[ 1072 } 
Account of Books for 1806. 
Memoirs of Richard Cumberland, 
written by Himself, containing an 
Account of his Life and Writings, 
interspersed with Anecdotes and 
Characters of several of the most 
distinguished Persons of his Time, 
with whum he had Intercourse and 
Connexion. 
IOGRAPHY affords, perhaps, 
the most universal delight of 
any species of literary composition ; 
and if it be true that ‘* the proper 
study of mankind is man,” there is 
nothing which can more effectually 
advance,this study than the delinea- 
tion of character, the actual portrait 
of human nature, which are pre- 
sented to us by the true and impar- 
tial history of men, celebrated for 
their talents or their virtues, their 
useful labours or their splendid 
achievements. 
Two things only are wanting to 
complete the purpose of biography ; 
that its portraits should be drawn 
from interesting characters, and that 
they should be sketehed with a cor- 
rect and faithful pencil. In general, 
the lives of literary men are thought 
to be devoid of that interest which 
is supposed pre-eminently to belong 
to the active characters of the great 
world, to those who have conquer- 
ed in the field, or negociated for 
the fate of kingdoms in the cabinet. 
If the reader looks only for novelty 
of adventure, for ‘* hair breadth} 
’scapes” and ‘¢ imminent dangers,” 
he must not seek them in the lives} 
of authors; but if he is desirous 
of acquainting himself with the pro- | 
gress of the human mind, of the 
steps by which it advances to im- 
provement, of its nascent energies 
and its cultivated powers, these he 
will trace successfully in the bio-} 
graphy of men of letters. If they 
have moved in an extensive circle} 
their history may be interspersed} 
with anecdotes of their contempora-} 
ries, and their lives are no longer 
single portraits of tke mind of one 
man, but groupings of various cha- 
racters, to display the men and 
manners of their age and country.} 
And this is never better done than} 
when the authors have delineated 
their own characters. 
In all history, in all biography.) 
the grand requisite is truth, an 
from the natare of human affairs, i 
is, unfortunately, too seldom to b 
found. Science can only be im 
proved by experiment, by induc-+ 
tion from facts and conclusion 
founded upon known truths or un 
disputed axioms. History can only} 
be usefal from the actual know} 
ledge which it affords of past oc.) 
currences; and biography, in lik 
manner, for the true exhibition oj 
