could not overcome at all times the temptation I felt to break through the engagement I had entered into with the reader; and so far that part of my promise has been kept, which stated that this work should, as to the communication of this discovery, be characteristic of my mind. Hence, were I here to close my long labour, what yet remains to be communicated might be easily discovered from what I have already made known.

THE GREEK ALPHABET.

I HERE enter upon a most difficult, but interesting, part of my discovery. Till now I have been frequently obliged to leave many critical points unexplained, because I saw it was necessary that I should first, in order at those times to be easily understood, bring the reader acquainted with some things still more hidden, but not less evident, when known, than any which I have yet discovered.

I learn, by the application of my system, that is, by the analysing of words, so as to read what they have hidden within them, that men had, in very remote times, a learned knowledge of the alphabet. From this I am led to conclude that one part of the world must have attained a high degree of civilisation, while all the rest of mankind were in so barbarous a state as to have no rational language. I am further induced to suppose, that, from this enlightened part of the world, very learned men must have to teach their fellow-creatures the use of gone

words. I cannot otherwise account for the extraordinary wisdom displayed in the formation of language, and the frequent and happy allusions made to the letters of the alphabet. I am also led to believe, from the knowledge which I have thus gleaned by reading in words, that there was in the times to which I refer, but one language in the whole world, just as it is mentioned in the Bible: "And the whole earth was of one language, and one speech *;" and that Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as also the modern languages supposed to be derived from them, are but dialects of this ancient language, between which and the Gothic or Teutonic, the difference must not, I should think, have been material. I make this observation from remarking, that Hebrew, Greek, and Latin words appear, when analysed, to belong to northern languages.

But in deciphering words, that is, in telling what they imply, besides showing of what they are composed, I do often meet with serious difficulties; for which, without taking into account my own weakness, it were not difficult to assign several causes—such as the corrupt state of modern orthography and pronunciation-the great difference in form between words when composed of only one or two letters at most, and their present lengthened appearance; and-which is more difficult than any of these—the art of placing one's self by imagination (for this means must be employed when no other will succeed) in the situation of men in the

* Gen. xi. 1.

earliest times of the world, and of reasoning exactly as they must have done. But as I have already made great progress in deciphering words, I could, of course, if assisted with public opinion, make a great deal more. Indeed, I am induced to believe that I might in a short time, with this powerful help, put every body in the way of deciphering with facility the words of all languages. As to the advantages to be derived from such knowledge I need say nothing, for they must rush upon every mind, they are so numerous and so evident. And can any body who has examined minutely the many instances I have already given of the manner in which the hidden meaning of words may be clearly discovered, without naming the many more which I am now about to offer, entertain a doubt as to the truth of my discovery in this respect, or as to the possibility of bringing this part of the science of languages to the greatest perfection? It is as evident as that one and one make two, that every word in every language in the world, carries in itself its own history and definition; for to suppose that men did not in the beginning of time attach to words a meaning as often as they made them, were to suppose them not only greatly inferior in wisdom to all human beings now living, but that they must not have been of the same species; since in our times there is no man, no matter how ignorant, dull, or narrow-minded he may be, that ever thinks of giving a name to a new object without attaching some meaning to that

name. But by supposing men to have been in ancient times of minds similar to our own, we are obliged to believe that their words must have been significant, and that we may consequently, by our knowing how to decipher them, discover a great deal of the primitive state of the world, and how one language has been made to vary so as to appear a vast number of other languages.

As many of the instances of the meaning of words which I am now about to give, are far more difficult than any yet given, I need not entreat the reader to be slow and attentive. For as my great desire is that every body should know as much as I do myself of this part of my discovery, I give, in addition to the meaning of words, the train of thought and reasoning by which I have been guided, to the end that the reader — should he feel so inclined-may, in the pursuit of similar knowledge, adopt the same method, in case he can find none better of his own.

In the opening of this work I have frequently referred to learned authorities to prove that of the science of grammar nothing whatever has been hitherto known; and it was most requisite that I should then do so, as the contrary opinion with regard to our knowledge of this science, has till now prevailed. But as every body must be aware that with words and letters, as I have in the following pages to consider them, the learned have not even affected an acquaintance, there will be no necessity for encroaching upon the short limits

within which I am now obliged to keep, by making numerous references and quotations to prove what nobody denies. Even such persons as know little or nothing of works on language, need not be told that of the origin of words and letters, as at present shown, nothing till now could have been known; or if so, the learned have tried to keep the secret to themselves, since nobody has been the wiser for their wisdom. For those persons must be aware, that as such knowledge is the very elements of language, it could not, had it existed, have escaped finding its way into school books, with whichfrom their being the first employed to communicate instruction all are familiar. And as the latter observation will apply to all the preceding parts of this work, it may serve to show such persons as are not intimate with learned disquisitions on grammar, how far we have been hitherto justified in our pretensions to an acquaintance with its science.

As a knowledge of the Greek characters is alone sufficient to enable every body to understand the following account given of them, they are, for the benefit of such readers as have never studied Greek, set down here, with their names and the corresponding letters of the Roman alphabet: