l?art L of the Earth. 



till the Plow, and other ufefol Inflrii' 

 ments, were found out: and they had 

 learn d more compendious and expedi- 

 tious ways of difpatching thofe Affairs, 

 whereby they fhortned their Labours, 

 and fo gained time, there was no JJjem 

 of Leammgy or Matters of Speculation 

 among them ; and we hear httle or 

 nothing of Writi^g^ nay 'twas a very 

 confiderable time before Letters them- 

 leives were found out. I know very 

 well, there are fome who talk of Let- 

 ters before the Deluge ; but that is a 

 matter of meer ConjefturCj and I think 

 nothing can be peremptorily determi- 

 ned either the one way or the other; 

 though I ftiall fhew, that 'tis highly 

 probable they had none. Be that how 

 it will, I fhall plainly make out, that 

 the Ages which next fiicceeded the De- 

 luge had none ; fb far from it, that they 

 knew nothing at all of them ; and the 

 firft Writing they ufed was only the 

 fimple PiQiures, and Gravings of the 

 things they would reprefent, Beafts, 

 Birds, and the like; which way of Ex- 

 preffion was afterwards called Hiero- 

 glyphick. But thi^ fell into diFafej 

 when Letters were afterwards difeo- 

 vered ; they being, in all refptds j a 



far 



