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GA B
G        Is the feventh Letter of the Alphabet, and the
fifth Confonant: But in the Alphabets of all the
Oriental Languages, the Hebre'w, Phoenician,
3) Chaldee, Syriac, Samaritan, Arabic, and even
Greek, G 'tis the third Letter. See LETTER.
The Hebrews call it Ghimel, or Ginzel, q. d. Camel - by
reafon it refembles the Neck of that Animal: And the fame
Appellation it bears in the Sarmatian, Phenician, and Chal-
dee: In Syriac 'tis pronounced Gomal; in Arabec, Giim,
and in Greek, Gamma.
The Letter G is of the mute Kind, and cannot be any
way founded without the Help of a Vowel. 'Tis form'd by
the Refleclion of the Air againf: the Palate, made by the
Tongue, as the Air palTes out of the Throat: Which Mar-
tianus Capella expreffes thus, G  piritus, cum palato; fo
that the G is a palatal Letter. See LETTER, MUTE, and
PALATAL.
The Latins took the Liberty to drop the Letter G at the
Beginnings. of Words, before an in; as in gnatus, gnofco,
gnobilis, gnarrat, &c. which they ordinarily wrote, natus,
nofco, nobilis, &c. They alfo frequently changed it into C, as
Gamelus, into Camelus; Grogulus, Graculus; . kingentum,
quincentum, &c. Sometimes it is put inflead of N, before a C,
and another G; as Agchifes, Agcora, Agguilla, &c. for An-
chifes, Ancora, Anguilla, &c. Inflead of PP; as Magilia, for
.Mapilia, &c. G is alfo ufed inflead of 2, and t inflead
of G, as Anquina, Angina, Anguina, &c. Inflead of R, as
AXqagium, for Aquarium; A-gger, Arger, &c. And inrfead
of S, as Spargo, Jparfi, fparfhm ; or, rather, it is retrench'd
from thofe laft Words, to avoid the Cacophony of fpargJ7, or
fparcfi.
G, is alfo put for C; as Cneius, for Gneius; Caius, for
Gaius; Gaeta, for Caieta: for V, as figere, for fivere.
The Northern People frequently change the G into V, or
1W; as in Gallus, Wallus, Gallia, Wallia, Vallia, &c. For
in this Inflance it muft not be faid that the French have
changed the W into G; by reafon they wrote Gallus long
before Wallus, or Wallia were known; as appears from all
the antient Roman and Greek Writers.
And yet, 'tis equally true, that the French change the W
of the Northern Nations, and the V Confonant into G; as
gillielmus, William, into Guillaume,; Wulphilas, into Guli
philas; lVafco, into Gafcon, &c. It may be added, that the
antient Gauls, and Celte changed the 1 or v of the primitive
Language into G: Accordingly, in the Bas Breton they fill
fay gouin, of 3a1 Wine, from  Af, by changing the latter s
into I.
. Dionzed. L. II. de Litera, calls G, a new Letter: His
Reafon was, that the Romans had not introduc'd it before
the firfi Punic War; as appears from the Rofcral Column,
ere&ed by C. Duilius, on which we every where find a C in
lieu of G. It was Sp. Carvilius, who firfi diflinguifh'd be-
tween thofe two Lefters; and invented the Figure of the G:
as we are affured by 2'erentius Scaurus. The C ferved very
well for G; it being the third Letter of the Latin Alpha-
i   bet, as the g or . was of the Greek.
The G is found inflead of C in feveral Medals: Vaillant
Num. Imperat. i: I. p.  . M. Reger produces a Medal
of the Familia Ogulnia, where GAR is read inflead of
CAR, which is on thofe of M. Patin. But the C is more
frequently feen on Medals, in lieu of G; as AUCUSTALIS
CALLAECIA      CARTACINENCES, &c. for AUGU-
STALIS, &c. Not that the Pronunciation of thofe Words was
alter'd; but only that the G was unartfully or negligently cut
s   by the Workmen. As is the Cafe in divers Infcriptions of the
iEaftern Empire; where AUC, AUCC, AUCCC, are fre-
Af  quently found for AUG, &c.
The Form of our G is taken from that of the Latins,
who borrowed it from the Greeks; the latin G being cer-
iM  tainly a Corruption of the Greek Gamma r, as might eafily
be 1hewn, had our Printers all the Charaaers and Forms
of this Letter, which we meet withal in the Greek and La-
tin MSS. thro' which the Letter pafs'd from r to G.
As to the Gamma of the Greeks, 'tis manifefily the I
Ghimrnel of the Hebrews, or Samaritans. All the Dif-
ference between the Gamma and Ghimel confifls in this,
that the one is turn'd to the Right, and the other to the
Left, according to the different manners of writing and
reading, which obtain'd among thofe different Nations: fo
that all the pains Salmarius has taken on Solinus, to prove
that the G was derived from Greek Kappa, is loil.
