276 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



taught, and therefore may be fuppofed to be as eafily invented as 

 taught, yet the contrary of this is proved to be the truth, by the ex- 

 ample of barbarous nations, who have not ftudied language as an 

 art ; and though they have the ready ufe of it, both in converfation 

 and public fpeaking, neverthelefs, have not fo much as the idea of 

 an alphabet. 



The Egyptians having gone fo far in the invention of an art of 

 language, as to have analyfed the found of it into its firft elements, 

 we cannot fuppofe that they would flop there, but would proceed 

 to the analyfis of the founds confidered as fignificant, that is, the 

 words and fo difcover what we call the parts of fpeech. 



But even after that was done, the art of language was not com- 

 pleat; for there muft be a progrefs in all the arts, and particularly 

 in an art of fo difficult invention as that of language; in the inven- 

 tion of which though fupernatural affiftance was given, yet it was 

 neceflary that things fhould proceed according to that order and re- 

 gularity, by which every thing in this univerfe is conduded. In 

 the natural order, therefore, of things, the firjR: words, which men 

 learned to articulate, were monofyllables ; and it would be only 

 in procefs of time, that they would learn to join monofyllables 

 together, into words of feveral fyllables. The firft language, there- 

 fore, which was fpoken in Egypt, was a monofyllabical language, 

 which came to China through India, together with their hierogly- 

 phlcal writing; and they are both preferved in China to this day*. 

 But among the Egyptians, a people much more ingenious than the 

 Chinefe, an art of writing by alphabetical charadters, was, as we have 

 feen, invented, and alfo a polyfyllabical language ; the coufequence 

 of which laft invention was the difcovery and the pradlice of the 

 three great arts of language, Derivation, Compofition, and Fledion. 



In 

 • See vol. VI. of Origin of Language, p. 141. and following, alfo p. 108. 



