laSs MifcellamA Curiofa^ Vol. III. 



length, or breadth, or both, from what they 

 have in the fame Writing when they arefinglc 

 and fill up the whole Letter fquare or Words 

 fquare. For there being feveral of them to 

 be crouded together within the fame fquare^ 

 according as there are more in number, fo 

 they are always more fqueezed together.In this 

 decompound fort, there is a regular Order 

 obferved in the placing of the feveral Cha- 

 rafters of the zd fort; there being fome 

 that are always on the left fide, fome always 

 on the right, fome at the top, fome at the. 

 bottom. Of which I doubt not but that they 

 have a certain regular Method, which had we 

 Diftionaries explained, would be eafie enough 

 to be difcovered. 



This method alone of crouding together 

 all the Charaders (how many foever go to 

 make up the decompounded Character) into 

 one iquare (which is of the fame fi2:e for the 

 mod Simple and for the moft Compound) feems 

 to be the great fingularity, by which the Chinefe 

 Characters differ from thofe of all the reft of the 

 World. And this I conceive has beenthe reafoa 

 whyall People, and poflibly even the veryC^/> 

 nefe themfelves have, and do believe it to be a 

 real and not a literal Cha rafter : For if the 

 primitive Language, or pronunciation of the 

 Charafters be loft fas [conceive it isj and 

 that the difpofition, order, method, texture, 

 or manner of placing the more fimple in the* 

 more compound Charafters be alfo loft, for- 

 gotten, or not underftood ; then the whole 

 Charafters becomes a real and not a literal 

 Charafter: And an immethodical one to fuch 

 as want a method, that muft be iearnai 



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