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again is ultimately refolved into the nature of the fubftances on 

 which they wrote. And among moft or all barbarous nations 

 we (hall find their alphabets to confift chiefly of redilineal let- 

 ters ; for example, the Runic^ and the Englijli black letter. But 

 then I aflert on the other hand, 



First. That curvature in the letters of the Greek alphabet 

 is alfo exceeding ancient. In a Lacedeemonian infcription (Mr. 

 AJlle on the Origin and Progrefs of Writing, Tab. II.) bearing 

 the names of Alcamenes and Theopompus, the letters B, E, S and 

 O are curved. In the Sigean infcription, dated 594 years before 

 Chrift, $, O and are round, and the 2 is fometimes tedilineal 

 and fometimes curved. The fame forms may be obferved on the 

 Delian infcription of Tournefort. And in the Ionic infcriptions 

 of Montfaucon, Palseog. p. 135, dated 450 years before Chrift, 

 the fame may be obferved. 



Secondly. The fame argument which proves redilineal letters, 

 when the queftion is concerning hard fubftances to precede curved, 

 will prove in the cafe of foft fubftances curved letters to precede 

 angular ; becaufe curved letters are more eafily formed upon foft 

 fubftances. I do not however mean to aflert that this is the cafe, 

 for I think the contrary moft probable j but I only deny that it 

 is a necefllary confequence, that becaufe the firft writing on hard 

 fubftances was rediljneal, that therefore the firft writing on foft 

 fubftances fhould be fo : Becaufe this argument concludes that to 

 hold true of foft fubftances which is true of hard fubftances, 

 although the reafon why- it holds true in the latter kind is, be- 

 (R 2) caufe 



