The evening times., 1899-08-25
ORIGIN OF THE REBus.
1t Dates hack to the Beginning of
written Language.

(frum the AutlQuafy.l
The rebus Is representation by means
of pictures, letters or figures of some
word, phrase or sentence. In its origin
it dates back to the beginning of written
language, for the Chinese and Egyptian
writings are composed Of images, and ths
records Of ancient tombS may be looked
upon as series of refuses Just as prim-
tive efforts in speech needed great deal
of accompanying gesture, so early writ
ings required images for adequate definite
expressions of ideas. There is this diff
ference, however, between Chinese and
Egyptian picture writing and the medieval
and modern rebus, viz, that where as In
the former the intention is simpliication,
in the latter it is mostly mystification.
The ancient Greeks made frequent use OF
the rebus on the coins Of their cities and
islands. Thus the Greek colony of Selinus,
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 a rose, those OF Melos
pomegranate, those of Phocae a seal, and
the city of Ancona was represented by
bent arm, the word ankon meaning a bend.
These have been termed types parlants, or
canting devices. Two Greek architects
are said to have carved on their buildings
the images of a frog and lizard, these
Identical with their names, which they
were forbidden to inscribe in written Ian
guage. Julius Caesar, according to Addi-
son, used the image Of an elephant on his
coins because his name happened in the
Punic language to stand for that animal.
This is, however, doubtful, as the ele-
phant was commonly used as an emblem
on coins. There are, nevertheless, undoubt-
ed examples of the use of the rebus on
fnr q of
Quintus Voconius Vitulus, on which a
calf is represented, and those of L. Aquil-
lus Florus.
1t is in Picardy that the rebus more es-
pecially has fourished in the past. Sieur
des Accords says that the rebus was q
special product of that district just as
bayonets were associated with Bayonne,
| and mustard with Dijon. The people of
Picardy were so much pleased with this
kind Of wit that their use of 1t became
almost madness, and il all their work of
this kind could have been collected it
would have been enough. in the language
OF Des Aecords, Ito load ten mules" He
was judged of no account who did not take
part in this kind of exercise. In the time
| of Edward III the English began to ad-
mire these foreign fooieries in painted
Poesie." as Camden says, 'and they which
lacked wit to express their conceit in
speech. did use to depaint it out (as 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 straight of Calice, with
full sail, were so entertained here (al-
though they were most ridiculous) by all
degrees, by the learned and unlearned,
that he was nobody that could not ham
mer out of his name an invention by this
wit-craft, and picture it accordingly
whereupon who did not busie his brain to
hammer his device out Of this forge?"
Some French authorities have supposed
| that the word ''rebus" originated from the
custom followed by the clerks OF the
Basoche Of making every year in the time
OF the Carnival a number of lampoons,
which were entitled de rebus quae ger
untur," or Concerning things which are
happening" These were read by the
clerks. who were drawn through the
streets in a cart, According to Merago
this custom lasted at Boulogne till about
1880. when it was stopped by the police
The word "rebus'' is accounted for as be-
ing survival of this title. DE rebus
quae geruntur." the popular mind being
able only to remember a portion of the
expression. But it is simpler and proba-
bly, more correct to understand the word
as indicating the representation of ideas
fsby thipp''