Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind

to which the members of any society agree to submit their conduct.

Accordingly the want of writing is felt, and Writing. the art invented. It appears at first to have been an absolute painting, to which succeeded a conventional painting, preserving such traits only as were characteristic of the objects. Afterwards, by a kind of metaphor analogous to that which was already introduced into Hieroglyphicks their language, the image of a physical object became expressive of moral ideas. The origin of those signs, like the origin of words, were liable in time to be forgotten; and writing became the art of affixing signs of convention to every idea, every word, and of consequence to every combination of ideas and words.

There was now a language that was written, and a language that was spoken, which it was necessary equally to learn, between which there must be established a reciprocal correspondence.

Some men of genius, the eternal benefactors of the human race, but whose names and even country are for ever buried in oblivion, observed that all the words of a language were only the combinations of a very limited number Genius is now deified and substituted for Heathen Gods and Roman Catholic Saints. Genius is now the Mythology of french philosophers. Because Men of Genius want to be worshipped.