J Helmdon Mantle Tree Infcriptlon, &c. dates in thefe characters are fo feldom to be met with in other books ; nor, as I believe, has any charter been yet adduced thus dat- ed in the preceding century [g. With refpecl: to the notes on the feveral months in the laft leaves of the book, and the brief explanation of the figures in Al- gorifm, they appear to have been written fome years after the ca- lendar was compiled ; and this opinion is adopted partly on the colour of the ink, which is very different from that of the calendar, and of almoft all the fubfequent pages, and partly on the form of [g] In a letter from Mr. H. Ellis, of St. John's College, Oxford, dated Feb. 12, 1797, are thefe paffages relative to Arabic numerals in a calendar, and in an ancient deed. " In MS. Rawlin, i. p. 81 1, are two ancient calendars on vellum, one in Roman the other in Arabic numerals, which are beautifully exprefled in blue and red. At the bottom of one of the pages is in a fair hand,
- ' Orate p. aiab, Ri~ci ffuller capellani et R'fci Aleyn
" KerVr qui dederunt hunc librum Ecclie be~ Marie " Virginis de Bury S~ci Edmundi Anno d~m i^Aa." (1472). In the next place I fhall mention ancient deeds, though you will not find that to be a prolific article. Yet in fearching for materials for this letter, I carefully examined feveral large folios of ancient charters in Dr. Rawlinfon's collection of MSS. at the Bodleian, and I am forry to add that I was rewarded with one inftance only, viz. MS. Rawlins, 1329, at the i ith folio of which is a final] charter beginning " Sciant p'fent' & futuri quod ego Wills de tongesdedi concefli et hac p'fenti carta mea confirmavi Willo nT Willi le Frenche una plac' terr' in villa de Melifon, &c. &c. Dat. apd Welynton die mercur' px. poft f~m S~ci Auguftini Anno 1717 ^ tertii a cTqueftu" quarto." If it be 4 H. 3 it fliould be 112-0 inflead of 1217. The feal is gone. The figures I conjecture are meant to exprefs the year 1414, but (J) tertii, &c. is at prefent unintelligible to me." The following is communicated by Mr. Gough. " In an almanack and prognof- tication for the yeare of our Lord MV & XLVIII, by M. Alphonfus Laet, brother of M. Jafper Laet, imprynted at London (the printers name torn off) all the nume- rals are Arabic, except the Golden Number, cycle of the fun, Indi&io Romana, and calculation of a lunar eclipfe. Perhaps this may be one of the firft printed calendars." Xs the
