Chap.III. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 317 



fame time of mofl; difficult invention, I mean language; though it is 

 poffible, that they may have varied and diftinguifhed their animal 

 cries by fome articulate founds, which they might have learned by 

 imitation of fome birds, fuch as the cuckoo. But a language of art 

 they never could have formed, but muft have learned it from the 

 Eg^^tians, by whom they were taught their other arts and fciencesj 

 for a language of art is itfelf a work of fcience, and even of philo- 

 fophy. Analyfis, which is the great work of fcience, and with- 

 out which there can be neither fcience nor philofophy, muft be 

 pradifed in forming a language of art, of which not only the found 

 muft be analyfed, and fo an alphabet formed, as was done in Egypt, 

 but the fenfe of the words muft alfo be analyfed into what is called 

 the parts of fpcech^ but which are firft analyfed according to the 

 method of Ariftotle into fiibjlances and accidents^ each of which a- 

 gain is fo analyfed and fubdivided, as to produce the parts of fpeech we 

 ufe, without the knowledge of which, there can be no art of language. 

 Such an art, the work of fcience and even of philofophy, I call 

 the parent art of all other arts and of all fciences, without which 

 no other art of any value, and much lefs fcience, could have been 

 invented, or communicated when iuA^ented. Now, if I can prove, 

 that this art was not only invented in Egypt, (and where elfe could 

 it have been invented, but in the only country then in the world 

 where there was fcience and philofophy), but was carried by the 

 Egyptians to India, I think, it muft be prefumed, that it came from 

 Egypt to countries lefs diftant than India, and from them to every 

 other country of the earth. And, if fo, then Egypt is truly what I 

 have all along fuppofed it to be, in the courfe of this work, the 

 native country of all arts and fciences. 



CHAP. 



