Some years ago archaeologists at Monticello turned up a broken shard of slate, of the type used in the 18th and 19th centuries as a surface for writing practice. The shard has words that have defied identification, so I turn to this list for help. It has been suggested that the writing may be part of a poem, but that is conjecture. Here it is, with a "/" mark indicating where the text breaks off : Beneath/ As ugly B/ Short/ Talk about cryptic. (Reminds me of Linear B). If we can identify a source it could tell us a lot. It is known that the Jefferson grandchildren taught slaves to write and this fragment could be a survivor of that, or not. Henry Wiencek To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html