346 ON HIEROGLYPHIC AND 



representing things that had bodily shapes, in their proper figures ; 

 and those that had none, in arbitrary significant characters. It is 

 here to be observed, that the Mexicans had long been a civilized 

 people ; so that this kind of writing may be considered among them 

 as almost advanced to its most perfect state. 



Specimens of Mexican painting have been given by Purchas in 

 sixty. six plates. His work is divided into three parts. The first 

 contains the history of the Mexican empire, under its ten monarchs ; 

 the second is a tribute-roll, representing what each conquered town 

 paid into the royal treasury ; and the third is a code of their insti- 

 tutions, civil, political, and military *. Another Tpecimen cf 

 Mexican painting has been published, in thirty. two plates, by the 

 present archbishop of Toledo. To all these is annexed a full ex- 

 planation of what the figures were intended to represent ; which 

 was obtained by the Spaniards from Indians well acquainted with 

 their own arts. The stile of painting in all these is the same ; and 

 they may be justly considered as the most curious monuments of 

 art, brought from the new world t. 



* The originals arc in the Bodleian library at Oxford, No. 3134, among Mr. 

 Sclden's MSS. In the same library, No. 2858, is a book of Mexican hierogly- 

 phics painted upon thick skins, which are covered with a chalky composition, 

 and folded in eleven folds. No. 3135, is a book of Mexican hieroglyphics 

 painted upon similar skin?, and folded in ten folds. No. 3207, is a roll contain- 

 ing Mexican hieroglyphics, painted on hark. These paintings are highly worthy 

 the attention of the curious. 



( Upon an attentive inspection of the plates above mentioned, we may ob- 

 serve some approach to the plain or simple hieroglyphic, where some principal 

 part or.circumstance of the subject, is made to stand for the whole. In the an- 

 nals published by Purchas, the towns conquered by each monarch are uniformly 

 represented in the same manner, by the rude delineation of a house; but, in 

 order to point out the particular towns, which submitted to their victorious arms, 

 peculiar emblems, sometimes natural objects, and sometimes artificial figure* 

 are employed. In the Tribute-roll, published by the archbishop of Toledo, the 

 bouse, which was properly the picture of the town, is omitted ; and the emblem 

 alone is employed to represent it. The Mexicans seem even to have made some 

 advances beyond this, towards the use of the more figurative and fanciful hiero- 

 glyphic. In order to describe a monarch who had enlarged his dominions by 

 force of arms, they painted a target, ornamented with darts, and placed It be- 

 tween him and those towns which he had subdued. But it is enly in one in- 

 tance, the notation of numbers, that we discern any attempt to exhibit ideas 

 which had no corporeal form. The Mexicans had invented artificial marks, 

 or signs of delineation, for this purpose : by means of these they computed the 

 years of their king's reigns, ai well at the amount of tribute to be paid into the 



