282 A N T I E N T M E T A P H Y S I C S. Book III. 



But it does not appear that the Egyptian arts made any great progrefs 

 in that country ; for the Lybians were in a favage ftate, as late as the 

 time of the Jugurthine war, according to the account which Salluft the 

 Roman hiftorian gives of them. They had, however, the ufe of lan- 

 guage; though no doubt a very imperfedt language, refembling, as we 

 are t;old, the cries of bats. But that they got it, even fuch as it was, 

 from Egypt, I cannot doubt; for, I think, it is impoffible, to fuppofe 

 that a people, fo barbarous as they, fhould have invented that artifi- 

 cial way of communication by articulate founds. 1 therefore muft 

 fuppofe, that they learned from the Egyptians, or from fome other 

 nation who had themfelves learned from the Egyptians, to diftin- 

 guifh and vary their animal cries by articulation, which when they 

 had learned, they might form a kind of language themfelves, very 

 different to be fure from a language of art, but fuch as would ferve 

 the purpofes of their favage life. 



With Afia likewife they had an Intercourfe by land : For their 

 King Sefollris overran all Afia, even the northern parts of it, where 

 he left a colony, at Colchis, upon the northern part of the Euxine 

 Sea; and we are told, that he alfo conquered the Scythians. 



That in thofe remote countries of Afia Sefoftris introduced fome 

 of the Egyptian arts, or that they came, from the colony he left at 

 Colchis, to other parts of Afia, cannot, I think, be doubted: And, 

 even before he overran all Afia, there is the greateft probability that 

 fome of thofe arts, and particularly language, had come to thofe 

 countries of Afia neareft to Egypt, fuch as Syria, Chaldxa, and 

 Paleftine. The Jews are the only people in Afia, of thofe early 

 times, of whom we have any account that can be depended on; 

 and, 1 think, there is evidence, that they had learned their language 

 from Egypt. When Abraham went to Egypt, we muft fuppofe 

 that he could make himfelf underftood there: Nor could Jofeph 



have 



