PICTURE WRITING. 345 



common to all nations, and perhaps coeval with the first societies 

 or communities of mankind. 



It is not probable that th<- art of picture, writing was brought to any 

 dcqree of perfection by one man or nation, or even by one genera, 

 tion ; but was gradually improved and extended, by t!ie successive 

 hands of individuals, in the societies through which it passed ; and 

 that more or less, according to the genius of each pi o,jle, and their 

 state of civilization ; t!>e ruder nations requiring frwer si^ns cr 

 representations, than the more cultivated. At first, each figure 

 meant specifically what it represented. Thus, the figure of the sun 

 expressed or denoted that planet only ; a lion or a dog, simply the 

 animals there depicted : but. in process of time, when men acquired 

 more knowledge, and attempted to describe qualities, as well as 

 sensible objects, these delineations were more figuratively ex- 

 plained ; then the figure of the sun, besides its original meaning, 

 denoted dory and genial warmth ; that of the lion, courage ; and 

 that of the do,>, fidelity. 



A still further improvement in civilization occasioned these deli, 

 notations to become too volumnions ; every new object requiring a 

 new picture, this induced the delineator to abridge the representa- 

 tions, retaining so much of each figure as would express its species. 

 Thus, for example, instead of an accurate representation of a lion, 

 a slight sketch, or more general figure of that animal was sub- 

 stituted ; and for a serpent, either a spiral or crooked line like 

 the letter S. Besides this, as there occurred a number of ideas, 

 not to be represented by painting, for these it was necessary to affix 

 arbitrary signs. 



This transition was not so great as at first it may appear. In all 

 probability, these signs were introduced slowly, and by degrees, 

 and in such manner, as to be always explained by the context, 

 until generally known and adopted. 



That such was the origin an I progress of this invention, history, 

 and the journals of travellers, furnish us \\ith a variety of proofs ; 

 hieroglyphics, in ail tin ir different stages being found in very 

 distant parts of the globe. Of these we shall mention some in. 

 stances. 



Joseph d'Acosta relates, that on the first arrival of the Spanish 

 squadron on the coa>t of Mexico, expresses were sent to Monte- 

 /.uina, with exact representations of the ships, painted on cloth ; in 

 which manner they kept their records, histories, and calendars ; 



