<illeg> Jany 18th 1841
My dear Talbot –
Having written and as I conceived sent my letter to you long ago, How was I vexed to find much of the said letter among my papers, the remainder still being undetected. If it went in that fashion it must have been wholly unintelligible as the middle portion is still here. So at any rate, I will say my say again – not forgetting first to thank you for Mr Murray as well as myself for the photogenic specimens, which have been a marvel to every one who has seen them – In my mind, you now best Mons Daguerre out of the field, when the simplicity of the process is taken into account.
I make no doubt that you have discovered a truth as to Berecynthia, & the evidence is I think very valuable – Likewise as to the ųεγα ηωųα, which delights me, as bringing a plain jewel out of that mess of rubbish. I have much to say and had said of your book, but I have now lent it & so will defer saying more than that I have been too much pleased not to hope that you will still keep the same scheme in view as you may yet add to your original plan, in the intervals, as it were, without altering the general design. As to Hagar, I doubt as to the rock, because it is רנח and not ר٠זה, and I take it that the commentators who have given this derivation, have overlooked that the letter of the arctic is not ה but ח – This though the allegorical sense is a very compound one I should rather doubt whether the paronomasical sense is included though as רנה is "mer dies" It may possibly allude to the "Burthen of the Land of the "South" from whence come the young & Old lion &c &c – I have had some occasion lately to come near to a belief that the similarity of names is carried to an extent scarcely conceivable, in the Prophets Isaiah & Jeremiah, if not in others – I will send you a remarkable instance, if you have any wish to see it.
The objection in Galatians IV 24, seem to me to be –
Agar – Sinai – Ishmael <illeg> Heresy?
Sarah – Sion – Isaac Pure church
Jerusalem of the Law – Works
Jerusalem of the Gospel – Faith in Yh
One of the <Critia sacri?>, gives I think a long enumeration of the various allegorical <illeg> which may be added to them –
However, it is clear that Ishmael has in fact never yet ceased to persecute either the literal or mystical <bed?> of Isaac, & till the <Mahometan?> river is "dried up", I suppose that the prophetic part of this allegory will not have received its completion.
It sounds presumptuous to say that while I agree with you that the true meaning of the Apocalypse is yet undetermined, I trust to do something at least towards what may eventually form a consistent interpretation, –
Many years have now passed since I first mentioned to you the first coincidences of numbers which led me in this path, & the difficulty about the <woes?> seemed so insuperable that I concluded the system to be wrong, since in my mind, a failure in any one instance is conclusive against the whole, whereas in this case the design has been to trace out the groundwork of the prophetic measures.
As to the woes –
The 666, ought to explain them, but as the first woe is said to end with the ending of the 5th Trumpet, (cix.12) this as my system ought to be 555 years. But also the 1st woe is to begin at the sounding of the 4th Angel whose sound must be included in it, since there are three yet to sound, (viii. 13) while (x.7) excludes the 7th Sound from being one of them – But on my system the 4th Trumpet commences in 333 –
Again the 3rd woe ought to reach as far among the vials as the wrath poured out with them, extends, viz to the end of the 3rd (xvi.7) – And yet in some sense they ought to extend through the 6 vials – (xv.1) – And so also in some sense they ought to begin with the 1st Trumpet for the symbols of the 3 first Trumpets bring evils upon earth sea and waters, just as the 3 vials do –
Now to satisfy all these conditions say as before.
The 1st woe does begin in333.
It does end in 555 –
The third 1st does also begin at 1.
The last does also reach to the end 1998.
The First does reach 555 years, & therefore ends in one sense in 555 and in the other in 888 –
Hence there is such a double commencement and ending, as may be represented by the lines A & B where each line makes up 1665 years for the 3 woes, yet beginning and ending doubly makes up also 1998.
<time line diagram>
The commencing & concluding portions being those less marked for woe by the Prophecy. Thus the woes in fact are three periods of 666, though as to their fulness 555 expresses them – Thus also a reason is seen why the prophecy should be expressed as if each woe only lasted 222 years, for the spaces marked <shaded> are the only ones in which both lines A and B are concurrent, for either of the woes – and they are each of that length – Thus it seems to me that the key of 666, has produced results too uniformly consistent with themselves & with the terms of the Prophecy to be otherwise than satisfactory –
I shall be very glad to hear your verdict, as to this matter –
With regard to Antipas, if you look at the first Chapter does not there seem the same sudden change of person, and the same confusion of the first & third persons when our Lord is spoken of? – If so απεηΥανθ<?> would be accounted for – I am still strongly impressed with the idea that “faithful & true" being once appropriated to our Lord by the Prophet, no less a person would be described by the same words – Bede says that some before his time thought in this way – But a manuscript would be the only judge & that is not to be had – Always yours affectly
E: Murray.
As for the <Nico Pacitans?>, I have all about them at your service!