corded in the Revelation made by Writing; and fo the Knowledge of the principal Things feen, and the Ideas of Things unfeen And as the Hebrew then was ceafed to be spoken, and became, as we say, a dead Language, many Things follow, inter al. any Word in that Tongue, which is not inferted in the infpired Writings, tho' found in other Tongues, is become uncertain, confounded, and loft. The Jews were early fenfible of this Lofs, as appears by the Prologue of Jefus, Son of Syrack, who fays, For the fame Things uttered in Hebrew, and tranflated into another Tongue, have not the fame Force in them; and not only thefe Things, but the Law itself, and the Prophecies, and the rest of the Books, have no fmall Difference (Excellency when they are spoken in their own Language.

It is plain, that those who made that Verfion called the Septuagint, did not understand the Perfection of that Language, but treated it as other Languages are treated; because, in indifferent Matters, where they had no Occafion to conceal the Truth, they have neglected the Benefit and Certainty of that Language, which arises from the Comparison with the Ufage of the Word, in the fame Root. And tho'

one would think they could have translated the Words which defcribe the three Agents, and their Powers and Actions; yet whether from the Caufes I have affigned, or it is true which they affert, that after the Captivity they never inclined to study the Knowledge of, or worship these Powers, fo that they were really ignorant of, and then had totally loft it, or there was a Hand of Providence in it, I pretend not to determine here. But it was well that they did not; for if they had tranflated them clearly into Greek, and the Tranflation had 'fcaped the Fury of the common People, and had been preferved, that would have reftored the Knowledge of them and their Actions to the Greeks, who were their Worshippers, as far as they then understood them, and from them to others, which would have made them more zealous for the Service of these Powers, and have hindered their coming into, or their Progrefs in, Chriftianity.

Tho' the Distance between the Burning of the Temple and the Hieroglyphicks of the fews in it, and the making of this Tranflation, was not fo great a Length of Time but that they might have fome traditional Memory of thofe Things, it was

otherwise

otherwife among the Heathens. When Writing with Letters took Place, they ceased to make new Hieroglyphicks, and to use the emblematical Method of writing upon Stone, &c. and thofe then in Being, between that Time and the Time of this Tranflation, would be decayed, or defaced, or not be understood, or be destroyed. And it appears by the Evidence Morinus has produced, in his Lingua Primava, p. 124. upon 1 Mac. iii. 48. that the Hea thens [by the Means aforefaid] had fo far loft the Knowledge of their Gods, that they wanted to get the Bible into their Hands [tho' it was writ against their Gods] to find the Descriptions of them in it.

There were other lower, concurring, or accidental - Causes, which contributed to the Lofs of the Knowledge of their Emblems, or the Destruction of them, and the Confufion of Languages: When great Swarms of People, upon any Occafion, went off, and were able to conquer or mix with others, who had then already made Settlements, and improved, they further confounded their two Religions, and their two Languages.

When the Emperors of the antient great Empires made Conquefts, and carried the E 4

People

People conquered into Captivity to among their own Subjects, and carried their own Subjects or others they had taken Captives, elsewhere, to ftock their new Conquefts (as the Chaldeans had transported People of the feveral Nations they conquered into their Country) they are called, Jer. 1. 37. mixed People; tho' they did not give a Name to the Country, yet that loft the Knowledge of their Hieroglyphicks, and of their Languages; befides the further Effects by People of the Countries which were conquered, who fled and fettled where they could, or among what People they could, rather than fall into the Hands or Power of the Conque

rors.

Very early the Conquerors impofed the Aleim of their own Country upon the Countries they conquered, and demolished thier hieroglyphical Emblems and Writings; and tho' thofe found in the Rubbish in Egypt (which, by the Nature of that Place, are best preferved) or in other Places, when they were bury'd, the Knowledge of them and their Ufe was loft. And lower down, the Emperors, Kings, Senates, &c. impofed fuch Gods, nay, fuch Services to them, as they thought fit, not only upon those they conquered, but upon

their own People. Befides, the Conquerors writ Laws about Policy, Religion, &c. in their own Languages, and made as many of the conquered, or Captives, as could read, learn to read and understand them.

Pierius Hierogl. p. 507. fays, Ptolemy, when he conquered Egypt, forced them to use Greek Letters inftead of their old Letters, which he, from Plutarch, thinks, had been taken from the Figures of the Parts, as Head, Foot, Neck, &c. of their facred Animals; which fo confounded their Tongue and their Writing, that I think, 'tis not yet agreed what Sort of Letters they used; or, after they had loft the Hebrew, what Language they spoke: And tho' many who have been there, tell us of having feen Infcriptions with Letters upon their Columns, &c. yet none have been able, that I know of, to reduce them to an Alphabet.

7. Leoni's Africa Defcript. p. 1 had Accounts, that when the Romans prevailed or conquered, they made the Africans burn their Books, and change their Rites and Letters, that the Memory of them only might be preserved; and when the Goths conquered, they did the fame. (I may include, when Christianity prevailed,

the