288 Cambridge Course of Mathematies. 
but to hail him as one of the immortals.”* As aspecimen 
of rhetoric, this may be very fine, but we are persuaded 
that its merit ends here. hile a multitude of books, 
which cost their authors much labor and reflection, are dai- 
ly passing into oblivion, and while the whole volume of na- 
ture lies open to our investigation, it is absurd to say that 
any human work in any age, or in any department of learn- 
ing, ever has or ever will put a period to the progress of 
improvement, and arrive at perfection ; a state which van- 
ity on the one hand, and enthusiasm on the other, have 
dreamed of, but which the nature and destiny of human 
things forbids us to expect ever to attain. Dr. Johnson 
flattered himself for a while, he says, that his Dictionary, 
which he had labored many yearsand with so much appli- 
cation, would fix the English language, and put a stop to 
those alterations which time and chance had before been 
suffered to make in it without opposition, but he after- 
wards found, that he had indulged expectations which nei- 
ther reason nor experience could justify. 
But to be more particular: we shall endeavor to shew, 
that Euclid’s Elements contain many imperfections which 
are remedied in those of Legendre and Lacroix; and that 
their Elements contain much valuable information which 
will in vain be sought for in those of Euclid. Our remarks. 
rer, will be very brief, as it would be inconsistent 
*Edinb, Review, Vol. TV. p. 257. +Preface. ~ 
