Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-08

forth M harmed. and yet more beautiful
| Then did she swear 10 make thy father
undying, even as she is, If he would but
slay me snd give himself TO her, Tor me
she could not shay because of the magic OF
my own people that have aud that pre-
vailed thus far against her. And he held
his hands before his eyes To hide her
| beauty and would not. Then in her rage
did she smile him by her magic, and he
died: but she wept over him, and bore him
| thence with lamentations, and being afraid,
me she sent TO the mouth OF the great
river where the ships come, and | was car
ried far away on the ships, where gave
thee birth, and hiiher to Athens came at
last after many wanderings. Now | say
to thee, my son. Tissthcnes, seek out the
woman. and learn from her the secret o.
life, and IL thou mayst find way slay her
because of thy father Kallikrates; and If
thou dost fear or fail. this say TO all of
thy seed who come after thee, till al last
brave man be found among them who
shall ,the in the fire and sit in the place
of the Pharaohs. | speak Of these things
that, though they be past belief, yet have
known, and lie not
MAY the Lord forgive her for thatr'
groaned Job, who had been listening to
this marvellous composition with his
mouth open.
AS for myself, said nothing; my first
idea being that my poor friend, being de-
mented had composed the whole thing
though it scarcely seemed likely that such
story could have been invented by any
body 1t was too original. To solve my
doubts | took up the potsherd and com.
menced TO trace the close uncial Greek
writing on it, and beautiful Greek it is to
have been written by an Egyptian born.
The translation was. as | discovered on
further investigation, both accurate and
elegant.
Besides the uncial writing on the con
vex side of the sherd, at the top, painted
in dull red, on what had once been the lip
of the amphora was the cartouche already
mentioned as being on the scarabeuS,
which we had already found in the casket.
The hieroglyphics, or symbols, however
were reversed, just AS though they had
been pressed on wax. Whether this was
the cartouche Of the original Kallikrates
or some Prince of Pharaoh from whom
his wife Amenartas was descended, | am
not sure nor can | tell if it was drawn
upon the sherd or the same time that the
uncial Greek was inscribed, or copied on
more recently from the scarab by some
other member of the family. Nor was this
all AT the foot of the writing, painted
in the same dull red. was the outline
of a somewhat rude drawing Of sphinx
wearing two feathers. symbols of majesty,
which, though common upon the eiiigies
of sacred bulls and gods, have never met
with on a sphinx.
On the right-hand side of this surface of
the sherd, painted obliquely in bright red
on the space not covered by the uncial,
and signed in blue paint, was the follow.
ing quaint inscription:
IN EARTH AND SKY AND SEA
STRANGE THYNGs THERE BE.
noe FECIT
DoROTHEA vINCEY.
Perfectly bewildered. turned the relic
| over 1t was covered from top to bottom
with notes and signatures in Greek Latin
and English The first in uncial Greek
was by Tisisthenes. the son to whom the
writing was addressed. 1t was: Il can
not go. To thee, my son Kallikrates
This Kallikrates probably in the Greek
fashion, so named after his grandfather
evidently made some attempt to start on
the quest, for his entry, written in very
faint and almost illegible uncial, is, Il
started to seek, but the gods were against
me. To thee, my son"
Between these two ancient writings, the
second of which was inscribed upside
down-that. had it not been for the trans
crpt of them executed by Vlncey, should
not have been able TO read. since, owing
TO their having been written on that por.
ton of the tile which had, in the course of
ages, undergone the most handling. they
were nearly worn out-was the bold, mod
ern signature of one Lionel Vincey.
Etate suo II, " which was written there
on, | think, by Leo's grandfather. To
the right of this were the initials -. V. ;"
and below cnme variety of Greek sigma
lures, in uncial and cursive characters.
and what appeared to be some repetition
of the sentence. ito thee, my son, show.
ing that the relic had been passed on from
generation to generation.
The next legible thing after the Greek
signature was the word "RoMAE, A. U. c.
showing that the family had now migrated
TO Rome. Unfortunately, however the
date of their settlement there is forever
lost. for just where it had been placed
piece of the potsherd is broken away.