"The inscription was in three languages, one of them being Greek, and the other two the hieroglyphic and demotic, or common language of the ancient Egyptians. The Greek inscription proved to be a decree of one of the Ptolemies, about the beginning of the Christian era. The name of the king occurred several times, and Champollion observed that certain characters appeared at about the same intervals in the hieroglyphic and demotic versions as the royal title in the Greek. With this as a starting-point he went to work and built up a grammar and dictionary of the language of ancient Egypt. He found the key that had been missing for nearly two thousand years--the key to unlock the mysteries of the language of the people who built the pyramids and the great temples at Thebes. "It is no wonder that the Rosetta Stone is considered one of the most precious treasures of the British Museum, and that the name of Champollion is revered by every student of history. "I cannot give you a better definition of the forms of writing among the Egyptians than by quoting the words of Mr. Prime. 'There were,' he says, 'three styles of manuscript and sculpture--hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic. The first was a language of complete pictures, the second of outlines derived from the first, and the third was the character for the people--a species of running-hand derived from the others. The first was the style of the monumental sculptures; the second of the priestly writings; the third was for the ordinary transactions of the people.' [Illustration: SPECIMENS OF THE THREE FORMS OF WRITING USED BY THE EGYPTIANS.] "And here," said the Doctor, as he opened a book and exhibited a page with some characters upon it, "we have specimens of the three languages, one taken from the walls of a temple, and the other two from rolls of papyrus." The boys looked at the printed page, and readily distinguished the difference between the three kinds of writing. While they were discussing its curious features the carriage halted in front of the entrance to the museum, and the dialogue was suspended. [Illustration: DEDICATION OF THE PYLON OF A TEMPLE.] CHAPTER VIII. WONDERS OF THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES.