passed over, and that we move from left to right. Thus if we start from 76 in the middle of the last row, we may proceed to 53, then to 57, then to 14, and so on. But if we go to 74, or to 16 (both knight's moves), we shall not get the magic summation 308. Thus, But, And, 76+53+37+14+61+45+22=308. 76+16+26+36÷46+56+66=316. Starting at any other number at random will give the magic summation, if the "knight's move" is correctly taken. * Similarly, with No. 4 path, proceeding from left to right, without passing over any row ‡. Another property of all these "nasik" squares is one I have already explained in the memorandum on the 20-root square, namely, the property I called “diagonally-nasik." A property of all diagonally-nasik squares is that the first column may be taken from its place and put after all the others (and vice versa), without destroying the magic properties. Similarly, the top row may be removed to the bottom (and vice versa); and a great many changes made in the arrangement of the numbers thereby, without destroying the magicality. Oddly-even" magic squares can never be made nasik, nor even diagonally-nasik; and "evenly-even " squares, and those whose roots are multiples of 3, can be made the latter only. With care nasik squares may be made when the root is a product of prime numbers, provided 3 is not one of the factors. 66 Thus, 43+31+26+14+72+67+55=328 54+42+37+25+13+71+66=308 65+53+41+36+24+12+77=308 76+64+52+47+35+23+11=308 17+75+63+51+46+34+22=308 21+16+74+62+57+45+33=308 32+27+15+73+61+56+44=308 Questions and Answers. THE DELUGE. (Vol. VI, p. 284.) The deluge was threatened in the year of the world 1536; and began Dec. 7, 1656, and continued 377 days (Gen. VI to VIII). The ark rested on Mount Ararat May 6, 1657; and Noah left the ark December 18, following. The following are the epochs of the deluge, according to Dr. Hales : In the reign of Ogyges, king of Attica, B. C. 1764, a undated Attica, that it lay wasted for nearly 200 years. account according to Blair. deluge so in This is the Buffum thinks that the Hebrew and Grecian deluges were the same, and arose from the Atlantic and Bosphorus bursting into the valley of the Mediterranean. The deluge of Ducalion, in Thessaly, is placed B. C. 1503, according to Eusebius. It was often confounded by the ancients with the general flood; but considered to be merely a local inundation occasioned by the overflowing of the river Peneius, whose course was stopped by an earthquake between the mounts Olympus and Ossa. Ducalion, who then reigned in Thessaly, with his wife Pyrrha, and some of their subjects, are stated to have saved themselves by climbing up Mount Parnassus. A general deluge was predicted in 1524, and arks were built; but the season happened to be a fine and dry one. MRS. L. T. George. Mascot or mascotte is a di MASCOT. (Vol. V, p. 86; VI, 314.) minutive form of masca, which may be originally Arabic, German, or Latin. The word "masca," meaning witch, occurs as early as 643 in the laws of the Lombards. "La masque" means witch in French, and in Persian-French mascotte, probably borrowed from the provençal, means anything which a superstitious player thinks is lucky. It may be a cent with a hole in it, or a button. It may be contact with a lame man. The word reached this country with the opera where the leading character is a mascot a child of luck and now every base-ball club has its mascot, which may be a cat, a dog, or a boy. From the original meaning of witch, to the secondary meaning of being favored by fortune or possessing certain luck-giving qualities, the change is simple. Mrs. L. T. George. MARRIED WOMEN TAKE THEIR HUSBAND'S SURNAMES. (Vol. V, p. 96.) This was a Roman custom. Thus Julia, Octavia, etc., married to Pompey, Cicero, etc., would be called Julia of Pompey, Octavia of Cicero. Our married women sign their names in the same manner, but omit the "of." MRS. L. T. GEORGE. PURPLE, AN IMPERIAL COLOR. (Vol. V, p. 96.) Purple, a mixed tinge of scarlet and blue, discovered at Tyer. It is said to have been found by a dog having by chance eaten a shell-fish called murex, or purpura. Upon returning to his master, Hurcules Tyrius, he observed his lips tinged, and made use of the discovery. Purple was anciently used by the princes and great men for their garments. It was restricted to the emperor, by Justinian (1, 552), and porphyrogenitus attached to the names of some emperors signifies "born to the purple." The claim of Demetrius to the vacant throne was justified by the trite and flimsy sophism, that he was born to the purple, and the eldest son of his father's reign. This account is from Gibbon Hence, imperial, royal; so called from the color having been a distinguishing token of imperial authority. MRS. L. T. George. SEVEN GOLDEN CITIES. (Vol. V, p. 96.) They are situated on an imaginary island, and were the subject of one of the popular traditions concerning the ocean, which was current in the time of Columbus. The island is represented as abounding