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.
![[ *7 ] Writ is called the land of Shinar) after the con- fufion of languages at Babel. “ The firft men, cc fays he, perufed the heavens for want of writ- <£ ing^ and it is on account of the conveniency cc of writing, that the generality of men now cc difpenfe with looking among the ftars, for the “ knowledge of their operations, and order of “ the year. But writing itfelf, that fo ufeful cc invention, is one of the products of aftronomy; cc and it may be eafily fhown, that the names, cc given to the twelve celeftial figns, gave birth <c to the invention both of painting and writing. tc Aftronomy gave birth to painting; and both cc afterwards concurred to caufe the art of writ- cc ing to be invented This hypothecs is ftrengthened by what Jofe- phus fays of Abrahams bringing the fciences of arithmetic, and aftronomy with him from Chaldea, and inftru&ing the Egyptians therein j fo that from this fuppofttion, the inhabitants of Chaldea are made the firft inventors of letters, not long after Noah’s Flood. and obfervation of the heavenly bodies, effected the fcience of foretelling things to come. And afterwards the fame arts were pra£lifed by the Egyptians. * As the ancient Greeks and Romans ufually aferibed the glory of all ufeful inventions, and difeoveries, to fome one or other of their gods, or goddefles ; it is very ftrange that they never thought of a deity, to whom they fhould attribute the invention of the wonderful, and univerfally efteemed art of writing. sect.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30533016_0037.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)


