How plaufible, or how convincing foever, this argument may poffibly be to the abettors of that opinion, I fhall not take upon me to determine; yet there are fome very eminent and learned Antiquarians, who ftrenuously oppose it; and infift, that Mofes himself has quoted a book anterior to his own Pentateuch: for, in the xxift chapter of his Book of Numbers, (after having given a fuccinct account of the several places where the Children of Ifrael had pitched their tents in the Wilderness, which was before Moab) he proceeds thus: Wherefore, it is faid in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, what he did in the Red-Sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, and at the ftream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab."

Now tho' it must be granted, that many of the moft judicious Literati are much divided in their opinions concerning that Treatife, as being a work, of which but very few have the leaft tranfient idea; yet St. Auftin imagines, in his Commentaries on the Book of Numbers, that it was not the compofition either of any Patriarch or Prophet, but written by those very nations themselves that had been conquered by their enemies, and looked upon that War fo fatal to them, as to deferve the title that it bore. And then that great Author goes on, and tells us, That when Mofes makes mention of that book, he beftows no greater authority upon it, than St. Paul has given to a Grecian Poet, when he had quoted a short passage from his works: this, however, notwithstanding the glofs that is put upon it, is, in our humble opinion, a felf-evident proof, that that Treatife was written long before the birth of Mofes,

Furthermore, those who infift, that we are indebted to Mofes for the invention of Letters, pretend, that not the leaft notice is taken of this Art, in divers circumstances of such moment and importance, as that, had there been any prior knowledge of it, it is highly probable, they would have been committed to writing. When Abraham, fay they, fent Eliezer into Mefopotamia, to fettle and adjust the marriage articles between Ifaac and Rebecca, not one line was written; no credentials had that faithful fervant to fhew from his Master, even on fo folemn an occafion. Again, fay thefe Advocates for Mofes, when Ifaac had thofe Wells dug up, which the Philistines had filled with earth and stones; we have no other account of that remarkable occurrence than this, That after they were opened by his orders, he gave them the fame name that his father had done before him. Again, fay they, when the Patriarch Jacob had erected, at Bethel, the ftone which he had made ufe of as a pillow, in commemoration of his Vifion in that place, there is not the leaft account of any infcription having been made upon it.

Once more, when Jofeph's Brethren, fay they, went down into Egypt, as we find it recorded in the xxviiith chapter of Genefis; and when Jofeph fent for his dearly beloved brother Benjamin, as we find that affectionate circumftance told in the xliiid chapter of the fame book, not a word was written, either from the Son to the Father, or vice versa, on fo momentous an occafion. And, from this prefumption, the admirers of Mofes infer, that Letters, or the Ufe of Writing, was not known in thofe days: but, with fubmiffion, thofe plausible arguments feem to me to be no ways conclufive.

Job lived, it is univerfally allowed, long before Mofes had any existence; and his History nut, in all probability, have been written long before Mofes compofed his Pentateuch.

Some, however, deny, that the last conjecture is just for, if that had been matter of fact, fay they, Mofes would never have omitted fuch an illuftrious example of patience to the inceffant murmurs and complaints of his difcontented Ifraelites. Nay, farther, it is imagined, that Job laboured under his fevere afflictions, even at that very time, when the Ifraelites were under Egyptian bondage; for there is not fo much as one word mentioned either of the Law, or of the Prophets, in the long dialogues which paffed between Job and his most miferable Comforters, tiled his Friends; neither is there, indeed, the leaft hint concerning the one or the other, throughout the long conference which God Almighty vouchfafed to hold with that most upright, though diftreffed Prince.

To the above allegation our reply is this: It would be very prefumptuous to fix the time when that hiftory was wrote, or by whom; though it be received as canonical, and confequently as compofed by Divine Infpiration. For it is mere conjecture, and nothing more, that fome afcribe it to Mofes; fome again to the Prophet Ifaiah; and others, with more probability, to King Solomon, who, it is well known, was thoroughly versed in dialogical dif coveries and prudential maxims.

It is univerfally allowed, likewife, that he was Master of the most fublime Poetry, and no ftranger to the ftile of the Arabians, as may rationally be prefumed from his converfation with the Queen of Sheba.

