fit 



\RT. 



DICTIONARY. 



Kit 



meat, of the mine extent, in 16SS; or, the two publications incor- 

 porate) in 4 roll, fol, Lug. Bt , 1808. The form at lout of thin 

 work hs been generally preserved in our more reoent encyclopaedias 

 an. I dicti< marie* of the arts and science*, although mn*t or thaee, by 

 including the principle* of science as well M facU. hare extended thi-ir 

 cope somewhat beyond Hofman't design. Hit two supplement-try 

 volume*, howrer. embody a gnat deal of the natural science of hii 

 time; and the work altogether contains much curioiu (warning not 

 readily found elaew here. Although not evidencing any very K\ 

 sagacity , penetration, or elegance of scholarship, it u a W.M tt-rful per- 

 formtnoe for an individual, and still remains a most useful book of 

 reference. 



The first English " universal dictionary of the arts ami sciences " 

 was the ' Lexicon Teohniciim ' of Dr. John Harris, of which the first 

 TO!, in fol appeared at London in 1706, and the second, completing 

 the work, in 1710. It wa afterwards extended to three volumes. 

 " With t hi <." up Watt, Bibliotheca Britannica '), " originated all the 

 other dictionaries of arts and science and cyclopedias that hare 

 since appeared." Harris's Lexicon enjoyed great popularity for a 

 considerable time after its first appearance, as may be inferred from 

 the fact that it passed through five editions in about thirty years ; and 

 in the mathenutic.il and physical department especially it is admitted 

 to hare been very ably executed. It was not long, however, before it 

 found a rival iu Chambers's ' Cyclopaedia,' the first edition of which 

 appeared in 2 vols. fol. in 172$. [CHAMBERS, EPHRAIII. in Bioo. Div.j 

 The professed peculiarity of the new work was, that it proposed to 

 " consider the several matters not only in themselves, but relatively, 

 or as they respect each other ; both to treat them as so many wholes, 

 and as so many parts of some greater whole." This was attempted to 

 be done by a system of references from one article to another, so as to 

 connect the subordinate particulars among themselves, and to indicate 

 the great division of knowledge to which each belonged. In this way 

 the work, which, in the seventh edition (1778-85), was extended to 

 4 Tola, fol., contained no complete treatises on any of the sciences, nor 

 other articles of any considerable length. Various other works 

 followed, compiled upon much the same plan, among which were, 

 Barrow's 'New and Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences,' in 

 1 vol. foL, 1751, with a supplemental vol. published in 1754 ; ' A new 

 and complete Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, by a Society of Gentle- 

 men' (commonly, from the name of the publisher, called Owen's 

 Dictionary). 4 vols., 8m, 1754; and 'The Complete Dictionary of 

 Arts and Sciences,' in 3 vols. fol., 1766, by the Rev. Henry Croker, Dr. 

 Thomas Williams, and Mr. Samuel Clark. 



A work upon a different plan had also appeared in 2 vols. fol. in 

 1745, by Dr. De Coetlogon, a native of France, naturalised in England, 

 under the title of ' An Universal History of Arts and Sciences, or a 

 Comprehensive Illustration of all Sciences and of all Arts.' This was 

 in fact a dictionary? the subjects being treated in alphabetical order, 

 and Mr. Macvey Napier considers it to hare probably suggested the 

 ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' the first edition of which, in 3 vols. 4to., 

 appeared at Edinburgh in 1771. It professed to be compiled " by a 

 Society of Gentlemen in Scotland, upon a new plan, in which the 

 different science* and arts ore digested into distinct treatises or sys- 

 tems." This plan however had been already adopted in Dr. Coetlogon's 

 work. The proprietor and principal compiler of the Edinburgh work 

 was Mr. William Smellie, the printer, a man of much ability and con- 

 siderable literary attainments. For the subsequent history of the 

 Encylopaodia Britannica,' which in the fourth edition, completed in 

 1810, was extended to 20 vok, and to which a Supplement in 6 vols. 

 was added in 1824, we must refer to Mr. Napier's preface. An eighth 

 edition of the work, in which the Supplement is incorporated, is now in 

 course of publication. Of other English Cyclopaedias, we may mention 

 the ' Dictionarium Polygraphicum, or the whole body of Arta regularly 

 digested,' in 2 rols. 8vo, London, 1735; the 'English Cyclopedia, 

 being a Collection of Treatises and a Dictionary of terms illustrative 

 of the Arts and Sciences,' published by Kearsley, in 10 vols. 4to, 1795- 

 1803; E. A. Kendal's ' Pocket Cycloptedia,' 6 vols. 12mo, 1802 ; anil 

 Hall's ' Dictionary of Arta and Sciences, 8 vols. folio. Two others 

 better deserving of notice were next undertaken : the ' Cyclopaedia, or 

 a >ew Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences,' conducted by the 

 late Dr. Re, and commonly known by his name, although professing 

 to be only a new edition of Chambers, begun in 1802, and completed 

 in 45 rob. 4to, (of which wore plates) in 1819 ; and the ' Edinburgh 

 Cyclopwdi*,' edited by l>r. (now Sir David) Brewstcr, begun in 

 and completed in 8 parts, or 18 vols. 4to, in 1830. The ' Encyclo- 

 wedia Metropolitana was begun in 1818, being announced as a 

 Laiveru] Dictionary of Knowledge on an original plun ; comprising 

 the twofold advantage* of a philosophical and an alplwbetic.il arrange- 

 ment. This work was completed in 1846, and is arranged in four 

 divisions; the lt mling the Pure Sciencos; the 2nd, the 



Uui-1 and Applied Sciences; the 3rd, the Biographical and Historical 

 article. ; and the 4th, the Miscellaneous and Lexio.igraphical articles. 



