358 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



in the world are derived, the only queftion that remains to be con- 

 fidered is, In what country this language was invented ? And, I 

 think, it is evident, that it mull have been in Egypt, for, as it could 

 not have been invented without fupernatural affiftance, which the 

 Egyptians had from their Daemon Kings, what other country befides 

 Egypt had fuch Kings. The Jews were no doubt aflifted by God 

 in eftablilhing religion, government, and laws, and were conduced 

 by him, through the greateft dangers, into the promifed land, which 

 they conquered by the miracles he wrought in their favour. But it 

 is no where faid, that he interpofed to give them a language, nor 

 indeed was there any neceflity for fuch an interpofition, as they 

 had got a language from Egypt. But, fuppofmg no fuch fuperna- 

 tural affiftance necefTary for the invention of language, there was no 

 nation on earth in fuch a ftate of civility, (at fo early a period, as 

 when Ofiris went to India, and when language in Egypt had been, 

 as I have faid, invented), that they could have invented even the 

 moft barbarous, much lefs a language of fuch art as he carried with 

 him to India. 



From Egypt it was propagated all over the earth. For language, 

 as I have elfewhere obferved, is an art of eafy communication, as 

 far at leaft as regards the articulation of it, to an animal fo imitative 

 as man, efpecially by the voice; and in that way it was communicat- 

 ed to moft nations. For the moft barbarous of them, hearing the 

 Egyptians fpeak, or any other nation that had learned from them, 

 would naturally imitate the articulate founds; and, having got 

 fome of them with the fenfe annexed to them, and, at the fame 

 time, having formed a habit of articulating, they, with thefe few 

 words, v/ould make a language of their own, in imitation of 

 the articulate founds they had learned. And this, I think, is 

 a very natural account of the many barbarous languages that 

 have been derived from this fo perfe£t language. But the Shan- 

 fcrit I hold to have been conveyed to India by Ofiris, in great 



purity, 



