Page:Curiosities of Olden Times.djvu/47

Curiosities of Cypher I draw a line and write A you have e, then double t, then e again. Probably this is the middle of a word, and as we have already supposed 2 to stand for t, we have—ette—, a very likely combination. We may be sure of the t now. Near the end of the third line, there is a remarkable passage, in which the three letters we know recur continually. Let us write it out, leaving blanks for the letters we do not know, and placing the ascertained letters instead of their symbols. Then it stands —e$$x$$the$$x$$eth—he$$x$$ehe$$x$$ ethe—. Now here I have a $$x$$ repeated four times, and from its position it must be a consonant. I will put in its place one consonant after another. You see r is the only one which turns the letters into words.—erthereth—here. here the—surely some of these should stand out distinctly separated—er there th—here. here the. Look! I can see at once what letters are wanting; th—between there and here must be than, and then ✠here is, must be, where. So now I have found these letters,

and I can confirm the $$x$$ as r by taking the portion marked A—etter. Here we get an end of an adjective in the comparative degree; I think it must be better.

"Let us next take a group of cyphers higher up; I will pencil over it D. I take this group because it contains some of the letters which we have settled 35