G has alfo been us'd as a Numeral Letter, fignifying 400,
according to the Verfe,
G  Quadringentos demonfirativa tenebit.
When a Dalh was added a-top the G, it fignify'd forty
thoufand. See A.
G is alfo us'd in Mufic, to fignify one of the Clefs. See
C LEF.
G is the Clef of the highef Part, call'd the  l(eble, or
Alt. See TREBLE.
GABBARA, a Name the Egyptians gave the dead Bd-
dies, which they kept by them, inflead of burying them.
That People, out of a Cufilom which they had receiv'd
from their Anceffors, and which arofe in fome meafure front
the Difpofition of their Country, which is expofed to the
Inundations of the Nile; us'd to wrap up the Bodies of Per-
fons of Piety and Eminence, particularly thofe of Saints, and
Martyrs, in a great Number of linen Cloths, with Balms,
and Spices; and inflead of interring them, preferved them
in their Houfes: thinking, that thereby they did them much
more Honour. And there, St. Auguftin tells us, were what
they call'd Gabaras. Sermon CXX. De diverlis, c. 1z.
Pliny makes mention of the fame thing, I. VII. c. z6.
where he relates, that in the time of Claudius a Gabbara
was brought from Arabia, almofi ten Foot long.
Fa. iardouin imagines, that Pliny here took the Word for
a proper Name; and accordingly fearches in iacitus, for
one Abbarus, a King of Arabia: But Hardouin himfelf is
not of that Opinion; taking the Word to be rather the Vl:Yj
Ghibbor, of the Hebrews; or :X:Z3 Ghabbar, of the Ara-
bians; and to fignify a Gyant.
But the Jefuite Rofweyd has given us a much better
Account in his learned Notes, on the Life of St. Anthony,
c. 7 - and in his Onomafticon, under the Word Gabbara;
where he Ihews that we meet with both Gabbara, Gab-
bares, Gabarus, and Gabbarus; and that they all fignify
a Body embalm'd; which he proves from the Teftimonies
of Cicero, 7'u/cul. Queft.; of Pompon. Aela, L. I. c. 9. ;
of Sextus Empiricus, L. III.; Pyrrbon Hypothef. c. 24.;
of Lucian, de Lutau; of CoripPus, L. III. De funere 7u-
fliniani; of St. Auguftin, CaSFan, Damafcenus, &c. See
MUMMY.
The Word is Arabic, Syriac, and Hebrew, form'd of
'1:2 Gaber, a Man.
GABEL, or GABELLE, in the French Cuftoms, a Duty
or Impofition on Salt. See SALT.
The Gabelles is let out to Farm; and make the fecond
Article in the King's Revenue. See DUTY, FARM, &C.
There are three Farms of Gabels; the firf'r comprehends
the greatef Part of the Kingdom: The 2d is that of the
Lyonnois and Languedoc; and the 3d that of 5Dauphine and
Provence. There are feveral Provinces exempt from the
Gabel; having purchased the Privilege of Henry II.
This Duty is faid to have had its Rife in France, in r286.
under Philip the Fair. Philip the Long took a Double per
Livre on Salt, by an Edid in I331 5 which he promris'd toa
remit when he was delivet'd from his Enemies; and which
he did accordingly in 1345. King j7ohnrefum'd it in I35 5;
and it was granted the Dauphin in I 35 8, to ranfom King
'ohn. Charles V. made it perpetual. Charles VII. rais'd it
to fix Deniers: Louis XI. to twelve; and Francis I. to e4;
Livres per Muid. And it has been confiderably augmented
fince. Philip de Valois firil efablifh'd Granaries and Of-
ficers of the Gabelles, and prohibited any Perfons from fel-
ling Salt: From which time the whole Commerce of Salt,
for the Inland Confumption, has lain wholly in the King's
Hands, who fells and difiributes every Grain thereof by
his Farmers, and Officers created for the purpofe.
The Produce of this Impoft is fo confiderable, that it is;
computed to make one Fourth of the whole Revenue of the
Kingdom; and yields the Crown as much as all the Mines
of Peru, Chilly Potofi, and the reft of America does the
Spaniards.
Etymologifis are extremely divided as to the Origin of
the Word. Some derive it from the Hebrew Gab, a Pre.
fent; others from 7Zp to deliver; others from Fn7? Kab-
balah, Receipt; others fromn Ghauel, or Garbe, unjufi Law,
others from the corrupt latin Gabella, or Gablum, Tribute.-
GABEL is alfo us'd in fome of our antient Writers, for
any fort of Tax, or Impofition; As Gabel Of Wines, of
Silks, g   See DVTY.
z Ff .      GABi-
G.