5

ABBREVIATION

Monastery, Bride of Lammermuir, St. Ronan’s Well,Black Dwarf, Guy Mannering, Redgauntlet, and thenumerous skirmishes immortalised in the Minstrelsyof the Scottish Border, can be distinctly traced.—f Chambers’ Journal.)

Various other subscriptions have been set on footfor similar laudable purposes, of which we shall speakmore fully under their proper head._

Abbreviations. The desire of saving time andspace, or of secrecy, led to the invention of abbrevi-ations in writing. The abbreviations of the Romanswere of three "sorts : 1. Words and syllables wereabbreviated, siglce ,- 2. One letter was substituted foranother, for the purpose of secrecy; 3. Arbitrarysigns were used, like those of mathematics. Thesighx are again of three kinds, according as the ab-breviations relate to syllables, words, or phrases.The two last kinds of sighs are sometimes called notesTironiatue, from Cicero’s freed man, Tullius Tiro.Ennius, however, had already invented 1100 of thosesigns, to which Tiro added the prepositions. Othersincreased their number still more, and Lucius AnnaeusSeneca collected and arranged 5000 of them. Buteven Ennius was not their first inventor. Everywritten language has such abbreviations. Many ofthem are indeterminate and uncertain, and the con-tents of many old writings and inscriptions- remain,on that account, ambiguous. The oldest and mostcommon abbreviations are those of names, titles, andformulas ; as M. Marcus , Aid. redilis, Cos. consul,Coss. consules, &c. The monks, in the middle ages,made use of many abbreviations in copying theclassic authors, on which account the manuscripts ofthat time cannot be read with ease, except by prac-tised eyes. These abbreviations often give rise todifferent readings. They have been much less usedsince the invention of printing. The Germans em-ploy them, for ordinary words, in greater proportionthan other civilised nations. The abbreviations inthe English law are numerous ; there are also a greatmany for English titles. Many words in the modernlanguages arose from abbreviations of Latin terms,as they were taken by the ignorant for the wordsthemselves. The following list contains many of theabbreviations most frequently met with :

■Roman Abbreviations on Coins, Sfc.— A. U. C. orAB U. C. ab urbe condita, from the foundation ofthe city: C. centum: CIO or CXO, 1000 : 00,5000 : CCCIOOO, 100,000: C. ML. centum millia :COS. consul: COSS. consules: C. R. civis Roma-nus : D. O. diis optimis, vel deo optimo : I. H. S.Jesus hominum Salvator: IMP. imperator: K. ka-lemhs : M. S. nrnnu scriplum : NON. APR. nonisAprilis : PON. M.pontifex maximus : PRID. KAL.pridie kalendas : QUIR. quirites : RESP. respub-Hca : S. C. senates consultum : S. P. Q. R. senatuspopulusque Romania : VL. videlicet.

Abbreviations in common use. —A. B. or B. A.bachelor of arts: Abp. archbishop: A. C. anteChristum: A. D. anno Domini, in the year of ourLord : Admr. administrator: A. M. ante meridiem,forenoon ; also, anno mundi, in the year of the world;and artium magistcr, master of arts : B. C. beforeChrist: B. D. bachelor of divinity : B. M. bachelor ofmedicine : Bp. bishop : C. or Chap, chapter : C. orcent, a hundred: C. B. companion of the Bath : C. C.Caius college : C. P. S. keeper of the privy seal: C. S.keeper of the seal: Ct. count: Cwt. hundred weight:D. D. doctor of divinity : D. F. defender of the faith :D. G. Dei gratia : D. T. doctor of theology : Dwt.

S — ABDICATION.

pennyweight : E. G. exempli gratia : Ex. example:Exr. executor: F. A. S. fellow of the antiquariansociety : F. L. S. fellow of the Dimusan society :F. IL S. and A. S. fellow and associate of the royalsociety : F. S. A. fellow of the society of arts : G. C. B.knight grand cross of the Bath : G. R. Georgius rex,king George : Hhd. hogshead: H. M. S. his Marjesty’s ship: lb. or ibid, ibidem, in the same place :I. H. S. Jesus hominum Salvator: I. H. S. in hac crucesalus : Incog, incognito, unknown : Inst, instant, orof this month : .1. U. D. juris utriusque doctor : K. B.knight of the Bath : K. C. B. knight commander of theBath : Kil. kilderkin : Kt. knight: L. or lib. libra,pound j and also, liber, book : Lea. leagues : Lieut.lieutenant: L. L. D. legum doctor, doctor of laws :L. S. locus sigilli, the place of the seal: M. A. masterof arts : M. D. doctor of medicine : MS. manuscript:MSS. manuscripts: Nem. con. or nem. diss. neminecontradicente, or nemine dissentiente, unanimously: O. S.old style : Oz. ounces : Part, participle : Per cent.per centum, by the hundred : PI. plural: P. M. postmeridiem : P. S. postscriptum : Q. question : Q. E. D.quod erat demonstrandum: Q. E. F. quod eratfaciendum:Q. S. quantum suffeit: Q. V. quod vide: Rev. reve-rend : R. N. royal navy : Rt. Hon. right honourable:S. south : S. or St. saint: S. or Sec. seconds : Sh.shillings : ss. scilicet: Ult. ultimo, last :" Viz. vide-licet : Xn. Christian : y e . the : y m . them : y n . then.

Abbreviatori. Officers in the court of Rome,appointed to assist the vice-chancellor in drawing upthe pope’s briefs, and reducing petitions, when grantedby the pope, into proper form, to be converted intobulls. The 12 first have the dress and rank of pre-lates ; 22 others belong to the lower clergy; the restare laymen. The salary of an Abbreviatori of thefirst rank in the last century was 2000 scudi.

Abdera, a city on the Thracian coast, which issaid to have been founded by Hercules. Though itboasted of being the native place of Democritus andProtagoras, yet it was regarded amongst the ancientsas notorious for stupidity. Wieland has portrayed itas such in an amusing manner, in his Abderites.

Abdication, properly speaking, is only a voluntaryresignation of a dignity, particularly the supreme.Of royal abdications, the most famous are those of theEmperor’s Diocletian and Maximian, in 305 ; of theEmperor Charles V., in 1556 ; of the Queen Christinaof Sweden, in 1654. They have been the most fre-quent in Spain: Charles I., in 1556 ; Philip V., in1724 ; Charles IV., in 1808. Next in Savoy and Sar-dinia: Amadeus I., in 1440 ; Victor Amadeus II., in1730. But only a few individuals have remained faith-ful to their resolutions ; Diocletian, Charles V., andVictor Emanuel, King of Sardinia, who abdicated infavour of his brother Felix, in 1821. Victor Amadeus,of Sardinia, attempting to resume the government byforce, was imprisoned by his son, Charles Emanuel III.Involuntary resignations are also called abdications, ofwhich examples may be found in Napoleon andCharles X. of France. The right of a prince to resignthe crown cannot be disputed ; but the resignation, assome say, can affect only his personal right to thecrown, and cannot prejudice his descendants ; still lessforce upon the state another constitution, or anotherfamily. The abdication of Charles IV. of Spain,according to them, could only take effect in favour ofthe legitimate successor, but could not entitle aforeign sovereign to establish a new dynasty. Theabdicated prince is sometimes allowed exterior marksof homage, the title of majesty, &c.; but sovereign