An Essay on the Signs of Ideas. 249 
But man, living in society, has frequently 
a desire, and even a necessity, toimpart to his 
fellows some knowledge of the feelings of 
which he is, on any particular occasion, con- 
scious ; and the feelings, of which he has most 
commonly to give an account, are ideas. It 
is obvious that, to accomplish this end, the 
means might have been various. ‘“ Whate- 
ver,” says Lord Bacon, “ is capable of suffi- 
** cient differences, and those perceptible by 
** the sense, is, in nature, competent to ex- 
** press cogitations. And therefore we see 
«« in the commerce of barbarous people, that 
“* understand not one another’s language, and 
‘* in the practice of divers that are dumb and 
“« deaf, that men’s minds are expressed in 
“ gestures, though not exactly, yet to serve 
“ the turn.’’* 
What I have to say on the subject of ges- 
tures, as the external signs of ideas, I reserve, 
for particular reasons, till afterwards. 
The various means which might have been 
used by men to express their ideas, are, in ge- 
neral, superseded by the employment of vo- 
cal sounds, which are, in a number of ways, 
so varied, modified, and combined, as to form 
words. 
* Of the Advancement of Learning, Book 2. 
VOL. Ill. Li’ 
