West Hill House
Belgrave Road
Ventnor, Isle of Wight
27th August 1871
My dear Sir
Your letter reached me when I was preparing to set out for this place. I have hardly got my papers about me yet, but I shall finish probably in the separate copy which you sent me of several Inscriptions from the R. Soc. Lit I think you will find ihtanabbata to be what Hincks called I think the IAIV Conjugations, <1> The root is [hbt with accents] and it occurs generally with hubut meaning he “spoiled the spoil,” or wanted the wanting.” a common Hebræism. This conjugation is rather rare but you will find ultanapsaqa in 12BM5, and qirudanahhara from mahar with several others for which I have no reference at hand. Any thing in my dictionary you will I hope make use of, except the name of Assurbanipal, as with some exceptions, I owe all my copies of that inscription to Sir H. R. <2> and in allowing me to use them, he especially required me not to publish anything until after his copies were issued. I do not feel at liberty yet to allow any publicity to be given to them. I am sorry for this as I like a discovery to be made known as soon as it is made, but in this case I am tied up.
I do not like “spread” for tabak, the Hebrew would demand tabah and then the word nahavral translated “fear” has so often a variant namurvat being as well as have, the meaning must be “sight”. see var . Sard. ii.119. unalterably namurat. These I have quoted [ennach?] asbuk in the case of “I drove my enemies into the ditch.” (I find it is at foot of page 447 of my dictionary not yet finished off; from the New Obelisk of [Thalmanem?] i.46)
I cannot find any positive case where gati cannot be “I”. except one where it is followed by iguh, which I do not understand; but it seems to be a third person.
Please excuse this slovenly scrawl: I am not yet recovered from my fatigue, and I have several letters to write which I cannot delay.
Yours very truly
Edwin Norris
H. F Talbot Esq
&c &c &c
[envelope:]
H. Fox Talbot, Esq
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham.
Notes:
1. Rev Edward Hincks (1792–1866), Irish Egyptologist & Orientalist.
2. Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet (1810–1895), orientalist.