138 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IL 



with fuch communication and intercourfe, who are capable of in- 

 venting arts and fciences : For the men who lead the nomade life» 

 and fubfift upon the natural fruits of the earth, or like the beafts of 

 prey, upon what they can catch by hunting, though they may have 

 got the ufe of language from other countries, never can invent any art 

 worth the mentioning, and no fcience at all; and the reafon is plain, 

 that they muft go from place to place in fearch of food, and cannot have 

 that clofe communicatior and intercourfe, by which alone the humaa 

 mind is cultivated, and made capable of producing arts and fciences. 

 And though they had the capacity of inventing them, which I think 

 ?hey could not have, they are fo much employed in procuring fub- 

 hftance, that they have not time for it. For in every country where 

 art? and-fciences are to be invented and cultivated, there muft be 

 men who have leifure for that purpofe, and are exempted from the 

 neceflity of procuring fubfiftance for themfelves, which was the cafe 

 of the Priefts in Egypt. And, accordingly, there is no example in 

 the hiftory of mankind of men living the nomade lifcj inventing 

 any art or fcience, though they may have had the ufe of fome arts, 

 which they got from other nations leading the fedentary life. 



Before Agriculture was invented, the Egyptians lived upon the 

 natural produce of their land and river, which, I have obferved elfe- 

 where, was more abundant in Egypt than in any other country 

 whatever *. And there were particularly two plants upon which they 

 chiefly fed before they difcovered the ufe of corn. Thefe were the 

 Lotus, and a plant they called, Agrojlli ; both 1 believe the gift of 

 the river, which the Lotus certainly was. The Agroftis in later 

 times was ufed for fattening cattle : But the memory of its hav- 

 ing been ufed for the food of men was preferved in their folemn 

 facrificest' Men multiplied, as it appears, fo faft,. that the na- 

 tural 



• Vol. I. of Origin of Language, p. 649. and 650. 



+ See Diodoriis Siculus concerning this plant, lib. I. csp. 34. where he fpeaks alfo. 

 9f the Lotus, of which he fays they made bread. 



