OfOXFO^JD^SHl^E. ^^ 
had purfued the defign of a dumb CbaraSier a conliderable time, 
at laft he perceived that it would naturally refolve it felf into a 
Language^ having this advantage over any Chara6ier^ that we 
may ufe our known Alphabet to exprefs it, whereas in a Cbara^er 
the figures nmft be new. At length having digefted his whole con- 
trivance into a Synopfis^ he communicated it to feveral Learned 
Men^ whofe approbation and certificates procured him gpod en- 
couragement ; but he met with no Man that took fo much pains 
to underftand the Novelty^ or fo zealous to have it finidied and 
come abroad, as the Reverend and Learned Dr.Jobn Wilkins late 
Lord Bifliop of Chefter^ then the worthy Warden of Wadbam 
College. 
185. The lafi: thing he attempted in his Tables^ was the re- 
ducing the /pedes of Natural Bodies to the rules of Art^ the rea- 
fon of which delay, was becaufe he perceived that they occurred 
but feldom in common difcourfe, and that there was but little 
Gr^77z;77^i//W difficulty about them, though in number they much 
excelled all the other fmple notions^ which make the body of a 
Language : His judgment then being, and as far as I can perceive, 
ftill remaining unfliaken, notwithftanding what has been done 
(ince, that from a few general words allowed to be radical^ the 
names of the inferior (pedes (liould be made off by compofnion^ ad- 
ding to the general and radical word, one, or fomtimes more fuch 
vrords taken from the Table of Acddents as might defcribe the in- 
tended fpedes^ and difference it from all others, and fomtimes 
alfo to 2i\\ow Feriphrafes, 
186. And this Infii tut ion^ as he takes it to be grounded upon 
nature and neceffity^ as appears more or lefs in all Languages^ fo he 
thinks it approved by the higheft Examples th^t ever Artw^s : For 
God Himfelf named the firft Man^ though a fmgle Individual^ not 
by a word of ayfr/?, hut fecondinfiitution ; and Jdajn as a perfeft 
F hilofopher im\t?itmghis Maker^ named all living Trf^z/wre^ not by 
words of a firfi infiitution^ antecedently infignificative, but by 
fuch as by an antecedent inftitution^ might be apt to exprefs fom- 
thing of their nature, for otherwife the common opinion of Pi- 
vines thzt^idam gave names to the Creatures according to their na- 
tures^ would be abfurd. 
187. Which Inftitution he takes alfo to have this further ^^i- 
vantage^ that the name of any fingle (pedes may be known with- 
Nn 2 om 
