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and that way of afcending to the original of nati- 

 ons, which is the leaft equivocal, is far from being 

 fo difficult as might be imagined. We have had, and 

 ftill have travellers and miifionaries, who have work- 

 ed on the languages that are fpoken in all the pro- 

 vinces of the New World. It would only be ne- 

 cefTary to make a collection of their grammars and 

 vocabularies, and to collate them with the dead and 

 living languages of the Old World that pafs for ori- 

 ginals. Even the different dialects, in fpite of the 

 alterations they have undergone, ftill retain enough 

 of the mother-tongue to furnifh considerable lights. 



lnftead of this method, which has been neglect- 

 ed, they have made enquiries into the manners, 

 cuftoms, religion, and traditions of the Americans, 

 in order to diicover their original. Not with Hand- 

 ing, I am perfuaded, that this difquifition is only 

 capable of producing a falfe light, more likely to 

 dazzle, and to make us wander from the right path, 

 than to lead us with certainty to the point propofed. 

 Ancient traditions are effaced from the minds of 

 fuch as have not, or, who, during feveral ages, 

 have been, without any helps to preferve them ; 

 and half the world is exactly in this fituation. New 

 events, and a new arrangement of things give rife 

 to new traditions, which efface the former, and are 

 themfelves effaced in their turn. After one or two 

 centuries have palled, there no longer remain any 

 marks capable of leading us to find the traces of 

 the fir ft traditions. 



The manners very foon degenerate , by means of 

 commerce with foreigners, and by the mixture of 

 feveral nations uniting in one body, and by a change 

 of empire always accompanied with a new form of 

 government. How much more reafon is there tg 



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