From a desire, probably, to imitate Greek manuscript, a multitude of ligatures, abbreviations, and contractions of letters, as well as duplicates, were cast by the early type-founders. These, however, with two or three exceptions, have been quite discarded; and a fount of modern Greek is readily accommodated in a single pair of cases. The only duplicated characters in the preceding table are β and ϐ, ϑ and Θ, and σ and ς. β looks best when used as an initial letter, and ϐ as a medial. ϑ and Θ are used indiscriminately; but ς is employed as a final letter only. There are twelve diphthongs or compound vowels in Greek, viz.:— Six proper,—αι, αυ, ει, ευ, οι, ου; and Six improper,—ᾳ, ῃ, ῳ, ηυ, υι, ωυ. The point under the first three letters denotes the iota, and is therefore called the _subscript iota_. ACCENTS AND ASPIRATES. ᾿ Lenis. ῾ Asper. ´ Acute. ` Grave. ῀ Circumflex. ῎ Lenis acute. ῍ Lenis grave. ῞ Asper acute. ῝ Asper grave. ῏ Circumflex lenis. ῟ Circumflex asper. ¨ Diæresis. ΅ Diæresis acute. ῭ Diæresis grave. Accents are nothing more than small marks which have been introduced into the language to denote the pronunciation of words, and aid its acquisition by learners. The ancient Greeks never used them, as is demonstrated from Aristotle, old inscriptions, and ancient medals. It is not easy to tell the date when the practice of writing with accents first obtained, though it is probable not till after the Romans began to learn the Greek tongue and to send their children to study at Athens,—that is, about or a little before the time of Cicero. Accents—by the Greeks called τόνοι, tones—show the rising or falling of the voice in pronouncing; either separately in distinct syllables, or conjunctively in the same syllable. Wherefore there are two sorts of accents: two simple, viz. the acute, ὀξύς, figured thus [´], which denotes the elevation of the voice; and the grave, βαρὺς, shaped thus [`], to signify the falling or depression of the voice: and the circumflex, περισπώμενος which was formed first of these two lines or points joined together thus [῍] and afterward was changed into a round sort of a figure like an inverted upsilon, thus [[symb]], but at length came to be figured like an s drawn crosswise [῀].[14] * * * * * The acute accent raises the voice, and affects one or more of the last three syllables of a word, if it has so many. * * * * * The grave depresses the voice, and affects the last syllable only. * * * * * The circumflex lengthens the sound, and affects either the last syllable of a word or the last but one. * * * * * There are two spirits, or breathings: the asper [῾], which is equivalent to the modern letter h; and the lenis [᾿], which has no perceptible power, and indicates the bare opening of the mouth and simple emission of the voice.