276
NOTES AND QUERIES.
[2<i S. N 14., APRIL 5. '56.
conversation in Latin by alleging the difference
betwixt the continental pronunciation of the lan-
guage and our own, since the general inability as
regards writing it is the same ; nor, hence, to put
it upon the fact that Latin haa ceased to be the
medium of literary intercourse. Is not a faulty
system of teaching the root of this incompetency ?
Taught thoroughly, and on a proper system, the
power of sneaking and writing a language ought
to keep pace with the ability to read it. Besides
the fact that even with our well-educated men
the Classics, in a few years after leaving school or
college, become a dead letter, how many are
there of our crack public- school men, of our uni-
versity degree men, or even of class or prize men,
who can do more than read a certain set of books,
as young ladies become mistresses of certain pieces
of music, and who, when asked to play so fre-
quently plead and truly, " I should be happy to
oblige you, but have not brought my music ! "
How many are there who can or will hang for
hours over Plato, as Shelley is reported to have
done, without comment or lexicon, drinking in
his " divine philosophy ? " How many who
double-first, and up in their Aristotle, JEschylus,
Thucydides, &c. can read ad aperturam libri,
and with pleasure, the Byzantine Historians, the
Greek Fathers, the novelists of the lower empire,
or even fluently, and as if written in their mother
tongue, the inexhaustibly delightful Plutarch ?
How many sixth-form men sit entranced by the
" Pheedo " even, like Lady Jane Grey ? H. D.
NOTE FROM A FLY-LEAF.
(2 nd S. i. p. 148.)
The accompanying hand-bill illustrates Mrs. Pi- ozzi's statement, that half the world looked on Buonaparte as the Man of Sin. It was purchased at the time of its publication (1808) by my father, who assures me that it was the opinion of many persons, whose education ought to have taught them better, that much of the Apocalypse and the Book of Daniel had special reference to Na- poleon I. K. P. D. E.
"A PROPHECY (From the 13 Chapter of Revelations')
ALLUDING TO
BUONAPARTE.
Verse 1st.
" And a Beast rose out of the sea, having ten crowns on his head," &c.
" This Beast is supposed to mean Buonaparte, he being born in CORSICA, which is an island, and having con- quered ten kingdoms."
Verse 5th.
" And a mouth was given him speaking blasphemies ; and power was given him upon the earth, forty and two months."
" Buonaparte was crowned in December, 1804 ; it is
therefore supposed the EXTENT of his assumed power
upon earth will now be limited, this present month
(June), 1808, being exactly the forty-second month of
his reign."
Verse 16th.
" And he caused all to receive a mark in their hands, and no one could buy or sell, save those who had the mark of the Beast."
" To persons conversant in commercial affairs, these verses need no comment. There are at present some of these marks to be seen in this country; they had the crown of Italy, &c. at top, and are signed ' Buonaparte,' ' Talleyrand : ' all of them are numbered."
Verse 18th.
" Let him that hath understanding, count the number of the Beast, for it is the number of a man, and his num- ber is SIX HUNDRED SIXTY AND SIX."
"This verse is curious, and should be read attentively. The method of using letters for figures, at the time the Revelations were written, is proved by many monuments of Roman antiquity now extant."
" The above verses are not the only parts of the chap- ter which have reference to Buonaparte, but the MOST PROMINENT ONES : the connection throughout has been clearly ascertained.
The ancient Alpha-
bet of Figures.
Buonaparte's Name,
with the Figures.
Ten Kingdoms
conquered.
A
- - - 1
N - - -
40
B
- - . 2
A - - -
1
FRANCE.
C
- - - 3
P - - -
60
PRUSSIA.
D
. . . 4
O - - -
50
AUSTRIA.
E
- - - 5
L - - -
20
SARDINIA.
F
- - - 6
E - - -
5
NAPLES.
G
... 7
A - - -
1
ROME.
H
- - 8
N - - -
40
TUSCANY.
I
- - 9
1
HUNGARY.
K
- - 10
B -
2
PORTUGAL.
L
- - 20
U -
110
SPAIN.
M
- - 30
-
50
N
- - - 40
N -
40
O
- - - 50
A -
1
P
- - - GO
P - - -
GO
Q
- - - 70
A - - -
1
R
- - - 80
R - - -
80
S
- - - 90
T - - -
100
T
- 100
E - - -
5
U
- 110
V
- 120
The number of
X
- 130
the Beast -
666
Y
- 140
Z
- 150
NAPOLE-
-AN BUON-
-APARTE.
6
6
6
ETYMOLOGY.
(2 nd S. 1. 200.)
In my answer to the Query about erysipelas (p. 122.), I referred to a " common book of refer-
