380 ANTIQUITY OF WHITING. 



of those who have copied them, decide in favour of Eypt, because 

 their information is derived froM the Egyptians tbenuel vet. The 

 positive claim of the Phenichns, doth not depend upon the sole 

 testimony of Sanconiatho ; the en (lit of his history is so well sup- 

 ported by Philo of Kiblus his translator, Porphyry, Pliny, Curtius, 

 Lucan, and other ancient authors, who mi^ht have seen his works 

 entire, and whose relations deserve at least as much credit astho-e 

 of the Egyptian and Greek writers. It must be allowed, that San. 

 coniatho's history contains many fabulous traditions ; but does not 

 the ancient history of the Egyptians, the Greeks, and most other 

 nations, abound with them to a much greater degree ? The frag- 

 ments which w e have of this most ancient historian, are chiefly 

 furnished by Eusebius, who took all possible advantages to repre- 

 sent the Pagan writers in the worst light, and to render their 

 theology absurd and ridiculous. 



Cicero * distinguishes five Mercuries, two of which are Egyptian. 

 Authors are much divided as to the ages in which they lived, but 

 the most ancient is generally allowed to be the Phenician Taaut, 

 who passed from thence to Kg\ pt. It is probable that he might 

 teach the Egyptians the use of letters ; and that the second Taaut, 

 Mercury, or Hermes Trismegistus, improved both the alphabet and 

 language, as Diodorus and others have asserted. The Phenician 

 and Egyptian languages are very similar, but the latter is said to be 

 more large and full, which is an indication of its being of a later 

 date. 



The opinion of Mr. Wise, that the ancient Egyptians had not the 

 knowledge of letters, seems to be erroneous : as they had commer. 

 cial intercourse with their neighbours the Phenicians, they probably 

 had the knowledge of letters, if their policy (like that of the Chinese 

 at this day) did not prohibit the use of them. 



The Chaldeans, who cultivated astronomy in the most remote 

 mges, used symbols, or arbitrary marks, in their calculations ; and 

 we have shewn that these were the parents of letters. This circum- 

 stance greatly favours iheir claim to thf invention, because Chaldea, 

 and the countries adjacent, are allowed by all authors, both sacred 

 tnd profane, to have been peopled before Egypt ; and it is cer. 

 tain that many whole nations, recorded to be descended from Shem 



De Nat. Dcor. lilt. iii. 