It cannot, I think, fairly be denied, however, but that Job was acquainted with the Art of Writing, or the Ufe of Letters, and the various methods, that in his time were made ufe of in engraving both on lead and stone:-for, in the xixth chapter of that book, is the following very remarkable expoftulation; "Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that 66 they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rocks ❝ for ever!" Now

2

Now he could not, doubtless, have talked in that stile, or expreffed himself in such direct terms, had the Ufe of Letters, or the Art of Writing, been abfolutely unknown in his days. But to proceed ;-The Knowledge of this Art muft needs be very ancient; fince the Apoftle St. Jude takes peculiar notice of the Book of Enoch, who was the feventh Patriarch after Adam, and prophefied of thefe, fays the infpired Penman, that is to fay, of thofe falfe Teachers, against whom he had before pronounced his Anathema, in the 11th verfe; "Wo! unto them, fays he; for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the **error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gain-faying of Core." And, after this, be quotes the following very remarkable paffage from the Book of Enoch, in the 14th, 15th, and 16th verfes; "And Enoch alfo, the feventh from Adam, prophefied of thefe; faying, "Behold! the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all, " and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodlily committed, and of all their hard fpeeches, which ungodly Sinners have "spoken against him. These are Murmurers, Complainers, walking after their own lufts; and their mouth speaketh great fwelling words, having men's perfons in admiration, « because of advantage." And Tertullian is of opinion, that the Book of Enoch was either preferved in the Ark, or restored by Noah, who was perfectly well acquainted with the con teats of it.

Now though we are ready to acknowledge that the Book of Enoch, thus quoted by St. Jude, is not canonical; yet, we humbly conceive, it is a proof fufficient for our prefent parpafe; fince it is agreed, that not only that Book, but divers others, cited in the Book of Kings, were not received either by the Jews or Chriftians (as St. Austin affures us) as canonical, for no other reasons, but because they were fo very ancient; because many faults might probably have crept into them through the fucceffion of ages. And, laftly, because we cannot be fatisfactorily affured, that they were the authentic works of those Holy Men whole names they bear.

As this Book in particular, however, as well as divers others, are quoted by the inspired Penman of the Sacred Scriptures, it cannot fairly be denied, but that they are very old; and from thence we conceive, it may justly be concluded, that the Use of Letters, or the Art of Writing, was well known before the publication of the Pentateuch by Mofes.

Jofephus affures us, that we are beholden to the Children of Seth for the Science of Aftrology; and because Adam had given them previous notice, that the world would in time be diffolved by Water and Fire, they were fo folicitous left their favourite Science should be loft, before men might have fufficient time to become Masters of it, that they were determined to erect two Columns or Pillars, one of Brick, and the other of Stone, on each of which the learning they had acquired was accurately engraven; that, in cafe the deluge (hould destroy the former, the latter, however, might poffibly ftand its ground, and tranfmit to pofterity thofe useful and important articles, which they had infcribed upon it with fuch unwearied diligence and application. And to this account Jofephus adds, that in his time one of those Pillars was actually to be feen in Syria.

Though there are some learned men, who deny this to be matter of fact, because 'tis very uncertain whether the Children of Seth were ever inhabitants of Palestine, or not; yet it proves thus far, that, even from that time, the Art of Engraving, or Infcription, was in fome measure known; though not carried to that pitch of perfection, as it afterwards was, in the Land of Egypt.

Voffius propofes the following fhrewd question; "If the Ufe of Letters, or the Art of "Writing, fays he, had not been known before the Decalogue was delivered to Mofes, which way could the Ifraelites have read the Law, as they were obliged to do by divine "Command ?"

Those who infift that Mofes was the first inventor of Letters, argue from what St. Austin afferts, that Mofes appointed Mafters to teach them.

But we freely appeal here to the impartial and unprejudiced Reader, whether fuch a weak anfwer as that, is fufficiently convincing against Voffius's Inquiry; and whether thofe Maf ters, whom St. Auftin fuppofes only to be appointed by Mofes, be any proof at all, that there were no fuch things as Characters, nor any fuch Art as that of Writing, known before the two Tables of Stone were engraved by the Finger of God; or, indeed, before Mofes himself was born?

