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For certain institutions of men are in a sort of way representations
and likenesses of natural objects. And of these, such as have
relation to fellowship with devils must, as has been said, be utterly
rejected and held in detestation; those, on the other hand, which
relate to the mutual intercourse of men, are, so far as they are not
matters of luxury and superfluity, to be adopted, especially the forms
of the letters which are necessary for reading, and the various
languages as far as is required a matter I have spoken of above. To
this class also belong shorthand characters, those who are acquainted
with which are called shorthand writers. All these are useful, and
there is nothing unlawful in learning them, nor do they involve us in
superstition, or enervate us by luxury, if they only occupy our minds
so far as not to stand in the way of more important objects to which
they ought to be subservient.
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