TeZh(atttr all and Mora U 



Indians, being men without bookes and learning, to 

 have a yeare, feafons, and feafts , fo well appoynted as 

 Ihavefayd, 



Ihit no nation of the Indies bath bttne found to favt 

 had the vfe 0f letters. CHAP 4. 



1*; Etters were invented to fignifie properly the words 

 jL/wc do pronounce, even as woordes (according to 

 the Philofopher) are the fignes and demonftrations of 

 Kians though tes and conceptions. And both the one 

 and the other (I fay the letters and words) were ordai 

 ned to make things knowne. The voyce for fuch as arc 

 prefent, and letters for the abfent , and fuch as are to 

 cpme. Signes and markes which are not properly to 

 fignifie wordcs, but things, caanot be called, ncyther 

 in trueth are they letters,akhough they be written/or 

 wee can notfiy that the Pi&ure of the funne be a wri 

 ting ofthefunne,butonelyapidure; the like may be 

 (aide of other fignes and characters, which have no re- 

 Ambiance to the thing , but ferve onely for memoric: 

 for he that invented them,did not ordaine them to fig. 

 nifie wordes, but onely to note the thing : neyther do 

 they call thofe charaders, Ictters 5 or writings,as indeedc 

 they are not, but rather ciphers, or remernbraun.ces,as 

 thofe be which the Spherifts or Aftronomers do vfe, 

 to fignifie divers fignes or planets of Mars, Venw, 



,. 



, Such charaders are ciphers, and no letters : for what 

 n^me foever Mars may have in Italian, French,or Spa- 

 nifli 5 this charader doth alwaies fignifie it, the which is 

 not found in lettersrfor althogh they figuify the thing, 

 yet is it by meanes of words. So as they which fcnow 