And forasmuch as all the people were obliged, not only to read the Law, but to transcribe it likewife, a great many Mafters muft inevitably be wanted for the inftruction of every man, as they are, even at this day, abfolutely neceffary to qualify mankind for the most eafy Sciences, and for fuch affairs as are of the leaft moment or importance.

All that can be faid, in fhort, amounts to no more than this, namely, That the Use of Letters was but very little known amongst a nation, whofe principal employment was Husbandry, and who were unacquainted with any other profeffion than that of a Shepherd. It

It is an established notion amongst the Greeks, that they are indebted to the Phoenicians for their Knowledge of Letters.-Herodotus affures us, that the Ionians gave the title of Diphteria to all their books, because they were written upon goats-fkins; and that they called all Letters Phoenician, because it was a received opinion amongst them, that one Cadmus had brought them out of the country of Phenicia. And here we cannot forbear introducing the fubfequent beautiful paffage, extracted from Lucan's Pharfalia:

"Phoenices primi, famæ fi creditur, aufi
"Manfuran rudibus vocem fignare figuris ;
"Nondum flumineas Memphis contexere biblos
"Noverat; et faxis tantum volucrefque feræque
"Sculptaque fervabant magicas animalia linguae."

Thus accurately paraphrafed by the late ingenious Mr. Rowe:
"Phænicians firft, if ancient fame be true,
"The facred mystery of Letters knew;
"They firft, by found, by various lines defign'd,
"Exprefs'd the meaning of the thinking Mind;
"The pow'r of Words by Figures rude convey'd,
"And ufeful Science everlasting made."

From this paffage it is evident, that the Egyptians, long before the common way of writing was found out, were accustomed to infcribe upon rocks the figures of a great variety of brutes, a dumb fort of language, to which arbitrary meanings were afcribed.

Moreover, Quintus Curtius, having occafion to expatiate on the celebrated city of Tyre, affures us, that the Phoenicians were the first Inventors of Letters, and the first that ever communicated the knowledge of them to others.

However, whether that be abfolutely fact or not, it must be allowed, that Letters were very ancient among them, for Tully peremptorily infifts, that Greece had poets before Homer; and Eufebius gives us a long Catalogue or Lift of ancient Authors, whofe works were never tranfmitted down to us; fuch, for inftance, as Linus, Philamon, Thamirus, Amphion, Orpheus, Mufæus, Epimenides, and divers others too tedious here to enumerate,

Thofe Letters, which Cadmus had taught the Greeks, were carried, as is fuppofed, into Italy by one Evander, an Arcadian. And thereupon Petrus Crinitus, who flourished in the year 1304, and was pupil to one Politianus, in his Poems on Education; and Lilius Giraldus, who lived in the fifteenth Century, and Voflius, likewife, quote the following verfes, which were found in an old manufcript; namely,

"Primus Hebræas Mofes exaravit Literas ; "Mente Phonices fagaci condiderunt Atticas; "Quas Latini fcriptitamus edidit Nicoftrata,"

That is to fay, Mofes was the Inventor of the Hebrew Characters;

The Phoenicians taught the Greeks their Letters;

And Nicoftrata (who was the mother of Evander) was the first that introduced them amongst the Italians.

We are affured likewife, by Pliny, that Cadmus bestowed Sixteen Letters, or Characters. upon the Greeks; that the antient Ionic Letters bore a near refemblance to those made use of by the Phoenicians, and that thote Ionic Characters were acar the fame with thofe made ufe of by the Latins.

And Scaliger, in his Critical Remarks on Eufebius, peremptorily afferts, that the Affyrian and Phoenician Letters bear a very near affinity to the Samaritan characters, which were made ufe of by the Jews in general, before the Babylonish captivity.

But be that as it may, we may boldly affert, that the Knowledge of Letters was very ancient in Egypt. If we may credit Diodorus Siculus, he tells us, that the Egyptians laid claim to that grand, that important Invention, which fome infift was beyond the power of Man to contrive (as we have hinted before); but then they themselves acknowledge, that it was long after they had made ufe of Living Animals to exprefs their thoughts.

