Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 337 



may jTill learn it, as fome "wild people in Ethiopia have done.—^ 



IN the preceding chapter I think I have proved, both by argu- 

 ments and fadts, that Ofiris carried with him to India, among 

 other arts, the art of language, which, as well as the polity he intro- 

 duced into that country, is ftill preferved, under the name of the 

 Shanfcrit: — That it is now their facred language, in which their moft 

 antient religious books are written, and is underftood only by the 

 Bramins, that is, the priefts of India, though it appears to have been 

 once the general language of the country; — and that this language 

 could be no other than the language of antient Egypt. 



Thus I think I have proved, that Egypt was not only the parent 

 country of many other arts and of fciences, but alfo of that firft art 

 among men, and the foundation of all^ther arts and fciences, I mean 

 the art of language ; at lead that it was fo with refpedl to India : And 

 if it travelled as far as India, I think it may be prefumed that it 

 went to the neighbouring countries in Africa, Afia, and Europe. 

 But, in the hiftory I am giving of the origin of arts and fciences, 

 I would not have a matter of fuch importance in that hiftory, 

 as the origin of an art, which, as I have faid, is the parent 

 of all others, reft upon mere prefumption and probability, and 

 therefore I will try to prove by flids, that language came from 

 Egypt to other countries, as well as to India. But before this can 

 be done, it muft be firft proved that there is, or was, at fome time 

 or another, one original language, of which all the languages on 

 earth are derivatives. But this is a fubjedl where Mr Wilkins can 

 give me no affiftance, which I regret very much. I muft therefore 

 hajj^ Tecourfe to a I rench author, M. Gcbclin^ who has written a 

 book entitled Monde Primitif^ in nine volumes in quarto, in which 



Vol. IV. U u he 



