t5

‚ The Original of Languaget.

Book Il

the various equivocal fenfes of them, may be fufliciently expreíled by the Philofophical Tables here propofed. I begin with the firíl of thele. 5. II.

The deÍign of this Treatife being an attempt towards a new kind of Charaäer and Language, it cannot therefore be improper to prernìfe fome what concerning thoie already in heing д the ñrll Original of them, their feveral kind: , the various change: and corruption: to which they are ly

able , together with the manifold defeä: belonging to, them. This l fhall endeavour to do in the former part of this DiÍcourfe. There is fcarce any fubjeâ that hath been more throughly fcanned

and debated amongft Learned men , than the Original ot Language: and Letterr. ’Tis evident-enough that no one Language is natural to

mankind, becaufe the knowledge which is natural would generally гс main amongfl men, notwithflanding the fuperinduëtion of any other

particular Tongue, wherein they might be by Art.

Nor is it much to

be wondred at, that the ancient Heathen, whoknew nothing of Scri

pture-revelation, fhould be inclined to believe, that either Men and Language: were eternal 5 or,that if there were any particular time when

men did fpring out of the Earth , and after inhabit alone and dilperfedly in Woods and Caves , they had at firft no Articulate voice, but only fuch rude founds a's Bealls have 5 till afterwards particular Families increaling, or feveral Families joyning together for mutual ßfety and defence, under

Government and Societies, they began by degrees and long praëtice to confent in certain Articulate lbunds, whereby to communicate their thoughtsnvhich in Íëveral Countries made feveral Languages, according to that in the Poet, Horat._lib. t. ЗаЕ. 3s

Cum ‘потер/Эти: primi: animalia ‘ст-1:, Mutum Ó“ ‘игре perm, glandem atqne'cuhilia propter ‘дяди/ли Ú“ pugnù, deinfu/iihtu, мене ita porro Pugnahant „мы, quaepqßfahricaverat uhu, Donec verha qui/m: vocerjënjiifgue notarent Nomindqne invenêre; dehinc ahjt/t'cre hello, Oppida трети! munire, Ú ponere lege:, Ne qui:fur фа‘, neu latro, neu qui: adulter, Sie. ‚ But to us, who have the revelation of Scripture, thefe kind of fern ples and conjeftures are fufhciently (lated. And ’tis evident enough that

the firfl Language was con- created with our Erft Parents, they immedi Gendt. 1,6.

atcly underllandìng the voice of God fpeaking to them in the Garden. And how Languages came to be multiplyed, is likewife manifelled in the Story of the Conftdìon of Babel. How many Languages , and which they were that fprang up at that Confuíionjs altogether uncertaìn5 whe--l

ther many of them that were then in being, be not now wholly loílgand many others, which had not the fame original, have not fmce arifen in the World, is not (I think) to be doubted.

'The moll received Conjeéìure is, that the Languages of the Confuli on were according to the feveral Families from Noah , which were 7o or 72. though there be very flrong probabilities to prove that they were

not fo many, and that the Eril Dìfperßon did not divide mankind into lo many