Indian Antiquary Vol 04

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 55

FEBRUARY, 1875.]
ARCHÆOLOGICAL NOTES.,
45
4. This form occurs in the mutilated appears to be according, in conformity: thus passage D 22 (Hal. 349, 5), which is perhapswara won pa opa (08. XIII. 3, 4), (he has to be translated according to the writing.' heard him) in his request, in conformity to what The meaning of yar (Hal. 520, 22) is still more he had asked from him.' As a conjunction the obscure.
word pa scarcely differs from nia, and the inThe causal conjunctions here appended have scriptions of Amrån furnish numerous examtheir best analogies in the northern sister lan- ples of this Sabæan particle. guages :
3. aph opposite to this, in regard to this = 1. nia firstly means on that account, as nuta Arabic hy before. in Hebrew : ob 1 917 nia (Os. 1. 5, 6), 'on The inscriptions present no example of any that account that Almaqqahu may favour them, interjections. then it takes the meaning of because and in order List of the Particles. Conjunctions. that, accordingly as the verb which follows it Prepositions. is in the Perfect or in the Imperfoct. The fol
70, p lowing is a very instructive example :
פאו או
הן דת
בהן
בוֹת הופיהו במסאלהו וברת יתאן הופינהו במסאל יסתאלן בעמהו
po pen ia, ni
בעם בתחת
כער
ים ,יום
לקבלי
לדת לקבל דת ,לקבל i
בער בחלף
* Because he favoured him in his request, and in order that he may continue to favour him in the request which he will have need to make.'
Instead of nia often ni occurs, especially in the phrase pm mppa ni (08. vi. 11, VII. 12, &c.), and in order that good may happen continually (lit. and in order that good should be, and that good be).
2. p. The original sense of this particle
צב
(7), 17 Adverbs.
בללם
בעיר
ARCHÆOLOGICAL NOTES. BY M. J. WALHOUSE, LATE M.C.S.
(Continued from p. 13.) II.-Folklore,-Snake-stones.
and mountains respectively; and the way in It is remarkable how ancient and widely. which the Indians destroy them is told as folspread the notion appears to be of snakes bear- lows: "They spread a silken robe inwoven with ing in their heads stones of beautiful or magical golden letters before the entrance of the serproperties, the obtaining of which is a feat of pent's cave, and those letters, being magical, the utmost difficulty and danger. The idea is bring on sleep, so that the eyes of the serpent, donbtless of Eastern origin, and is generally although exceedingly hard (they are said to connected with the belief in the guardianship sound like brass when the creature moves-anof concealed treasure, and sleeplessness, and in- other instance of the idea of sleeplessness), are tensity of sight, that in popular imagination overcome, and then with powerful incantations have always characterized the dragon-Opákov- they so allure the serpent as to be able to cast the beholder, the creature that sees--a belief over it the magical robe, which induces sound springing from the fascinating influence always sleep. Then, rushing on it, the Indians cut off ascribed, and apparently with truth, to the eyes its head with an axe, and take out certain of serpents. The snake of Persian tradition small stones found therein. For the heads of has a small stone, called Mohrah, in its head, by the mountain-serpents are said to contain small which it sees concealed treasure. In the Life stones very beautiful, and endowed with a peculiar of Apollonius Tyanæus there are some mar- lustre and wonderful virtues. Such a stone was vellous stories of huge Indian serpents, which in the ring that Gyges is said to have possessed." are divided into those haunting marshes, plains, This account is most probably a wildly exag