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 |
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Common terms and phrases
affiftance aforefaid alfo alphabets alſo amongſt ancient Anno arithmetic art of writing becauſe befides buſineſs called calligraphy Chaldea chancery hands character confifts contains copy copy-book curious defigned Edward Cocker Egyptians English engraved faid fame fays fecond fecretary feems feen feven feveral fhall fhort firft firſt flouriſhes fmall fome fometimes fpecimens fubject fuch fuppofe George Bickham Greek hand Hand and Pen Hebrew Hiftory himſelf inftructed intitled invention Italian John laft laſt Latin learned letter prefs likewife literas lived manufcripts Mofes moft moſt muſt Nennius obferve octavo Ogham parchment penmanship performances Peter Bales piece prefent printed publiſhed purpoſe quarto racter reaſon rolling prefs Roman Saxon ſays ſcholars ſchool ſciences SECT ſeems ſeen ſeveral ſhould ſmall ſome ſpeaking ſuppoſe table-books tells thefe themſelves theſe thofe thoſe tranflated Univerfal Penman uſe verfes whofe William Oldys writ writing mafter written wrote
Popular passages
Page 18 - Heaven firft taught letters for fome wretch's aid. Some banifh'd lover, or fome captive maid; They live, they fpeak, they breathe what love infpires, Warm from the foul, and faithful to its fires., • The virgin's wifh without her fears impart, 55 Excufe the blufh, and pour out all the heart. Speed the foft intercourfe from foul to foul. And waft a figh from Indus to the Pole.
Page 122 - IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXX . XL L LX LXX LXXX XC c cc ccc cccc D DC DCC DCCC DCCCC M Nam en.
Page 139 - First, which has the whole book of psalms written in the lines of the face, and the hair of the head. When I was last at Oxford I perused one of the whiskers, and was reading the other, but could not go so far in it as I would have done, by reason of the impatience of my friends and fellow-travellers, who all of them pressed to see such a piece of curiosity.
Page 41 - This put Eumenes upon the invention of making books of parchment, and on them he thenceforth copied out such of the works of learned men as he afterwards put into his library, and hence it is that parchment is called...
Page 95 - And fpreads her accents through the world's vaft round: A voice heard by. the deaf, fpoke by the dumb, Whofe echo reaches long, long time to come ; Which dead men fpeak as well as thofe alive — Tell me what Genius did this art contrive. The ANSWER.
Page 3 - How to embody, and to colour thought . . ." as known before the Israelites left Egypt (1491 BC) ; or, in other words, writing was used at a time when its existence among the Hindus does not clearly appear. Neither does it appear from the Holy Scriptures that memory was made the tablet of any of its doctrines :
Page 62 - Some peevifh quarrel ftreight he ftrives to pick; His quill writes double, or his ink's too thick; Infufe more water ; now 'tis grown fo thin It finks, nor can the characters be feen.
Page 48 - Scribes, performed the office. The writing on table-books is particularly recommended by Quintilian in the third chapter of the tenth book of his Institutions; because the wax is readily effaced for any corrections : he confesses weak eyes do not see so well on paper, and observes that the...
Page 83 - Germans are very different from the rabbinical characters used every where else, though all formed alike from the square character, but the German in a more slovenly manner than the rest. The rabbies frequently make use either of their own, or the square Hebrew character, to write the modern languages in. There are even books in the vulgar tongues printed in Hebrew characters ; instances whereof are seen in the late French king's library. See Plate ALPHABET.