228 MifcellaHed Curiofa. Vol. Ill* 



the Chlnefe Commentators, and thofe that 

 have Tranflated them into Latin^ who feem 

 not to have underftood the true defign there^ 

 of: For both the Chinefe and European Com 

 mentators aflert it to be a Conjuring Book, 

 or a Book to tell Fortunes by, and to be made 

 ufeof by the ^/;/;7ey^ for that purpofe ^ v^here- 

 as by the fmall Specimen I have feen of it, 

 ' I conceive it to contain the whole Ground, 

 Rule or Grammar, of their Charafter, Lan- 

 guage and Philofophy, anci that by the un- 

 aerftanding of it, the Foundation and Rule of 

 their Language and Charafter may be without 

 niuch difficulty Deciphered and Underftood. 



The prefent ufe of this Character, I con- 

 ceive to be differing from what it was at firft, 

 both as to the pofition of Writing and Read- 

 ing it, and as to the Expreffion and Pronun* 

 ciation thereof. 



For the w^ay of Writing and Reading it, 

 I conceive might at firft be exaftly the fame 

 with that of the Greeks^ Romans^ E^£l^P'> and 

 all other Europe an N^tions^ and alfo the ^thi^ 

 cpick and Coptick. That is, they began at 

 the top of the Page towards the left Hand, 

 and fo proceeded towards the right in the 

 Hori:L07nal Line to the end of it, and then 

 began at the left end of the next Line under 

 the firft and proceeded with that in the fame 

 manner, and fo with the next under that 

 and all the remaining. Continuing to Write 

 the Words of the Line towards the right 

 Hand, and the Lines of the Page one under 

 another till the whole Difcourfe were com- 

 pleated, joyning Leaf to Leaf one under ano- 

 ther, after the fame manner as the Rouls 



are 



