3. Their third, and still more artificial method of abridging picture-writing, was, by making one thing to stand for, or represent another, where any quaint resemblance or analogy, in the representative, could be collected from their observations of nature, or their traditional superstitions. And this was their SYMBOLIC

HIEROGLYPHIC.

Sometimes it was founded in their observations on the form, or on the real or imaginary natures and qualities, of Beings. Thus the universe was designed by a serpent in a circle, whose variegated spots signified the stars and the sun-rise by the two eyes of the crocodile, because they seem to emerge from its head; a widow who never admits a second mate, by a black pigeon ; one dead of a fever, contracted by the over great solar heat, by a blind scarabæus ||; a client flying for relief to his patron, and finding none, by a sparrow and owl¶; a king inexorable, and estranged from his people, by an eagle **; a man who exposes his children through poverty, by an hawk ††; a wife who hates her husband, or children who injure their mother, by a viper ‡‡; one initiated into the mysteries, and so under the obligation of secrecy, by a grashopper || ||, which was thought to have no mouth.

Sometimes again, this kind of hieroglyphic was derived from the popular superstition. Thus he who had borne his misfortunes with courage, and had at length surmounted them, was signified by the hyana ¶¶, because the skin of that animal, used as a defence in battle, was supposed to make the wearer fearless and invulnerable.

But it is not from analogy alone (the force of which will be seen more fully as we proceed), nor yet from the nature of the thing only (which in these enquiries is indeed the safest guide), that we conclude the hieroglyphics now described to be an improvement of an earlier picture-writing used by the Egyptians, and re

66

sembling that of the Americans. Ancient history records the fact. We are told, in that exquisite fragment of Sanchoniatho, preserved by Eusebius, that "the God "Taautus, having imitated Ouranus's art of picture"writing, drew the portraits of the Gods Cronus, Dagon, and the rest, and delineated the sacred cha"racters which formed the elements of this kind of writing for Cronus, particularly, he imagined these symbols of royalty, four eyes, two before, and two "behind; of which, two were closed in slumber; and " on his shoulders four wings, two stretched out, as in "the act of flight, and two contracted, as in repose. "The first symbol signified that Cronus watched though "he reposed, and reposed though he watched; the "second symbol of the wings signified, in like manner, "that even when stationed he flew about, and, when flying, he yet remained stationed. To each of the "other Gods he gave two wings on their shoulders ‡, as the Satellites of Cronus in his excursions; who had "likewise two wings on his head, to denote the two principles of the mind, reason and passion." Here we see that Ouranus practised a kind of picture-writing, which Taautus afterwards improved: Taautus, or Thoth, was the Egyptian Mercury; on which name and family all the inventions of the various kinds of writing were

66

* The original is, Πρὸ δὲ τέτων Θεὸς Τάαυλο μιμησάμενον τὸν οὐρανὸν, which Vigerus thus translates, Tauutus vero Deus cum jam ante cali imaginem effinxisset; and Cumberland, But before these things the god Taautus having formerly imitated or represented Ouranus:This is wrong, pinoáμer Tòv Ovgavòv signifies here, imitating the art, or practice, or example of Ouranus; not painting his figure. So Plutarch. de Fort. Alex. Ηρακλέα ΜΙΜΟΥΜΑΙ και Περσία ζηλῷ.

See note [Q] at the end of this Book.

Conformably to this account, the Etruscans and Greeks occa sionally gave wings to the Images of all their Deities.

ix

[ Πρὸ δὲ τύτων θεος Τάαυλον μιμησάμενῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν, τῶν θεὸν ὄψεις, Κρόνε τε καὶ Δαγῶνα, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν διελύπωσεν τὰς ἱερὲς τῶν τοιχείων χαρακτῆρας· ἐπενόησε δὲ καὶ τῷ Κρόνῳ παράσημα βασιλείας, ὄμμαία τέσσαρα τῶν ἐμπροσθίων καὶ τῶν ὀπισθίων μερῶν· δύο δὲ ἡσυχῆ μύονα, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων πλερὰ τέσσαρα δύο μὲν ὡς ἱπλάμενα, δύο δὲ ὡς ὑφειμένα. τὸ δὲ σύμβολον ἦν, ἐπειδὴ Κρόνω κοιμώμενο ἔβλεπε, καὶ ἐγρηγορὼς ἐκοιμᾶτο· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πλερῶν ὁμοίως, ὅτι ἀναπαυόμενα ἵπλατο, καὶ πλάμενος ἀνεπαύεο· τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς θεοῖς, δύο εκάτῳ πλερώματα ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων, ὡς ὅτι δὴ συνίπλανο τῷ Κρόνῳ, καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς, Ἱερὰ δύο· ἓν ἐπὶ τῇ ἡγεμονικωτάτε vi ini rus aiebhosas. Præp. Evang. 1. i. c. 10.

very

very liberally bestowed: this, here mentioned, as the improvement of Taautus, being the very hieroglyphics above described: and that, as before practised by Ouranus, the same with the simple American paintings.

