For the way of Writing and Reading it, I conceive might at first be exactly the same with that of the Greeks, Romans, English, and all other European Nations, and also the Æthiopick and Coptick. That is, they began at the top of the Page towards the left Hand, and so proceeded towards the right in the Horizontal Line to the end of it, and then began at the left end of the next Line under the first and proceeded with that in the same manner, and so with the next under that and all the remaining. Continuing to Write the Words of the Line towards the right Hand, and the Lines of the Page one under another till the whole Discourse were compleated, joyning Leaf to Leaf one under another, after the same manner as the Rouls are at present Writ, and as the Volumina were of the Ancients. And to make the parts of the Volume to be the more easily to be come at, without the trouble of rolling and unrolling as the Ancient Romans did, and we do with our Rouls, they contrived to fold them, like the folds of a Fan, forwards and backward: And so stitching them together, that the Written sides might lie outwards, and open freely one from another, and the fair sides might meet together, it came to make the present form of their Book, which being laid as we generally place our Books before us, they seem to begin at the top of the Page on the right Hand, and to proceed to the bottom, and then at the top of the next Line towards the left Hand, and descend as in the former; proceeding in this order with all the rest, which way must needs be very inconvenient for Writing, however they may use their Pencil differing from our Pen. Though there be a way of Writing from the top to the bottom of the Page, which is very convenient for Writing the Syriack, as also for Writing Latin, English, or Greek, where the Writing is to be used for cutting the Stamps of Wood, or graving of Copper Plates with the same Character for Printing, in which Cases the Letters must be written backwards.

Secondly, as to the Pronunciation of this Character, by the Court Language, or by any other now used, I conceive it to be wholly differing from that of a literal Character, that is from being pronounced or spoken according to the Marks or Figures thereof, whether they be simple or compounded, and made up of simple Characters (though there are some Instances of affinity in Characters and Words.) The reason of which differing pronunciation I conceive may have proceeded, partly from the loss of the primitive Language, for which it was made, partly from a most inconvenient affection of Monosyllabical Words in this Court Language, to help the Poverty of which, they are fain to make one Syllable to signifie many differing Notions, to do which they have introduced a kind of Musical toning or accenting of each of them, and not single but compound of two or three Tones to each signification of every one of these Monosyllables: Partly from the using of this way of Writing, by divers Nations of differing Languages, who minding only the Figure and Signification, read it into their own Mother Tongues, as we in Europe do Arithmetical Figures: And partly, also from the omission of most Grammatical Distinctions, the same Character serving for Substantive and Adjective, Singular and Plural, in all Cases, (save only they have some Characters for Particles, as of and to in English) for the Verb in all Tenses, and Numbers, &c. for the abstract and the concrete Signification, and for divers Metaphorical; if at least the Interpretation I have met with in the Books I have perused be exact: Partly, also from the Syntaxis of them, it being necessary to consider the whole Sentence, to discover which part of Speech each Character is of, in that Sentence, wherein the Order and Positions of the Characters to one another, for which they have Rules, hath its signification: And lastly, from the loss of the very Notion of a literal Character, whence for the expressing of proper Names, they are fain to make use of several Characters, whose Sounds or Words come nearest to the Sounds of the Syllables of that Name, as in the Plate tam. jo, van, for Adam. Jovan.

Now, though I conceive this Character is not effable properly as a literal Character by any of their present Languages: And though possibly it might be at first a real Character, that is each of them compounded of such Strokes or Marks as by their Figures, Positions and Numbers in the square, denoted the several Philosophical Ingredients, that made up the Notion of the whole Character, as the Book Ye-Kim seems to shew by giving Rules as I conceive for the Order and Significancy of places in the Square, &c. Yet I think it not difficult to make it a Literal, or at least a Syllabical Character, and legible into a Language somewhat after the manner of the Universal Character I mentioned before. And tho' this would not be the primitive Language for which it was made, yet for the present uses of it (the chiefest of which is the assisting and refreshing the Memory, and helping the Imagination by proper Sounds) it might be as good: Wherein the single Characters might be Monosyllables and the compounded Dissyllables, Trissyllables, &c. According to the Numbers and Order of simple Characters in the square of the Compounded. And I am apt to think that the present pronunciation of Languages, as of Hebrew, Syriack, Arabick, Greek and Latin, or any other Language that has been so long Written, may be as much differing from what it was 2000 Years since, as an Arbitrary one now invented, and grounded on the Letters, might possibly be. And such an arbitrary Pronunciation if generally agreed upon might serve as well for a help to learn the signification of Words, or Word Combinations of Characters, as if we now knew the exact primitive Pronunciations, as critically as the Masorethæ are said to have done that of the Hebrew; and possibly also a much better, for that by such a one a great many irregularities and difficulties of Pronunciation (which are to be found in all Languages now spoken) might be omitted, and the whole made exactly regular and easie, as might be shewn in the Hebrew and Greek, and especially in the Arabick, whose difficulties are sufficiently manifested by Alphabetum Arabicum, Printed at Rome 1592. Now as by such a Language the Character might be made effable without Musical Tones or difficult Aspirations, so had we Dictionaries of the signification of the Characters, we might as soon learn the Chinese Characters, as we can Latin, or any other Language to be learn'd by Book, and not by speaking.

IMPRIMATUR,

John Hoskyns Vice P. R. S.
July 17th., 1686.

The Roman Abacus out of Marcus Velserus

The Chinese Abacus from the Chinese Dictionary containing nine places or degrees

一二三四五六七八九

I一yĕ̇
II二th́
III三san̄
IV四sú
V五v̀
VI六lŏ̇
VII七ziĕ̇
VIII八pă̇
IX九kièn
X十xĕ̇
XI十xĕ̇
一yĕ̇
X十xĕ̇
II二lh́
X十xĕ̇
III三san̄
X十xĕ̇
V五v̀

XX廾lh́xĕ̇
XX二lh́
十xĕ̇
XXX卅san̄xĕ̇
XXX三san̄
十xĕ̇
XXXX四sú
十xĕ̇
L五v̀
十xĕ̇
LX六lŏ̇
十xĕ̇
LXX七ziĕ̇
十xĕ̇
LXXX八pac
十xĕ̇

100白pĕ̇
100百pĕ̇
200二lh́
白pĕ̇
300三san̄
百pĕ̇
400四sú
百pĕ̇
1000千zien̄
2000二lh́
千zien̄
3000三san̄
千zien̄
10000萬ván
30000三san̄
萬ván

CIↃ千zien̄
DC六lŏ̇
百pĕ̇
LXXX八pă̇
十xĕ̇
VI六lŏ̇
añus年nien̂
V五v̀
mensis月yuĕ
XIII十xĕ̇
die三san̄
日gĕ̇
正
E

年nien̂
五v̀
人gin̂
大ta
先sien̄
仁gin̂
八pă̇
之chī̇
湯tàm̄
若jo
望vàm
天tìen̄
原yuên
又yéu