108
QUMtES.
d S. NO 6., FEB. 9. '56.
of the coin mentioned above, is pasted a woodcut
of an elephant lifting a barrel on his tusks. The
two following slips from booksellers' catalogues
are also inserted :
" Priezac (Salom.), L'Histoire des Elephants, 18mo., Paris, engraved frontispiece, 18s."
" Paullini (C. F.), Cynographia Curiosa sen canis descriptio juxta methodum et legis, 8s., 4to. Norimb. 1685.]
PlCTA POESIS.
[Douce's notes in his copy of Picta Poesis, a Book of Emblems, 16mo., Lugd., 1564.]
The author of this little work, who has modestly concealed his name *, was Bartholomew Aneau. He was inhumanly murdered at Lyons in 1565. See an account of him in Juvigny's Bibliotheques de Du Croix de la Maine, et de Du Verdier, torn. i. p. 78., and torn. iii. p. 208. See also Clement, Bibliotheque Curieuse, torn. i. p. 400., who says that this book is very scarce.
V. Comm. Minoes in EmbL AlciaL, 185.
Two Cuts by J. Cousin (?).
. THE EUGtJBIAN TABLES.
Has the meaning of the inscriptions on the re- nowned Eugubian tables ever been satisfactory made out? It is generally believed that they contain the ritual form of an Umbrian tribe, but has this been proved? ]L believe not, and I pro- pose a new solution of the difficulty, in the hope that it may be acceptable to all those who are interested in the recovery of the lost languages of ancient Italy. I subjoin the first seven or eight lines of the first table, with interlinear and free translations :
"Pune carne speturie atiierie abiecate naraclum bortvu i " Pccni of Cyrnus, peace eternal between them and the Rascnic tribes, estuesuna fetu fratrusper atiierie eu asum esu naratu whom they haw made brothers eternal. They on their side (the Raseua)
here carna epcturie atiierie abiecata aiu urtu fefure keep to the Cyrni, peace eternal. Between them .......
fetu pusseneiperetu pestisesase sacre iubebatrefum peracne . . . . ... ....... Hoty Jupiter, witness the Raaena's
sneturo peracne restatu iubie unuerietusacre pel- peace ! The Kasena again call Jove, one great and holy, to see samifetu arbiu ustentu puni fetu tasesg
what they have made. The water upper, the Poeni make settlements pesnimu arebearbes punepurtius unu surupesutru
not upon. The other water, Pcenian port one above Pisa may be
fetu," &c.
made," &c.
Free Translation.
" There shall be an everlasting peace between the Car-
thaginians settled in Corsica, and the Etrurians, whom the
Carthaginians have made their brothers for ever. The
Etrurians, on their part, are to preserve an everlasting
peace toward the Carthaginians. Between them .....
- See the end of the book, where he is called " B. Anu-
lus" (subsequently added).
Holy Jupiter, witness this peace ; the Etrurians
again call on Jove, the great and holy one, to witness it. " Art. 1. The Carthaginians are prohibited from making settlements on the upper sea (the Adriatic). On the Tuscan sea they are at liberty to make one settlement, provided it be north of Pisa," &c.
It will be seen from the above translations, that I suppose the Eugubian tables to contain the record of a treaty or treaties between Etruria and the Carthaginians. My idea is confirmed by the frequent appearance of the words pune and puni (Poeni), cartu (table 1. 1. 23. Carthage), aferum (table 2. 1. 10. in the phrase " puni puplum afe- rum," i. e. the Pcenian population of Africa), &c., in the inscriptions.
It may be proper to notice, that Sir William Betham (Celtica~ Etruria, from which work the inscriptions whence my translations have been made are copied) has already suggested that pune, puni, is Phoenician, and purtius, port; but further than this we cannot follow him, for he actually believes the Eugubian tables and the Perugian inscription (that refractory Etruscan monument, on the elucidation of which I am now occupying myself) to be written in veritable Irish, and to record certain voyages to Ireland, &c.
If my translations turn out to be correct, we have made a great gain for history. Aristotle tells us that treaties were made between Carthage and the Etrurian cities, and why may not this be one ? Perhaps at some future period I may at- tempt to explain the causes which led to the making of these treaties, and particularly the first one with Rome. EDWARD WEST.
3. Pump Row, Old Street.
P. S. Now that I am on the subject of the lost languages of ancient Italy, permit me to add to my list (2 nd S. i. 11.) of Italian towns with two names, Aurinia, alias Caletra, and Felsina, alias Bononia. I have constructed etymologies for my former batch, but their accuracy is too doubtful to warrant publication.
AGES OF MAN.
In " N. & Q." (Vol. viii., p. 240.), parallels to Shakspeare's " Seven Ages," in As You Like It, were given. In the dialogue Axiochus, attributed to Plato, the number of ages is four, as also in Horace (Ars Poetica), 158170.) ; thus :
Plato I?']. Horace.
NTJH-IOS. Puer.
'EffracTiof. Imberbis juvenis.
'E<f>rj/3os. Virilis astas.
rijpoy. Senex.
But in the Mishna the ages are fourteen, given thus by Jehuda, son of Thema (Pirhe Avoth, iv. 482., Surenlmsius) :
"At 5 years old, for the Scripture; at 10, for the
