religions, and formed new ones which are suitable to their present state—that is, a state equal to that of the Hottentots of Africa.
Hebrew scholars have been accused of undue partiality to what is sneeringly called their favourite language by such as do not understand it: and this will probably be repeated towards me. In self-defence, I can only say, that in my search for the origin of ancient science, I constantly found myself impeded by my ignorance of the Hebrew; and, in order to remove this impediment, I applied myself to the study of it. I very early discovered that no translation of the ancient book of Genesis, either by Jew or Christian, could be depended on. Every one has the prejudices instilled into him in his youth to combat, or his prejudged dogma to support. But I can most truly say, that I do not lie open to the latter charge; for there is scarcely a single opinion maintained in the following work which I held when I began it. Almost all the latter part of my life has been spent in unlearning the nonsense I learned in my youth. These considerations I flatter myself will be sufficient to screen me from the sneers of such gentlemen as suppose all learning worth having is to be found in the Latin and Greek languages; especially when, in the latter part of this work, they find that I have come to the conclusion, that the Hebrew language, or that language of which Hebrew, Chaldee, and Arabic are only dialects, was probably the earliest of the written languages now known to us.
When I affirm that I think the old synagogue Hebrew the oldest written language, the philosopher will instantly turn away and say, “Oh! I see this is only the old devoteeism.” He may be assured he will find himself mistaken. I believe that I found my opinion on evidence equally free from modern Christian or ancient Jewish prejudice. I attribute the preservation of these old tracts (the books of Genesis) from the destruction which has overtaken all other sacred books of the priests of the respective temples of the world, to the fortunate circumstance that they were made public by Ptolemy Philadelphus. Natural causes, without any miracle, have produced a natural effect, and thus we have these interesting remains, and have them, too, in consequence of a religious dogma having operated, nearly uncorrupted, in their general language, by modern Jewish and Masoretic nonsense. In the Synagogue books we have, most fortunately, several tracts in a language older than any language, as now written, in the world, not excepting the beautiful and almost perfect Sanscrit. And this I think I shall prove in the course of the work. That my reader may not run away with a mistaken inference from what I now say, I beg to observe, that I pay not the least attention to the generally received ancient chronologies.
In order to arrive at what I believe to be the truth, I have often been obliged to enter into very abstruse and difficult examinations of the meaning of Hebrew words; but they are generally words which have undergone the most elaborate discussion, by very great scholars, and have been the subjects of controversy. This has been a great advantage to me, as by this means I have been enabled to see every thing which could be said on the respective points in dispute, and my conclusions may be considered as the summing
