The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-06-13

| origin it dates back to the beginning of
written language, for the Chinese and
Egyptian writings are composed OF inn
ages, and the records Of ancient tombs
mag be looked upon as a series of rebus-
es. Just as primitive efforts in speech
needed great deal of accompanying
gesture, so early writings required i'm
ages for adequate definite expressions of
ideas. There is this difference, however,
between Chinese and Egyptian picture
writing and the medieval and modern
rebus, viz, that whereas in the former
the intention is simplification, in the lat
ter 1t is mostly mystifcation. The an
Gent Greeks made frequent use of the
rebus on the coins of their cities and Is
lands. Thus the Greek colony of Sell
nus, in Sicily, which derived its name
from the wild parsley growing there In
profusion, was represented on the coins
by an image of this plant In the same
way the coins of Rhodes bore rose,
those Of Melos a pomegranate, those or
Phocae seal, and the city of Ancona
was represented by a bent arm, the
word ankon meaning a bend. These
have been termed types parlants, or
canting devices. The Greek architects
are said to have carved on their build
ings the images Of frog and lizard,
these two words in Greek icing respec-
lively identical with their names, which
they were forbidden to inscribe in writ
ten language. Julius Caesar, according
to Addison, used the image of an ele-
plant on his coins because his name
happened in the Punic language to
stand for that animal. This is, howev-
er, doubtful, as the elephant was COM
monty used as an emblem on coins.
There are, nevertheless, undoubted ex-
amples of the use of the rebus on Ro-
man coins, as G. g., those OF Qu1ntus
Voeonius Vitulus, ON which calf is
represented and those of l.. Aquillus
Florus.
1t is in Picardy that the rebus more
especially has flourshed in the past.
Sieur des Accords says that-the rebus
was a special product of that district,
just as bayonets were associated with
Bayonne, and mustard with Dion. The
people of Picardy were so much pleased
with this kind of wit that their use Of it
became almost a madness, and II all
their work of this kind could have been
collected it would have been enough. in
the language of Des Accords, ito lead
ten mules" He was judged Of no ac-
count who did not take part in this kind
of exercise. In the time of Edward Ill.
the English began to admire these for
eign fooleries in painted Poesie," as
Camden says, land they which lacked
wit to express their conceit in speech,
did use to depaint it out Gas it were) In
pictures which they call Rebus by a
Latino name well fitting their device.
These were so liked by our English
there, and sent over the streight Of Call
ice, with full sail, were so entertained
here although they were most ridicu-
lous) by all degrees, by the learned and |
that he was no body that
could not hammer out of his name an
invention by this wit-craft, and picture
it accordingly; whereupon who did not |
buse his brain to hammer his device out |
of this forge?" SorAe French authorl-
ties have supposed that the word re
bus originated from the custom fol-
lowed by the clerks of the Basoche of |
making every year in the time of the
Carnival number Of lampoons WHICH |
were entitled ''De rebus quae geruntur,
Or Concerning things which are hap
pening" These were read by the clerks,
who were drawn through the streets in
a cart According to Merago this GUS
tom lasted at Boulogne till about $780, /
when 1t was stopped by the police. The
word "rebus" is accounted for as being
a survival of this title, de rebus quae
geruntur," the popular mind being able
only to remember a portion of the ex-
But it is simpler and proba-
DIV more correct to understand the word
as indicating the representation of ideas
by things ''-Antiquary.