That the Art of Writing was very ancient amongst them, is very evident: for Tacitus informs us, that one Germanicus paid a vifit to ancient Thebes, where inconteftible marks of its former grandeur and opulency were even then to be read in Egyptian Characters, engraved on Obelisks for that purpose. On them were infcribed the feveral important articles here under-mentioned; namely, First, The tribute which was annually paid by the inhabitants; fecondly, The weight of their gold and filver; thirdly, The number of their horfes and their arms; fourthly, The ivory and perfumes that were peculiarly devoted to the fervice of their temples; and laftly, The taxes or impots that were laid on al kinds of grain in particular, and on every commodity in general, either imported or exported.

Imut be confeffed, that he could not read them himself; but they were explained to him by an ancient Prieft; for, according to Diodorus Siculus, none but the Egyptian Priests could interpret fuch Infcriptions.

Now all this is, in our humble opinion, a proof beyond all contradiction, of the great antiquity of the Ufe of Letters, and the Art of Infcriptions.

To conclude: We are affured by Valerius Maximus, that Pythagoras, when he vifited Egy made himself Master of their Characters, by the inftruction of more Egyptian Priefts than one; and that having confulted several books, which were intrusted to their care, he found thetory of a great number of ages comprehended in them.

A

SHORT ESSAY

ON THE

ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY OF THE ENGLISH TONGUE:

AND

Its fuperior EXCELLENCE to any other MODERN LANGUAGE.

Sall Languages in general have their Infancy, their Nonage, and their State of Perfection,

Time, and by flow Degrees; fo by the fame flow, and almost imperceptible Gradations, they 1afe their pristine Beauties; they fade, they droop, they decay, till at length they fink into perpetual Oblivion.

This is a Truth too felf-evident to be denied; for the Gothic Language, to which the English Tongue owes its Existence, is now no more, and altogether unknown; and the Saxon, which fucceeded it, is grown fo obfolete, fo darkly expreffed, and hardly to be understood; that only a few of our British Virtuofi, whofe Tafte or Genius naturally leads them to make their Refearches into the Arcana of Antiquity, can form the leaft adequate Idea of its Beauties.

However, notwithstanding we Natives of England owe our Mother-tongue to the Goths; yet the ancient Britons, our truly heroic Ancestors, who were firit poffeffed of thefe our happy Ilands, fpoke a Language widely different from ours, before they were conquered by Julius Cafar, being a People whom we now call the Welb, and may, with propriety enough, be looked spon by us as the Aborigines of Britain; fince CASAR himself acknowledzes, in the fifth Book of his univerfally admired Commentaries, "That they were the Inhabitants of its interior Parts;" and the Language, which was firft fpoken there, had a quite different Origin from eurs; though from whence it had its Source we confefs ourfelves at a lofs to determine.

No fooner, however, had Cæfar and the Romans in general abandoned the British Islands, but our Ancestors, in their Diftrefs, gave an Invitation to the Saxons to aid and affift them against the Scars and Picts, who had not only greatly harraffed and perplexed them, but had actually invaded their Country.

By the Affiftance of the Saxons, it is true, thofe Enemies, whofe too frequent Excurfions they so much dreaded, were totally defeated; but then, foon after that glorious Conqueft was gained, thofe falfe Friends, whom they fo highly refpected and careffed, played the ungrateful Part; and not only turned their Arms upon their Benefactors, but were fo fuccefsful in their treacherous Proceedings, that the unconquered Part of thofe Britons were reduced to the Neceffity of flying to the Mountains of Wales for Shelter and Protection, infomuch that the Welch Language was no longer understood in these our British Islands; and the Saxon only univerfally prevuled.

It is morally impoffible, indeed, to trace out the Form of that Language, when it was first introduced into England, that is to fay, fo far back as the Year 450; for at that Time, the Saxons were a People fo barbarous, fo illiterate, and artlefs, that fome of our Antiquarians have much doubted whether they ever had any estabiifhed Alphabet for the Inftruction of their Youth. Neither have we any just Grounds to imagine, that they ever made any confiderable Proficiency in the Study of the Arts and Sciences, till an hundred and thirty Years afterwards; at which Time St. Aufiin came amongst them, with the praife-worthy View of prevailing on them, if poffible, to embrace the Chriftian Faith; and met with Succefs beyond his warmest Expectations. After

After this their happy Converfion, indeed, they began to apply their Minds to Study, and by flow degrees improved themselves in polite Literature; infomuch that about One Hundred and Thirty Years afterwards, one Bishop Eadfride, who was at that Time univerfally admired for his unaffected Piety and Sanctity of Manners, wrote a well-received Comment on the infpired Writings of the Four most Holy Evangelifts.