in gold, with magnificent houses and temples, and high towers that shone at a distance. The legend relates that at the time of the conquest of Spain and Portugal by the Moors, when the inhabitants fled in every direction to escape from slavery, seven bishops, followed by a great number of people, took shipping, and abandoned themselves to their fate upon the high seas. After tossing about for some time, they landed upon an unknown island in the midst of the ocean. Here the bishops burned the ships to prevent the desertion of their followers, and founded seven cities. This mysterious island is said to have been visited at different times by navigators who, however, were never permitted to return. MRS. L. T. George. "The Fifteen O's" THE FIFTEEN O PRAYERS. (Vol. VI, p. 300.) are fifteen prayers beginning with the letter O, meaning Our Lady. The Virgin Mary is so called in some old Roman rituals, from the ejaculations at the beginning of the seven anthems preceding the "Magnificat," as "O when will the day arrive?" "O when shall I see?" "O when ?" and so on. (See "Hoa Beatissimæ Virginis Mariæ.") MRS. L. T. George. According to the work of Daniel Smith entitled "Cuneorum Clavis, The Primitive Alphabet and Language of the Ancient Ones of Earth," page 13, during the excavations at Nineveh or Nimroud, and Kouyunjik, the excavators came across what they called a " Royal Library," a chamber filled with small clay tablets about 9x6 inches and under. These are now in the Kouyunjik museum. The fifth tablet in the second glass case on the right contains a list of phrases or short prayers arranged precisely with the same letters and in the same order, and what is very remarkable, the first fifteen phrases are short prayers beginning with O in the translation, just as we have our Hebrew copy of the 119th Psalm, eight verses beginning with A (aleph), eight with B (beth), eight with G (gimel), and so on through the Hebrew alphabet. The prayers are deeply interesting, showing us plainly that the Assyrians were not such idolaters as they are generally represented, but that they had not only a knowledge of the true God, but also that they had an earnest desire to know more of him. Take the two following prayers as examples: "O! that I could adopt some method of explaining the apparent changes, the mysterious movements of the true God, and the purport of those mutations." "O! it is my desire to embrace the beauty of the true God, and not break entirely with the obligations of the people." Such is the sense elicited, not by 300 letters and 500 variants; not by the cumbrous machinery of homophones, polyphones, determinatives, and ideographs; but by the simple application of nineteen letters. All can be now read; and as Solomon said, that "there is no new thing under the sun," so the original of Caxton's original in the British Museum, is written upon clay between three and four thousand years anterior to Caxton. The author gives a specimen of the English orthography A. D. 1349, or 540 years ago, and says he questions whether the Hebrew language had undergone such a change up to A. D. 1, as our English language has uudergone up to this time. His specimen is from Matthew vi, 6-8 : "But whenne thou schalt preye, enter into thi couche and whenne the dore is schet, preye thi fadir in hidils, and thi fadir that seeth in hidils, schal zelde to the. "But in preying nyle zee speke mycbe, as he hene men doon, for thei gessen that thei ben herd in her myche speche. "Therefor nyle ze be maad lich to hem, for zour fadir woot what is nede to zou, bifore that ze axen him.” WORD JEHOVAH OR YAHVA. (Vol. I, p. 282; V, p. 152.) Why is the word Jehovah, said to be omnific, incommunicable, unpronounceable, unutterable, etc., and where is it so stated in the Bible? OSMON. The "incommunicable name" is mentioned, as such, in the Bible (in the Apocrypha) Wisdom XIV, 21. and is alluded to in various other places (Ex. vi, 3; Ps. LXXXIII, 18; Is. XII, 2; XXVI, 4). Several times hyphened in Hebrew (Jehovah-Jireh, Gen. XXII, 14, "The Lord will provide"; -Nissi, Ex. xvII, 15, "The Lord is my banner"; -Shalom, Jud. VI, 24, "The Lord gives peace "). Twice in translation only (Jehovah-Shammah, Ezek. XLVIII, 35, "The Lord is there; " -Tsidkenu, Jer. XXIII, 6; XXXIII, 16, "The Lord our righteousness"). Twice by Shaddai in name of men (Ammi-shaddai, People of the Almighty," Num. 1, 12; II, 25. Zuri shaddai, "My rock is the Almighty," Num. 1, 6; 11, 12). To give the exposition of the several pronunciations of the name, and why "incommunicable" we have not room here, but will refer this new correspondent to some literature on the subject which he should read and which will greatly enlighten him. "What is the Shem-hammephorash," NOTES AND QUERIES, Vol. II, pp. 7-9. "The Staff of Adam, and the Shem-hammephorash," Vol. IV, pp. 345-364. "The Tetragrammaton," by A. F. Chapman. 8vo. pp. 22; Boston, Mass, September, 1872. "A Contribution to the History of the Lost Word," by Rev. J. F. |
