346 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



believe upon the authority of Mofes, but could not reconcile it with 

 fadts, thinking that it applied only to the languages in the weftern 

 parts of Afia. 



But our author has not explicitly told us what this primitive uni- 

 verfal language is, where it was invented, where it is to be found, 

 or whether it now exifts. He has told us, indeed, that the Greek 

 and Latin, and all the languages fpoken at prefent in Europe, are 

 derived from the Celtic ; but he has no where faid that the Celtic 

 is not Itfelf a derivative from fome other language : Or if he had 

 liiid it, I fhould not have believed him ; for the Celts, though a ve- 

 ry warlike people, were certainly not a people of arts and fciences, 

 and therefore not capable of inventing the language they fpoke, any 

 more than the Goths were capable of inventing their language, 

 v.dilch, as it is preferved in Iceland, is a more perfect language than 

 the Celtic, having what the Celtic has not, nor any language fpoken 

 at prefent in Europe, and w^hich I think one of the greateft arts of 

 language ; I mean cafes of nouns formed by fledion : And in feve- 

 ral refpedls it is a more perfect language than even the Latin ; for 

 we are not to fuppofe that becaufe a people fpeak a language of art, 

 therefore they invented it, otherwife we muft fuppofe that the 

 Greenlanders invented their language, which has a dual number, 

 and a firft and fecond future*, as. well as the Greek. The fa'dt 

 truly is, that this primaeval language, which I fay was invented 

 in Egypt, was a language of the greateft art, as we may judge by 

 what is preferved of It in India. And this language was fpread all 

 over the earth : But it is impoffible to fuppofe, that to every coun- 

 try it was tranfported in the fame degree of perfeclion that it was 

 fpoken in Egypt. I am perfuaded it has fulTered lefs in India, than 



in 



* This information I had from an acquaintance of mine, whom 1 mentioned before, 

 Mr Thorkelin, -who has told me a great many other curious particulars of that language, 

 having {ludied a grammar of it, which is publiflied. 



