On the Syjiems ef an Utiiverfal or Philofcphica! Lattguage, 345 



The fentcnce might ha undcrftood by thefe four charadtcriflic numbers; but to leave no 

 room for ambiguity, he fays, Guerre is the nominative cafe, and finds, as the charafleriftic 

 of the nominative, the Arabic figure J. Efl is the third perfon fingular of t_he indica- 

 tive mood, prcfcnt tenfe, of wliicli the charadleriftic is 15. 'Yo grand ^ and to inaly belong 

 liliewife the figure i, for tlie nominative cafe ; he will therefore write 



J3-I I 33'iS I 67.1 1 68.1 I 

 where the numbers are feparated by fmall vertical bars to prevent confufion. It may eafily 

 be conceived how, by the inverfe method, the German will find in his tables the words der 

 noted by the cyphers, which will form Der krjeg IJI ein groffes uebel. 



This invention of Becher, which is the fame thing nearly vs-ith regard to- language, as 

 algebra is to arithmetic, could not have cofi: him any great effort of the imagination ; aud- 

 it evidently reduces itfelf, as I have obferved with regard to all pafigraphy, to the learning 

 a new language, or having a ditlionary at hand for ufe. It is befides poffefled of confider.- 

 able fimplicity, and even a few hours pra£lice will render it eafy. If any reader fhould be 

 curious to fee more applications of this kind, he may have recourfe to the Latin work of 

 Sturmius, Ejpiis d' Experiences curieu/es *. 



In the fame year George Dalgaru, an Englifhman, publilhed at London, a work of which 

 the prolix title is fuflicient to Hiew its obje£l. It is, " The Art of Signs, or an Unive'rfal 

 Character and Philofophical Language, by Means of which. Men of the moft different 

 Idioms may, in the Space of two Weeks, learn to communicate, whether by Word of 

 Mouth or by Writing, all their Thoughts, as clearly as in their Mother-tongue. Befides 

 which, young Perfons may therein learn the Principles of Philofophy, and the Pradice 

 of true Logic, more fpeedily and more readily than in the ordinary philofophic Writinga." 

 The book of Dalgaru is written in Latin f. Becman accufes him of extreme pedantry. I 

 do not know whether this book is common in England, but it is very fcarce on the ContI- ' 



nent. His chara6lers likewife were cyphers. 



Joachim Frifichius, profefTor at the Gymnafium at Riga, was employed on a fimilar atr 

 tempt, namely, to introduce a natural, rational, and univerfal language, of which fomc 

 (heets printed at Thorn in 168 r may give an idea. The death of the author interrupted 

 his labours. He purpofed to call his new language Ludovicean, in honour of Louis XIV. 

 under whofe patronage he purfued his labours ; a prince who extended his generoCty to the 

 learned of all countries. 



The curious in refearches of this nature may alfo find a projefl of this kind in a foHo^- 

 volume publifhed at Rome in 1^65, by the celebrated mathematician Athanafius- 

 Kircher, the title of which is, " A New and Univerfal Polygraphia, deduced from the Art 

 of Combination % ;" and by means of which, fays MorhofF(Polyhiflor. 1. ii. c. j.), he who 

 underftands one fingle language only may correfpond in writing with all the nations of' 

 the earth. 



• I fuppofe this work to be the Collegium expetimeniale, five cvriojum, &c. Jdannis Chriflopbori Slurmii, 410.. 

 Norimhcrg, 1701. N. ^ 



•f- I know nothing of this author, nor his work. The title in the text is tranflated verbatim from the' 

 French. N. 



X Neitlier JVToreri nor any other biographer at prefent within my reach has given the title of _this work of 

 the voluminous Kircher. N. 



It. 



