The origin and progress of letters. An essay, in two parts. The first shewing when, and by whom letters were invented ; the formation of the alphabets of various nations : their manner of writing, on what materials, and with what instruments men have written in different ages to the present time wherein is considered the great utility of this art with regard to mankind The second part consists of a compendious account of the most celebrated English penmen, with the titles and characters of the books they have published. Both from the rolling and letter press interspersed with many interesting particulars by way of notes throughout the first part and the second is a new species of biography never attempted before in English the whole collected from undoubted authorities / by W. Massey.
- William Massey
- Date:
- 1763
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The origin and progress of letters. An essay, in two parts. The first shewing when, and by whom letters were invented ; the formation of the alphabets of various nations : their manner of writing, on what materials, and with what instruments men have written in different ages to the present time wherein is considered the great utility of this art with regard to mankind The second part consists of a compendious account of the most celebrated English penmen, with the titles and characters of the books they have published. Both from the rolling and letter press interspersed with many interesting particulars by way of notes throughout the first part and the second is a new species of biography never attempted before in English the whole collected from undoubted authorities / by W. Massey. Source: Wellcome Collection.
![[ 2* ] SECT. V. fofephus, in the third chapter of the fir ft Book of the fewijh Antiquities, tells us: £C That the C£ defcendants of Seth, leading a happy and quiet cc life, found out by ftudy and obfervation, the <c motions, and diftribution of order of the jiarsy u or heavenly bodies; and that their difcoveries j €C might not be loft to men, (knowing that the cc dejlruBion of the world had been foretold by <c Adam, which fhould be once by firey and once “ by water) they made two pillars, one of bncky cc and the other of Jioney and wrote or engraved <c their difcoveries thereon 3 fo that if the rains <c fhould deftroy that of brick, the other of fione cc might continue to fhew mankind their obfer- cc vations.” Many writers have made ufe of this ftory, to prove the early invention of letters ; but let it be attentively confidered, and I doubt not but that it will appear to be filly, and highly improbable. Gan any be fb weak as to fuppofe, that a fire, or deluge, that fhould deftroy the world, would not at the fame time deftroy thofe two pillars ? But fuppofing, for argument fake, the ftory to be true in the mam, that thofe pil¬ lars were raifed for that purpofe, by the defcen¬ dants of Seth; yet we are ftill left in great un¬ certainty and darknefs. For it is not laid, who thofe defcendants were in particular 3 nor at what . time](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30533016_0032.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
