r._--Letter 3, in Greek and Hebrew had the sound of the g
in _gun_; in Latin that of k. The reason for this lies in the structure of
the Etruscan language. In that tongue the _flat_ sounds were remarkably
deficient; indeed, it is probable, that that of g was wanting. Its _sharp_
equivalent, however, the sound of k, was by no means wanting; and the Greek
_gamma_ was used to denote it. This made the equivalent to k, the third
letter of the alphabet, as early as the time of the Etruscans.

But the _Romans_ had both sounds, the _flat_ as well as the _sharp_, g as
well as k. How did they express them? Up to the second Punic War they made
the rounded form of the Greek [Gamma], out of which the letter C has
arisen, do double work, and signify k and g equally, just as in the present
English th is sounded as the Greek [theta],[45] and as dh;[46] in proof
whereof we have in the Duillian column, MACESTRATOS = MAGISTRATOS, and
CARTHACINIENSES = CARTHAGINIENSES.

Thus much concerning the power and places of the Latin c, as opposed to the
Greek [gamma]. But this is not all. The use of _gamma_, with the power of
k, made _kappa_ superfluous, and accounts for its ejection in the
_Etruscan_ alphabet; a fact already noticed.

Furthermore, an addition to the Etruscan alphabet was required by the
existence of the sound of g, in Latin, as soon as the inconvenience of
using c with a double power became manifest. What took place then? Even
this. The third letter was modified in form, or became a new letter, c
being altered into g; and the new letter took its place in the alphabet.

Where was this? As the _seventh_ letter between f (_digamma_) and h
(_haeta_).

Why? Because it was there where there was a vacancy, and where it replaced
the Greek _zaeta_, or the Hebrew _zayn_, a letter which, _at that time_,
was not wanted in Latin.

d. _Change of order._--As far as the letters c and g are concerned, this
has been explained; and it has been shown that change of order and change
of power are sometimes very closely connected. All that now need be added
is, that those letters which were _last_ introduced from the Greek into the
Roman alphabet, were placed at the end.

This is why u, v, w, and y come after t--the last letter of the original
Phoenician, and also of the _older_ Greek.

This, too, is the reason for z coming last of all. It was restored for the
purpose of spelling Greek words. But as its original place had been filled
up by g, it