Alphabetical Characters. 101 
the eye. Neither of these objects was in the 
smallest degree attended to in the ancient 
Hebrew alphabet, which if we may judge 
from coins and other relics, appears to have 
been very similar to the present Samaritan; 
and I think every one will readily admit on 
the slightest inspection, that a more rude, 
aukward, inconvenient set, could not easily 
be imagined. 
_ L have now stated such observations as ap- 
pear to my mind to afford a satisfactory an- 
swer to the arguments brought forward in fa- 
vour of the supposed divine original of letters, 
and likewise those objections which seem to 
militate most strongly against ‘such an hypo- 
thesis. It may now be worth while to endea- 
vour to point out the gradual progress by 
which (since I have excluded the commonly 
supposed transition from hieroglyphics), we 
may conceive that the mind of the original 
inventor may possibly have been led to that 
train of thoughts which terminated in so i 
tunate aresult. 
'» But before we proceed lowes y enquiries of ) 
this kind, it may be proper to obviate a mis- 
conception into which we might otherwise be 
liable to fall. It has been observed that per- 
sons who have not: learnt to read, have very 
imperfect notions of the distinction of words, 
