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|;led glade, and diffufes its balmy fragrance with the fame profufJo'l 

 in the lonely defert, as in the polifhed garden, where it minifters to 

 the delight of admiring princes. Not fo the man. His foul, formed 

 with a relifh for the fuperior enjoyments of fociely, if fiiffcred to 

 pine in negleded obfcurity, lofes its vivifying princijile : its ardent bril- 

 liancy fades; and it isfoon deprived of all thofe valuable qualifes which 

 might render it either agreeable or beneficial to mankind. Whatever, 

 therefore, fhall have a tendency to remove this evil, and to open a 

 ready intercourfe between thefe valuable charafters and congenial 

 mijids, will confer a very important blefling on mankind. 



Such was the general train of rcafoning that fuggelted the idea of the 

 prefent work : Nor does the editor fcruple to own, that the pleafure 

 he has felt in anticipating the happinefshe may thus eventually be tlie 

 means of procuring to many deftrvicg perfons who are now loft in 

 obfcurity, and in contemplating ihc benefits that will probably refult 

 to the community at large from the revivification of fo much genius, 

 which now lies dormant and ufelcfs, have tended greatly to incite him 

 to attempt the prefent arduous undertaking ; and have influenced him 

 in adopting the particular form of this work, the mode of its pabli- 

 tation, and the price at which it is oflered to the public, as being better 

 adapted than any other he could think of, for removing the incon- 

 veniences pointed out, and for diffufing knowledge very univerfally a- 

 mong thofe claffes «f men who are at prefent excluded from the li- 

 terary circle. Its form is fiich as will eafily admit of its being kept 

 clean and entire till it can be baund up for prefcrvation : The time that 

 will intervene between the publication of each number will be fo fhort, 

 as not to allow the fubjedls treated in one to be loft fight of before an- 

 other appears : anfwers to cjueries may be quickly obtained ; and con- 

 tefted difcuflions will thus acquire an intereft and a vivacity that cannot 

 be felt in publications that are longc^r delayed : Nor will thofe even in 

 the bufieft fccnes of life find any difiiculty in glancing over the whole at 

 leifure hours; and the price is fo exceedingly moderate as to bring it 

 within the reach of even the moft economical members of the coni- 

 ftiunity. Thus, he hopes that this performance will become an inter- 

 efting recreation and an ufetul inftruiilor to the man of bufinefs, anj 

 an agreeable amufemcnt during a vacant hour to thofe of higher rank. 

 Nor does the editor confine his views to Britain alone. The world 

 at latge he confiders as the proper theatre for literary improvements, 

 and the whole human race, a* cojiftitutiiig but one great iociety, whofe 

 general advancement in knowledge muft tend to augment the profperlty 

 of all its parts. He wilhes, therefore, to break down thofe little diluinc- 

 tions which accident has produced to let nations at variance, and which 

 ignorance has laid hold of to difunite and to render hollile to each other 

 fuch a large proportion of the human race. Commerce hath naturally 

 paved the way to an attempt, which literature alone could not perhaps 

 have hoped to achieve. Britifh traders are now to be found in all 

 nations on the globe ; and the Knglidi language begins to be ftudied 

 ae highly ufefa! in every country. By means of the univerfal intercourfe 

 which that trade occafiont., auj the j;cneral utility of thio language, he 



