43. When Gerrnanicus visited the ancient monuments of
Thebes, the eldest of the priests explained to him the
meaning of these hieroglyphics. Tacit, Annal ii. c. 60. But
it seems probable that before the useful invention of an
alphabet these natural or arbitrary signs were the common
characters of the Egyptian nation. See Warburton's Divine
Legation of Moses, vol. iii. p. 69-243.