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ther Chinefc prince, originally of Cathay, had two 

 ages before founded that of Peru. Here are many 

 names, of which the Fathers Couplet, LeCompte, 

 and Du Halde were entirely ignorant. JManco had 

 carried the arts to very great perfection, and it was 

 he who reared thofe magnificent edifices which lb 

 much aftonifhed the Spaniards. He brought no 

 horfes into America, becaufe, in his time, fays 

 Mark Pol the Venetian, there were none in China. 

 But it may be afked, why the Chinefe of Peru have 

 not preferved their characters ? It is, anfwers Hornn, 

 becaufe they were too difficult to write *, they found 

 that it was a ihorter and eafier way to fupply the 

 life of them by fymbolical figures. 



This is a part of what has been written on the 

 prefent que (lion ; and I am much miftaken if the 

 bare fetting down of fo many different opinions is 

 not fufficient to furnifh the attentive reader with all 

 the lights neceflary to lead him to the choice of the 

 proper fide in this great controverfy, which, by en- 

 deavouring to explain they have hitherto rendered 

 only more obfeure. it may be reduced as appears 

 to me to the two following articles, i. How the 

 New World might have been peopled ? 2. By whom 

 and by what means it has been peopled. 



Nothing it would feem may be more eafily an- 

 fwered than the firft. America might have been 

 peopled, as the three other quarters of the world 

 have been. Many difficulties have been formed 

 upon this fubject which have been deemed infolva- 

 ble, but are far from being fo. The inhabitants of 

 both hemifpheres are certainly the defendants of the 

 fame father. This common father of mankind re- 

 ceived an exprefs order from heaven to people the 

 whole world, and accordingly it has been peopled. 



To 



