PICTURE WRITING. 349 



This, and the enormous bulk of the picture volumes, produced 

 a further change in writing ; the figures were totally rejected ; 

 and, in their room, certain arbitrary marks were instituted, ex. 

 pressing not only visible objects, but mental conceptions. These 

 of necessity must be exceedingly numerous, as is the case in the 

 Chinese writings, in which some authors have asserted, they could 

 still trace out the remains of the picture character. 



The learned bishop of Gloucester, Dr. Warburton, in his Divine 

 Legation of Moses*, observes, that all the barbarous nations upon 

 earth, before the invention or introduction of letters, made use of 

 hieroglyphics, or signs, to record their meaning. Such a general 

 concurrence in the method of preserving events, could never be the 

 effect of chance, imitation, or partial purposes ; but must needs be 

 esteemed the uniform voice of nature, speaking to the first rude 

 conceptions of mankind ; *' for," adds the learned prelate, " not 

 only the Chinese of the east, the Mexicans of the west, and the 

 Egyptians of the south, but the Scythians likewise of the north, 

 as well as those intermediate inhabitants of the earth, the Indians, 

 Phenicians, Ethiopians, Etruscans, &c. all used the same way of 

 writing, by picture and hieroglyphic." 



We shall dismiss the present section, by endeavouring to im- 

 press the minds of our readers with a distinction which will be 

 found to be of great importance in the present inquiry ; namely, the 

 difference between imitative characters and symbolic or arbitrary 

 marks. 



" Every medium," says Mr. Harris, in his Hermes, p. 331, 

 332, " through which we exhibit any thing to another's contem- 

 plation, is either derived from natural attributes, and then it is 

 an Imitation ; or else from accidents quite arbitrary, and then 



Taautus, or Thoth, was (he Mercury, on which name and family all the inven- 

 tions of the various kinds of writing, were very liberally bestowed ; that here 

 mentioned as.the improvement of Taautus, being the very hieroglyphics above 

 described ; and that as before practised by Ouranus, the same with the simple 

 American paintings. 



Such then was (he ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic ; and this the second mode 

 of invention for recording mens actions, not as hitherto thought a device of 

 choice for socrrsy, but an expedient from necessity for general use. I u pro- 

 cess of time, (heir symbols and delineation-, turning on the least obvious, or 

 even perhaps on imaginary properties of the animal or thing represented, either 

 to form or construe this, required no small degree of learning and iDgcuuifv. 



* Vol. iii. p. 97 to 305. 



