215 
This tradition of the five ages must have been 
known to the Chaldeans, if we might be per- 
mitted to adopt the conjecture of Dante*, that 
the colossal figure, seen by Nebuchadnezzar-}'' in 
his dream, referred to this opinion. It was com- 
posed of five distinct, and separate kinds of mat- 
ter : gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay, 
I have one more observation to make to you of 
as little importance as the preceding, respecting 
the manner in which the Aztecks traced their 
hieroglyphics. You remark (page 34), that, to 
facilitate the reading of these figures, and to 
comprehend them, they sometimes placed at tlie 
end of a line the first signs, or rather the first 
characters, of the hieroglyphic phrase of the fol- 
lowing line ; and that by these means these first 
signs are repeated. You compare, on the testi- 
mony of Mr. Zoega, this method with that of the 
Egyptians ; who, according to him, made use of 
the same mode in their hieroglyphic writing. I 
cannot help observing to you, that my researches 
have not convinced me of this analogy. If you 
have no other authority than the passage in p.464 
of the profound work of the Danish antiquary 
on the obelisks, I must confess, that I give quite 
another meaning to his expressions ; and I must 
add, that my manner of understanding them 
* hij'erno, c. 14. 
t Daniel, c. 2. 
