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Besides, all the other ancient writers who mention Horapollo at all leave us quite free to suppose that there may have been two sages of the same name as does C. Leemans, who is most intimately versed in the Hieroglyphica and the second certainly cannot have lived earlier than the VIIth century, since an accurate knowledge of hieroglyphic writing must have been lost far more completely in his time than we can suppose possible in the IVth century.
In their particulars his ascertainments are untrue, for in the names he had in no way discovered the alphabetic signs of which they were composed. As to the remainder of the inscription he thought that it consisted of such drawn signs or forms with symbolical significance as might be found interpreted in the "Hieroglyphica of Horapollon."
I think he had some kind of vague idea that they might contain secret and invisible writing. They were all sheets of note-paper, of the same size, folded in the same way namely, doubled as if for a square envelope. On holding one to the light, he read the water-mark: HIEROGLYPHICA A Vegetable Vellum. M.S. & Co. They all had the same water-mark.
It must be remembered that we still possess well-executed hieroglyphic inscriptions dating from the time of Decius, 250 years after Christ. Thus the Egyptian commentator on Greek poetry could hardly have needed a translator, whereas the Hieroglyphica seems to have been first rendered into Greek by Philippus. GEORG EBERS. October 1st, 1886.
I was unfortunately unable to make further use of Karabacek's researches as to the Mukaukas. But the lexicographer Suidas enumerates the works of Horapollo, the philologer and commentator on Greek poetry, without naming the Hieroglyphica, which is the only treatise alluded to by Stephanus.
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