In the Year 871, Alfred the Great came to the Crown of England, when the Danes were in the very Heart of his Dominions, and all the Sea-ports were killed with their Fleets. After divers Battles with various Success, finding himself at last over-powered by Numbers, he was reduced to the Neceffity of difmiffing his very Attendants; and having committed his Wife and Children to the Care of fome of his most loving and loyal Subjects, he went in Disguise to the little Island of Atbelney, in the County of Somerset, and there lived concealed for fome Years.

During that long Interregnum, as he was not only one of the greatest and most pious Princes upon Earth, but the best Scholar of the Age in which he lived; it is a received Opinion, and in all probability it was Fact, that he tranflated the Saxon Homilies in that rural Recefs, and compoled divars other Books of Devotion for the religious Improvement of his Subjects, which were foon published after his happy Restoration, though not with his Majesty's Name prefixed. In the Year goo, we are informed, that a Translation of the Gefpels made its firft Appearance; but by whom the elaborate and praife-worthy Undertaking was accomplished, the learned and judicious Antiquarian, to whom we are indebted for our most effential Remarks, has not made mention of his Name.

In the Year 1066, the Saxon Government ended by a very remarkable Battle between Harold the Second, and William the Baftard, then Duke of Normandy, in which no less than Sixty Thousand of the English were flain. Upon this total Defeat, the ancient Inhabitants of the Inland withdrew into Wales, where they preferred barren Mountains, with the Poffeffion of Liberty, to the moft fertile Plains of England.

Soon after this Revolution, the Saxon Language began to lofe its ancient Form, and grow out of Repute; and, by flow Degrees, to exhibit fome Traces of the English Language, as it now ftands; notwithstanding, but a very few Norman Words were adopted for near an Hundred Years after the Conqueft.

About the Year 1130, feveral Compofitions both in Profe and Verse made their Appearance in Public; upon the Perufal whereof, notwithstanding the Language was greatly altered, both in its Constructions and Terminations; yet it ftill, with Propriety enough, might be termed the Saxon Tongue.

In the 13th Century, however, a fort of Language, partly Saxon, and partly English, was introduced; at which Time the Mifcellaneous Writings of one Robert of Gloucefter were held in high Esteem.

Among many other fugitive Pieces, he inferted a poetical Encoinium on King Alfred, which at that Time was received with univerfal Applaufe.

In the 14th Century, one Sir John Mandeville, who was a very learned Gentleman, and an able and experienced Hiftorian, obliged the Public with an accurate and elaborate Account of his own Travels.

Hitherto our Language was widely different from that now fpoken at prefent: Two great Poets, however, flourished in this Century, namely, Sir John Gower and Jeoffrey Chaucer. Though the former published fome few poetical Pieces firft; yet the latter is for the most part ftiled the Father of all the English Bards that fucceeded him. If the Account given of him, by Leland, may be relied on," He was not only a very facetious Poet, but an acute Logician, a great Philofopher, a profound Mathematician, and a pious Divine;" but how that last part of his Character may be fully vindicated, I fhall not prefume to determine; fince there are toomany of his Tales, which, though facetious and entertaining, are not, in my humble Opinion, over inftructive; fince fome of them can scarcely be read without a Blush. And the late Lord Refcommon has made the following very juft Obfervation; namely,

"Immodest Words admit of no Defence;

"For want of Decency is want of Sense."

In 1468, one Caxton brought the Art of Printing into England, and (amongst other Books) published one, intitled, Recuyel of the Hiftoryes of Troy.

About Two and Twenty Years afterwards, he published a Tranflation of the Boke of Eneydos, compiled by Vyrgyle. The Preface or Introduction to which plainly fhews, that the Readers in thofe Days were highly disgusted with the Innovations which were then made in the English Language.

About the Year 1500, the celebrated Sir Thomas More made a flourishing Figure in the English Court; and by many Authors has been highly applauded, as the politest and most accurate Writer of the Age in which he lived,