Such then was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic* ; and this the second mode of invention for recording men's actions and conceptions; not, as hath been hitherto thought, a device of choice for secrecy, but an expedient of necessity, for popular use.

III.

But the obscurity which attended the scantiness of hieroglyphic characters, joined to the enormous bulk of picture volumes, set men upon contriving a third change in this kind of writing: of which the CHINESE have given us a famous example.

We have just observed, that the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic was an improvement on a yet more ancient manner, resembling the rude picture-writing of the Mexicans; and that it joined contracted and arbitrarily instituted marks to images. The CHINESE writing at length went still further; it threw out the images, and retained only the marks; which they increased to a prodigious number. In this writing, every distinct idea has its proper mark; and is, like every real character, whether formed by analogy or institution, common to divers neighbouring nations, of different languages. The

* See note [R] at the end of this Book.

+ -pero lo que se escrive en elia, en todas las lenguas se entiende, porque aunque las Provincias no se entienden de palabra unaes a otras, mas por escrito si, porque las letras o figuras son unas mismas para todos, y significan lo mismo, mas no tinen el mismo nombre ni prolacion, porque como he dicho son para denotar cosas y no palabras, assi como en el exemplo de los numeros de guarismo que puse, se puede facilmente entender. De aqui tambien procede, que fiendo los Japones y Chinas, Naciones y lenguas tam differentes leen y entendien los unos las escrituras de los otros; y si hablas sen lo que leen, o escriven, poco ni mucho no se entenderian. pues son las letras y libros que usan los Chinos tan afamados en el mundo, &c. Acosta, lib. vi. cap. 5.

Estas

Les Caracteres de la Cochinchine, du Tongking, du Japon sont les mêmes que ceux de la Chine, & signifient les mêmes choses, sans toute fois que ces Peuples en parlant, s'expriment de la même sorte. Ainsi quoique les langues soint très-differentes, & qu'ils ne puissent

pas

The shapes and figures of several of these marks, however now disguised, do yet betray their original to be from picture and images; as the reader may perceive, by casting his eye on the specimen given us by Kircher* for, that it is only a more contracted and refined hieroglyphic, we have the concurrent testimony of the best writers on the arts and manners of this famous people; who inform us how their present writing was deduced, through an earlier hieroglyphic, from the first simple way of painting the human conceptions †.

But

pas s'entendre les uns les autres en parlant; ils s'entendent fort bien en s'ecrivant, & tous leurs Livres sont communs. Ces Caracteres sont en cela comme des Chiffres d' arithmetique: plusieurs Nations s'en servent on leur donne differens noms; mais ils signifient par tout la même chose--l'on compte jusqu'à quatre vingt mille de ces Caracteres. Du Halde, Descr. de l'Empire de la Chiue, tom. ii. p. 226. fol. ed.

* China Illustrata, p. 227. & Edipi Ægyptiaci Theatrum Hieroglyphicum, p. 12. [See Plate V.]

Primò siquidem ex omnibus rebus mundialibus primos Sinas characteres suos construxisse, tum ex Chronicis ipsorum patet, tum ipsa characterum forma sat superque demonstrat; siquidem non secus ac Egyptii ex animalibus, volucribus, reptilibus, piscibus, herbis, arborumque ramis, funiculis, filis, punctis, circulis, similibusque characteres suos, aliâ tamen & aliâ ratione dispositos formabant. Posteriores verò Sina rerum experientia doctiores, cum magnam in tanta animalium plantarumque congerie confusionem viderent, characteres hujusmodi variè figuratos, certis punctorum linearumque ductibus æmulati, in breviorem methodum concinnârunt, quâ & in hunc usque diem utuntur.—Porro litteras Sina nulla ratione in Alphabeti morem, uti cæteris nationibus consuetum est, dispositas, neque voces ex literis & syllabis compositas habent, sed singuli characteres singulis vocibus & nominibus respondent; adeoque tot characteribus opus habent, quos res sunt, quas per conceptum mentis exponere volunt. Kircheri China Illustrata, p. 226.

Au lieu d'Alphabet ils se sont servis au commencement de leur Monarchie, de Hieroglyphes. Ils en peint au lieu d'ecrire; & par les images naturelles des choses qu'ils formoient sur le papier ils tâchoient d'exprimer & de communiquer aux autres leurs idées. Ainsi pour écrire un oiseau, ils en peignoient la figure; & pour signifier un forest, ils representoient plusieurs arbres; un cercle vouloit dire le Soleil, & un croissant la Lune. Cette maniere d'ecrire estoit non seulement imparfaite, mais encore très incommode.-Ainsi les Chinois changerent peu à peu leur ecriture, et composerent des figures plus simples, quoique moins naturelles, &c.-Le Comte, Nour. Memoires sur l'Etat Present de la Chine, Tome prem. p. 256. Amst. 1698. 12°.

Des le commencement de leur Monarchie, ils communiquoient leurs idées, en formant sur la papier les images naturelles des choses

qu'ils