flo 
y 
chou; 
ftai 
gvei 
ye 
pe 
fou ke 
mien. 
fecit 
medicorum 
librum j 
fuit 
r eg nans 
unum 
centum 
quadraginia 
annos * 
Ti ling 
quei kin noting 
flu, 
ftai 
gvei 
Ti — ting- 
-quei — kin—noung 
flius, 
fuit 
regnans 
pa khe nien. 
oEloginta ' annos. 
In Englifh thus.— Inflruflions for a Youth about to fucceed to the Government of a great Empire ; to be had in continual Re- 
membrance. From great antiquity water appeared, flowing peacefully and fmoothly ; which, having fubiided, and 
being divided, produced the form of matter. There were of a noble and heavenly race, elder and younger branches, 
thirteen generations ; each lived eighteen thoufand years. Of an auguft and earthly race there were, elder and 
younger branches, eleven generations; each lived eighteen thoufand years. Of a noble race of men, there were, elder 
and younger branches, nine generations; each lived forty-five thoufand fix hundred years. Of a fruitful race, who 
taught men hufbandry, horticulture, and architecture, the ufe of fire, the art of working in wood, of digging me¬ 
tals and refining them, may be reckoned three hoam, and five ti. Of the race of Tay-hoa-fo-hi, the fpirit begat the 
ferpent as the body, and man as the head; taught mufical founds, instituted eight forts of pi-kien-tfchi, or phyfici- 
ans; governed a hundred and fifteen years. The fpirit begat the race Niou-koua : they together completed fifteen 
generations, making one thoufand three hundred and fixty years. The race of Yen-ti-tfchin-noung, born of the flock 
of the houfe of the belt of kings, had the body of a man, and the head of an ox : he ploughed furrows, cut through 
hills, was a phyfician, wrote medical books, and reigned one hundred and forty years; his fon Ti-ling-quei-kin- 
noung reigned eighty years. 
Of the GREEK LANGUAGE. 
The Greeks, according to the mod authentic accounts, 
were defcended of Javan or Ion, the fourth fon of Japhet, 
the eldeft fon of Noah. The fcriptures of old, and all the 
orientals to this day, call the Greeks lonim, or Iaunam, or 
Iavenotk. We have already obferved, in the beginning of 
the article concerning the Hebrew language, that only a 
few of the defcendants of Ham, and the molt profligate 
of the pofterity of Shenv and Japhet, were concerned in 
building the tower of Babel. We lhall not now refume 
the arguments then collected in fupport of that pofition; 
but proceed to inveftigate the ch a rafter of that branch of 
the pofterity of Javan which inhabited Greece and the 
neighbouring regions. 
At what period the colonifts arrived in thefe parts can¬ 
not be certainly determined ; nor it is of great importance 
in the queltion before us. That they carried along with 
them into their new fettlements the language of Noah and 
his family, is, we think, a point that cannot be contro¬ 
verted. We have endeavoured to prove that the Hebrew, 
or at lead one or other of its fifter-dialefls, w r as the pri¬ 
meval language of mankind. The Hebrew, then, or one 
of its cognate branches, was the original dialed! of the 
lonim, or Greeks. But, before thefe people make their 
appearance in profane hiftory, their language deviates very 
widely from this original archetype. By what means, at 
what period, and in what length of time, this change was 
introduced, is, we believe, a matter not eafy to be eluci¬ 
dated. That it was progreflive, is abundantly certain 
both from the rules of analogy and rcafon. 
The colonies, which traverfed a large traft of country 
before they arrived at their deftined fettlements, mull have 
ftruggled with numberlefs difficulties in thecourfeof their 
peregrinations. The earth, during the period which im¬ 
mediately fucceeded the univerfal deluge, mult have been 
covered with forefts, interfered with fwamps, lakes, ri¬ 
vers, and numberlefs other impediments. As the necef- 
faries, and a few of the conveniences, of life, will always 
engrofs the firft cares of mankind, the procuring of thefe 
comforts will, of neceftity, exclude all concern about arts 
and fciences which are unconnefled with thefe purfuits. 
Hence we think it probable, that molt of thofe colonies 
which migrated to a very great diftance from the plains 
of Shinar, which we believe to have been the original feat 
of mankind, in a great meafure neglected the practice of 
the polite, but unneceflary, modes of civilization which 
their anceftors were acquainted with, and praftifed before 
the era of their migration. Certain it is, that thofe na¬ 
tions which continued to refule in the neighbourhood of 
that centre of civilization, always appear in a cultivated 
ftate ; while, at the fame time, the colonifts who removed 
to a confiderable diftance appear to have funk into barba- 
rifm, at a period more early than the annals of profane 
hiftory can reach. This appears to have been the fitui¬ 
tion of the primary inhabitants of Greece. Their own 
hiftorians, the moll partial to their own countrymen that 
can well be imagined, exhibit a very unpromifing picture 
of their earlieft progenitors. Diodorus Siculus, in deli¬ 
neating the character of the original men, we believe 
Iketches his draught from the firft inhabitants of Greece. 
He reprefents them as abfolute favages, going out in fmall 
parties to make war upon the wild beafts of'the field, 
which (according to him), kept them in continual alarm. 
“Neceftity obliged them to band together for their mu¬ 
tual fecurity; they had not fagacity enough to diftinguilh 
between the wholefcme and poifonous vegetables ; nor 
had they (kill enough to lay up and preferve the fruits of 
autumn for their fubfiftence during the winter.” The 
fcholiaft on Pindar defcribes the iituation of the inhabi¬ 
tants of Peloponnefus in the following manner. “Now 
fome have affirmed that the nymphs, who officiated in per¬ 
forming the facred rites, were called Melijfa. Of thefe 
Mnafeas of Patara gives the following account: They 
prevailed upon men to relinquifh the abominable practice 
of eating raw flefti torn from livinganimals, and perfuaded 
them to ufe the fruits of trees for food. Melifta, one of 
them, having difcovered bee-hives, ate of the honey¬ 
combs, mingled the honey with u'ater for drink, and 
taught the other nymphs to ufe the fame beverage. She 
called bees MeXuraai, from her own name, and beftowed 
much care on the management of them. Thefe things 
(fays he) happened in Peloponnefus ; nor is the temple of 
Ceres honoured without nymphs, becaufe they firft point¬ 
ed out the mode of living'on the fruits of the earth, and 
put an end to the barbarous practice of feeding on human 
flefti. The lame ladies, too, from a fenfe of decency, in¬ 
vented garments made of the bark of trees.” 
Hecataeus the Milelian, treating of the .Peloponnefians, 
affirms, “ that, before the arrival of the Hellenes, a race 
of barbarians inhabited that region ; and that almoft all 
Greece was, in ancient times, inhabited by barbarians. 
In the earlieft times (fays Paufanias) barbarians inhabited 
moft part of the country called Hellas .” The original 
Greeks, if we may believe Pliny, were ftrangers to all the 
moft ufeful inventions of life. Even the ufe of fire was 
unknown till it was found out and communicated by Pro¬ 
metheus, who is thought to have been one of the firft ci¬ 
vilizers of mankind. Hence HSichylus introduces Pro¬ 
metheus commemorating the benefits which he had con¬ 
ferred upon mankind by his inventions, in a drain that 
indicates the uncultivated ftate of the woild prior to the 
age in which he flourifned : 
-Of the human race 
Now hear the tale, how foolifh erft they were: 
I taught them thought and exercife of reafon 3 
If aught they faw before, they faw in vain. 
Hearing, they heard not; all was fhapelefs dreams 
For a long fpace of time, at random mixt 
