Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 359 



purity, with not only the found and fenfe of the words preferved, 

 but alfo the whole art of the language ; and it was depofited 

 there in the hands of the Bramins or Priefts, an order which he had 

 inftituted, by whom it has been preferved till now, 1 will not fay 

 in perfedl purity, but I believe very little corrupted. But, that it 

 was improved by them, I cannot believe, from what I have lie^.'d 

 of them from Mr Wilkins, who tells me, that they are not at all of 

 an inventive genius, and can only preferve, in their memories, vhat 

 they haA'e learned from their books or their ancertors, and ;ot 



very well explain even that. Next to the Indians, the Greeks ap- 

 pear to have got it in the grcateft purity; and it was preferved among 

 them by their poets, who were their firft writers, and tirlt cultivators 

 of arts and fciences.' Among the antient writers of Greece, Homer 

 holds the firft rank; and, if his poems were to be diligently compar- 

 ed with the Shanfcrit, there would, I am persuaded, be found in 

 them more of that language than in any other Gre -r book. It was- 

 his writings which preferved the Egyptian language from being as 

 much corrupted in Greece as it was among the common people of 

 India : For the feveral dialeds of the Greek language, I hold to 

 have been all derived from his poems, not his poems from thefe 

 dialetfts, as many poeple ablurdly fuppofe. 



The Celts, as I have elfewhere obferved*, are a very antient 

 people, and were once very wide fpread all over Europe : They got, 

 therefore, I am perfuaded, the Egyptian language more early than 

 any other European nation except the Greek , who, as I have faid 

 learned it from the Egyptian colonies that were fettled among them. 

 And, I think, it is probable, that, from the Celts, the language was 

 propagated to many other nations. And the Celts, themfelves, ap- 

 pear to have preferved it very carefully : For their language has a 

 very great refemblance to the Latin dialed of the Greek ; and I 

 was told, by a man, who feemed to underftand it verv well, that 



the 

 * Page 348. 



