iii iiiiii ii piii iiiii iiiiiiii piiiiiiiiii, iiiipii piiii iii miiiii,iiipiii imiiimi iiiiipii iiiiiii, iiii imiiii ii ipi iiimiiii piiimii miiiiii
iipiiiiiii, ii mii iiiipiiiiiiimii, ii ii iiii ipiiiiimiii iiiii ii ipi
iiiiii iiiiipii iiiiimiii iii iiiii ii iii iiiiiiii iiiipii piiiii piiiii
ipiiiipiii iii iiiiiii, imiiii i, iii iiiimii iii iiiiii ii iiii, iiii piii
miiiii mii piiii ii, iiiii ii ipiiiiii* iiiiii ii ii iiiiiiiii iii iii iiiiii
iiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiii, iiii miiiii mii iiiiii ipiiiimi ii piiiii iii ii iii
iiiiii iii iimii iiiiii ii* i ii iiiiiiiiiiii iii piiiii iiiiiiiii ii mii
piiiii iiiiiiiii iiiiiiii imi ii iiiiiii* ipiiii, ii iii iiipiiiii, imi iii
ipiiiiiiii iii iii iiiii iiiiiiii, ipiiiiii imii ipi miiiiii iiii iiiii
iiiiiiii iiii ii iiiiiiii ii miii, ii iiii iiimi iiiiii i iiiii i iiiiiiiii
iiiiiii, iiiiimiiiii ii iiiiii iii iii iiii iiii, iiii iiiii iiiiiimiiii iiiii
iiiii iiiipii iiiiiii, iiii iii piiii iiiiiiii iiiiiii iii iii iiiiiii iiii
iiiiii iiiiiii. ii ii iiiiii imiii iii iii iii piiiii iiiiiiii ipiiiiiiii,
ii iiiiiiiii ii iiiiiiii imi ii iiiiiii, ii iii iii iiii iiiiiii iiiiii ipi
iii imiiipii ii iii iiii iii miiiiii. i ii iiiii ii miiiii iiiii, ii iiiii iii
immiiii piiiiiii iii ii ii iii iiiiiiii iiiiii mi iiii* ipiiii iiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiii mii iiiii, ipiiimiiii miiiii iiiiiii iii iiiimiii iiiiiii
ipiiiiiii, imi ii iiii iiiiii iii iiimi iii miiiiii piiimii iii iiiiipiiii,
piiii ii iiiiii, iii iipii piiiiii iiiiii ii, ipipiiiiiii miiii piii iiiii
iiiiiii iiiiiiiii. ii ii, i iiiiiiiiii, ii ipiiiiiii mi iiiiiiii* iii iii iii
iiiiiii iiiiiiiii ii pii ii iiii miiiiiiii iiiiiii, iii iiiiiiii, ii pii
piiiiii, iii iii piiiii iiiiiiiiiiii. ii ii iiiiimiiii i iii iiii ii iiiii
iiipii iii iiiii, piii iiii iiiiiii iiii iiiii ipiiiiiii, iii piii iiiiii iii
iiiimiiii ii piii iiiiiiiii iiimiiii iii ii iiiiiiii iiii iiiiiiiiii iii
iiiiipii* ipiiii mii ii ii iiiiiii iiii, imii ii i iiii iiiiii iii iiiiiimii.
The English translation was, as I discovered on further investigation, and as the reader may easily see by comparison, both accurate and elegant.
Besides the uncial writing on the convex 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 scarabaeus, which we had also 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 of some Prince or Pharaoh from whom his wife Amenartas was descended, I am not sure, nor can I tell if it was drawn upon the sherd at 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 faint outline of a somewhat rude drawing of the head and shoulders of a Sphinx wearing two feathers, symbols of majesty, which, though common enough
upon the effigies of sacred bulls and gods, I have never before met with on a Sphinx.
[*] The cartouche, if it be a true cartouche, cannot have been that of Kallikrates, as Mr. Holly suggests. Kallikrates was a priest and not entitled to a cartouche, which was the prerogative of Egyptian royalty, though he might have inscribed his name or title upon an oval.--Editor.
Also on the right-hand side of this surface of the sherd, painted obliquely in red on the space not covered by the uncial characters, and signed in blue paint, was the following quaint inscription:--
IN EARTH AND SKIE AND SEA STRANGE THYNGES THER BE. HOC FECIT
DOROTHEA VINCEY.
Perfectly bewildered, I turned the relic over. It was covered from top to bottom with notes and signatures in Greek, Latin, and Eng-
14
lish. The first in uncial Greek was by Tisisthenes, the son to whom the writing was addressed. It was, "I could not go. Tisisthenes to
his son, Kallikrates." Here it is in fac-simile with its cursive equivalent:--
iiiiiDiiiiiiiPiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiOiPiiDi
iii ii iiiiimii piiiiiiiii. iiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii ii piiii.
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, "I ceased from my going, the gods being against me. Kallikrates to his son." Here it is also:--
iOiiiOiiiiiiiiiiOiiPiiiiiiiiiiPiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiOiPiiDi
iii iiii iiiiiiiiiii ipiiiimii iii piiiiii. iiiiiiiiiii ii piiii.
Between these two ancient writings, the second of which was inscribed upside down and was so faint and worn that, had it not been for the transcript of it executed by Vincey, I should scarcely have been able to read it, since, owing to its having been written on that portion of the tile which had, in the course of ages, undergone the most handling, it was nearly rubbed out--was the bold, modern-looking signature of one Lionel Vincey, "AEtate sua 17," which was written thereon, I think, by Leo's grandfather. To the right of this were the initials "J. B. V.," and below came a variety of Greek signatures, in uncial and cursive character, and what appeared to be some carelessly executed repetitions of the sentence ii piiii (to my son), showing that the relic was religiously passed on from generation to generation.
The next legible thing after the Greek signatures was the word "Romae, A.U.C.," showing that the family had now migrated to Rome. Unfortunately, however, with the exception of its termination (evi) the date of their settlement there is for ever lost, for just where it had been placed a piece of the potsherd is broken away.
Then followed twelve Latin signatures, jotted about here and there, wherever there was a space upon the tile suitable to their inscription. These signatures, with three exceptions only, ended with the name "Vindex" or "the Avenger," which seems to have been adopted by the family after its migration to Rome as a kind of equivalent to the Greek "Tisisthenes," which also means an avenger. Ultimately, as might be expected, this Latin cognomen of Vindex was transformed first into De Vincey, and then into the plain, modern Vincey. It is very curious to observe how the idea of revenge, inspired by an Egyptian who lived before the time of Christ,
is thus, as it were, embalmed in an English family name.
A few of the Roman names inscribed upon the sherd I have actually since found mentioned in history and other records. They were, if I remember right,
MVSSIVS. VINDEX
SEX. VARIVS MARVLLVS
C. FVFIDIVS. C. F. VINDEX
