1802. 
[the Editor. of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
VERY inveftigation into the ftruc- 
ture of the earth, every difcovery in 
the {ciences of fofiiclogy and geologic che- 
miftry, ‘confirms the tradition of an uni- 
verfal Deluge; and every refearch into 
the cuftoms, fuperttitions, and languages 
of different climates, induces us to believe 
that mankind originated from one common 
family, and were primarily poffeffed ef one 
common tongue ; thus conjointly eftablifh- 
ing two moft important facts inthe Mofaic 
annals of the origin of mankind, and giv- 
ing authenticity to all the reft. In the 
plan paper, I fhall confine myfelf to the 
atter confideration, leaving to Mr. Kir. 
wan and M. Cuvier to demonftrate the 
prior pofition. The Mofaic writings not 
enly inform us of the exiftence of thefe 
two events, but that, at a period of fmall 
defcent from the flood, there was a general 
eonfulion of this primitive language, and a 
difperfion of mankind over the face of the 
whole earth. And whoever compares the 
different diale&ts of different nations, how 
widely foever they may be feparated from 
each other, while he is aftonifhed at the 
variation of tongues 
perceive juft enough of fimilarity in all of 
them, of radical elements which have lived 
through every change, and uniformly pre- 
ferved an expreflion of the fame ideas, to 
convince him that every exifting language 
is derived from one common ftock. 
There is no fcholar, perhaps, who has la- 
boured with fo much toil, or with fo much 
fuceefs, in this immenfe field of inquiry, 
as Mr. Bryant ; and he has found a moft 
able difciple, or rather coadjutor, in Mr. 
Allwood, whofe * Literary Antiquities of 
Greece”’ exhibit an exuberant fund of hif- 
toric refearch, and cannot but amufe, by 
the richnefs of their fancy, even where 
they depart from the fobriety of confecu- 
tive fpeculation. After taking a general 
furvey of the difperfien of the human race, 
in confequence of the idolatry that foon 
fucceeded to the event of the general De- 
luge, the elaborate volume of this latter 
gentleman is devoted to a confideration of 
the origin of the charaéters of the Greek 
alphabet, and the introduétion of a fyftem 
upon this fubjec&t with which I can by no 
means agree; and the objeét of the prefent 
paper is therefore to point out a few of the 
more prominent inaccuracies under which, 
in my own judgment, it appears to labour, 
and to offer another theory in its ftead. 
Before the general reader, however, can 
Monrapy Mag, No. 81. 
Mr. Good on the Origin of the Greek Alphabet. . 
into which hu-- 
‘man fpeech is divided, will neverthelefs 
4sa 
become duly qualified to determine bee 
tween us, it will be necefiary to lay be- 
fore him the bafis upon which we equally 
proceed ; and which is deduced, for the 
moft part, from that very valuable and re- 
condite work, *‘ The Analyfis of Ancient 
Mythology.”” In doing this, I fhall not 
ftay to prove any thing, meaning to be as | 
fummary as poffible, and referring your . 
readers, for individual authorities, to Mr, ‘ 
Bryant himfelf. 
According to this fyfem, then, inde. 
pendently of the Mofaic records, the -tra- 
ditions and hiftoric annals of all nations 
extend no higher than the univerfal Deluge. 
A difpofition to revert to idolatry began 
once more to fhew itfelf, among the de- 
fcendants of Noah, very fpeedily after this 
event: emblems of the Creator were 
fought for among his works ; the sun 
began to be deified and worfhipped, as 
the moft glorious proof of divine power 
and beneficence; and the SfRPENT, as 
the reptile, of all animated beings, fup- 
pofed to be endowed with the large por- 
tion of fubtilty or wifdom ; and perhaps, 
from the vibrating radiations of his fcales, 
particularly when coiled up in the figure 
of a circle, asa beautiful type of the sun 
himfelf. The ark alfo was not neglected, 
in whofe capacious womb the whole rem- 
nant of animated nature had fafely repofed 
during the rage of the devouring flood ; 
nor Noah, the conftructor of the ark, the 
great patriarch of mankind; nor the-ele~ 
ment itfelf;- which kindly fuftained, and 
fuffered it to float upon its bofom, while 
every creature around was overwhelmed by 
its violence, Hence, not only the sun, 
and the sERPENT, became objects of reli- 
gious adoration ; but the ark, and every 
thing conneéted with it, added largely to 
the idolatry of this early ra. Noah himfelf 
was regarded as a god; and, in confequence 
of being the common father of the human 
race, as the f{upreme god, or god the creator. 
The ark itfelf, from its having afforded life 
and proteétion in its nutritious womb, was 
generally worfhipped as a female deity ; 
and from the veneration paid to the ele. 
ment that fupported this original father 
and mother of mankind proceeded that 
which was afterwards paid, and con- 
tinues to be fo ftill in fome countries, to 
the ocean, to rivers, rivulets, and foun- 
tains: to the Nile, in Egypt ; the Ganges, 
in India; the Yellow River, in China ; 
and the Tiber, in Rome; and almoft every 
{pring and ftreamlet throughout Greece. 
The adoration paid toNoah was alfo paid to 
feveral of his immediate pofterity, and par- 
3K ticularly 
~ 
