C 51 ] 
after he had received the fecond commandment: if 
they went this way, and not along the coaft, they had 
then no characters, that we know of, unlefs fome of 
them were fkilled in hieroglyphicks, and thefehave no 
connection with them. It will be difficult to guefs 
what thefe infcriptions are j and, I fear, if ever it is 
difcovered, they will be found fcarce worth the pains. 
If conjecture be permitted, I will give my very weak 
thoughts. They cannot have been written by Ifrael- 
ites, or Mahometans, for the above reafon ; and if by 
Mahometans, they would have fome refemblance to 
fome forts of Cuphic characters, which were the 
characters ufed in the Arabic language, before the 
introduction of the prefent Arabic letters. The 
firft MSS. of the Alcoran were in Cuphic: there is a 
very fine one at Cairo, which I could not purchafe, 
for it is in the principal Mofque; and the Iman would 
not fteal it for me, under four hundred fequins, £200. 
Thefe have not the lead refemblance to them : Sara- 
cen characters are very unlike ; befides, I fhould place 
them higher than the Hegira. I think it then not 
unprobable, that they were written in the firft ages 
of Chriftianity, and perhaps’ the very firft; when, I 
fuppofe, pilgrimages from Jerufalem to Mount Sinai 
were fafhionable, confequently frequent and nume- 
rous, by the new Chriftian Jews, who believed in 
Chrift ; therefore, I fhould believe them Hebrew 
characters, ufed vulgarly by the Jews about the 
time of Chrift. I fhewed them when at Jerufalem 
to the Rabins ; they were of the fame opinion, and 
thought rjj*, which is frequent, was and to that 
0 W V)l*>™ h[ch * s J uft before with a 
H 2 fmall 
