iy PREFACE. 



of parlements, the limitation of the royal 

 prerogative, and the gradual deviation from 

 the feodal to the prefent fyftem of govern- 

 ment. 



The obfervation is certainly juft, and the 

 application appears too obvious to be pointed 

 out; yet the generality of mankind can reft 

 contented with ignorance of their native foil, 

 while a paffion for novelty attrads them to a 

 fuperiicial examination of the wonders of 

 Mexico, or 'Japan ; but thefe fhould be told, 

 that fuch a paflion is a fure criterion of a 

 weak judgement: utility, truth and certainty, 

 fhould alone be the point at which fcience 

 fliould aim ; and Vv^hat knowlege can be more 

 ufeful than of thofe objeds with which we 

 are moft intimately connedled ? and where 

 can we reafon with greater certainty on fuch 

 points, than in our own country, where a 

 conftant recourfe may be had to the fpecimen 

 of what we have under coniideration ? But 

 thefe, and many other arguments for exa- 

 mining into the produdlions of our own 

 ifland, may here be waved, as the admirable 

 LINNiEUS has difplayed them at large in 

 an oration *, which for mafterly reafoning, 



* Jmce7i,Acad. 7'om. II. p. 409. Stillingfieet'' s SuAje^ifiTra.d:s, 

 Tr. I. 



and 



