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

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.

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t 3° ] him, &s his credentials to Bethuel * or of any fent before-hand to pave the way, as it were, for that match. Why alfo did not Rebecca fend a letter by Jacob, to her brother Laban> when he went to Haran, on the fame errand, that his grandfather fent his fervant to Bethuel f Neither, do we find, that there was any inter- ccurfe of letters between Jacob, and his father, mother, or brother, in all the twenty years, that he was abfent from them in Haran. Nay, even long after that, when Jofeph was fold into Egypt, how eafy would it have been for him to have wrote a few lines to his forrowing father, and acquainted him of his fafety, if not his great ad¬ vancement in the world, rather than have let the good man pafs through fo tedious a fcene of grief on his account ? But as this fubjedt is prettily touched upon in a poem, in praife of the invention of writingy faid to be wrote by a lady, I (hall conclude this fedtion with an ex- tradt therefrom, as recited in the Second Volume of the Guardian* N°. 172, c‘ Bled be the man ! his memory at lead “ Who found the art, thus to unfold his bread 5 <f And taught fucceeding times an eafy way, a Their fecret thoughts by letters to convey • <c To baffle abfence, and fecure delight, <c Which, till that time,. was limited to fight; “ The

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