§ 174. One of our orthographical expedients, viz., the reduplication of the consonant following, to express the shortness (dependence) of the preceding vowel, is as old as the classical languages: _terra_, θάλασσα. Nevertheless, the following extract from the "Ormulum" (written in the thirteenth century) is the fullest recognition of the practice that I have met with. And whase wilenn shall þis boc, Efft oþerr siþe writenn, Himm bidde icc þatt hett write rihht, Swa sum þiss boc himm tæcheþþ; All þwerrt utt affterr þatt itt iss Oppo þiss firrste bisne, Wiþþ all swilc rime als her iss sett, Wiþþ alse fele wordess: And tatt he loke well þatt he _An boc-staff write twiggess_,[47] Eggwhær þær itt uppo þiss boc Iss writenn o þatt wise: Loke he well þatt hett write swa, Forr he ne magg noht elless, On Englissh writenn rihht te word, þatt wite he well to soþe. § 175. _The order of the alphabet._--In the history of our alphabet, we have had the history of certain changes in the arrangement, as well as of the changes in the number and power of its letters. The following question now presents itself: viz., Is there in the order of the letters any _natural_ arrangement, or is the original as well as the present succession of letters arbitrary and accidental? The following facts suggest an answer in the affirmative. The order of the Hebrew alphabet is as follows:-- _Name._ _Sound._ 1. _Aleph_ Either a vowel or a breathing. 2. _Beth_ B. 3. _Gimel_ G, as in _gun_. 4. _Daleth_ D. 5. _He_ Either a vowel or an aspirate. 6. _Vaw_ V. 7. _Zayn_ Z. 8. _Kheth_ a variety of K. 9. _Teth_ a variety of T. 10. _Yod_ I. 11. _Caph_ K. 12. _Lamed_ L. 13. _Mem_ M. 14. _Nun_ N. 15. _Samech_ a variety of S. 16. _Ayn_ Either a vowel or ----? 17. _Pe_ P. 18. _Tsadi_ TS. 19. _Kof_ a variety of K. 20. _Resh_ R. 21. _Sin_ S. 22. _Tau_ T. Let _beth_, _vaw_, and _pe_ (b, v, p) constitute a series called series P. Let _gimel_, _kheth_, and _kof_ (g, kh, k') constitute a series called series K. Let _daleth_, _teth_, and _tau_, (d, t', t) constitute a series called series T. Let _aleph_, _he_, and _ayn_ constitute a series called the vowel series. Let the first four letters be taken in their order. 1. _Aleph_ of the vowel series. 2. _Beth_ of series P. 3. _Gimel_ of series K. 4. _Daleth_ of series T. Herein the consonant of series B comes next to the letter of the vowel series; that of series K follows; and in the last place, comes the letter of series T. After this the order changes; _daleth_ being followed by _he_ of the vowel series. 5. _He_ of the vowel series. 6. _Vaw_ of series P. 7. _Zayn_ ---- 8. _Kheth_ of series K. 9. _Teth_ of series T.