, " as," he remarks, " I am inclined to consider this inscription as the oldest Alamannic rune, and one which has been hitherto unknown to antiquarians — for one of the most diligent in- quirers, W. C. Grimm, says in his work, Ueber deutsche Runen, Gottingen, 1 823, p. 1 63, that hitherto no undoubted monument with German runes has been discovered, I have nothing to say against that, provided the present inscrip- tions are allowed to be the oldest runic inscriptions of the Western Slavi." Without giving the author credit for more than ingenious conjecture, liis explanations may be considered sufficiently plausible to justify me in extracting them at length. After proposing to read the inscription from right to left, he proceeds as follows : " 1. The first rune is an S, the upper part being crossed to make a T, and here represents TS, the Slavonic Czerw (cz), because in the German alphabet there was no rune cor- responding to this, which for the names of the Chechs was absolutely necessary. " 2. The second is a monogram formed from the runic E and the Latin Ch. " 3. The third is the runic 0, with S appended beneath, and concludes the word Czechos. " 4. The fourth is a monogram formed of A, C, and gives the word Ac. " 5. The fifth is a monogram of A, L. ". The sixth is A.