The Penny Cyclopmdia ( It,.. Society for tin; l> Useful 



Knowledge was begun in 1st:!, published regularly in numbers and 



in volumes, and completed in 1843; two volume* of Suppl.- 



17 j and a second Supplem, nt in one volume in 1858. The 



this were all compiled from original sources, and the total 



lii.or.iry 1,1,,, tip ,|j,l ,,,,t fall short of 45.000/. The 



' National Cyclopedia,' in 12 rols. 8vo, 1847-51, was an abridgmept of 

 the ' Penny Cyclopedia.' Of other works of this class, it will be suffi- 

 cient to mention W. Nicholson's ' British Cyclopaedia,' 8 vols. 8vo, 

 1807-9; Enfield's ' New Encyclopedia,' 10 vols. 12rao, London, 1809- 

 11; Johnson's and Exley's 'Imperial Encyclopedia,' 4 vols 

 London, 1809 : Wilkes's ' Encyclopedia Londinensis, or General 

 Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature,' &c., in 24 vols. 4to, 

 London, 1810 29; Amyas Bun-owes'* ' Modern Encyclopaedia, a general 

 icc.i, and Literature,' 1816; Miller's ' Encyolo- 



:'. linousis, or Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous 

 Literature,' 6 vols. 4to, Edinburgh, 1816; nnd the 'Encyclopaedia 

 IVrthiMisis, intended to supersede the use of other Books of Re- 

 ference,' in 23 volt. Svo, Edinburgh, second edition, 1816; the 'Oxford 

 Encylopapdia, or Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature/ 

 in 6 vols. 4to. Oxford, 1828; the ' London <li.i, <>r 1'nirernal 



Dictionary of Science, Art, Literature, and Practical Mechanics,' in 

 22 rols. Svo, London, 1829 ; Partington's ' British Cyclopaedia,' London, 

 10 vols. Svo, 1835-S8, in four divisions of Arts and Sciences ; Biography ; 

 Literature, History, Geography, Law, and Politics ; and Natural His- 

 tory ; and the ' Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts,' by C. Tomlinsou, in 2 rols. 

 8vo, 1852. 



Pertaining to English literature, as being in the English language, 

 there ore also the ' Encyclopaedia Americana, a popular Dictionary of 

 Arts, Sciences, Literature, History, Politics, and Biography,' &c., edited 

 by F. Lieber, assisted by K. Wigglesworth, based on the German 



rsations-Lexikon,' in 14 vols. Svo, Philadelphia, 1829-48. The 

 German work is also the base of the ' Popular Encyclopaedia, or Con- 

 versations Lexicon,' in 7 vols. royal Svo, published by Blackie of 

 Glasgow in 1841 ; and the 'American Cyclopaedia,' edited by George 

 Ripley and Charles A. Dana, of which only four volumes 4to. have yet 

 (1S59) appeared, extending to the word Chartres; in the preface to 



rk special obligation is acknowledged " to the ' English Ency- 

 clopaedia,' edited by Mr. Charles Knight, whose well-digested sum- 

 maries, in some instances, have been drawn upon for useful informa- 

 tion." The tenth edition of the original work is also the declared 

 base of Chambers's ' Encyclopaedia,' now in course of publication. 

 Dr. Lardner's ' Cyclopaedia,' a collection of independent works, bound 

 together by nothing but the title, does not belong to this class of works; 

 The ' English Cyclopaedia,' commenced in 1853, "in four divisions, of 

 Geography, Natural History, Biography, and Arts and Sciences," is 

 founded upon the copyright of the ' Penny Cyclopaedia; ' with large 

 additions and corrections, including a new literary outlay quite in 

 pro)x>rtion to that branch of expenditure on its predecessor. 



Of foreign works of this class, perhaps the earliest was that entitled 

 ' Georgii Valise Placentini viri clariss. de expetendis et fugiendis rebus 

 opus.' It was printed in 2 vols. folio, by Aldus, in 1501. It is divided 

 into books, of which there are three on arithmetic ; five on music ; six 

 on geometry, in which he treats of Euclid, mechanics, optics, ic. ; four 

 on astronomy, with observations on the celestial signs as used in medi- 

 caments ; four on physiology and metaphysics ; seven on medicine, 

 with a list of simples ; one of problems in physics ; four on grammar ; 

 three on logic ; one on poetry ; two on rhetoric ; one on moral philo- 

 sophy ; three on domestic and rural economy ; one on politics, com- 

 prising the pontifical and civil law, the theory of laws in general, and 

 the military art ; three on the body, its good and its evil (the first book 

 of the three U on the soul) ; and one on external things, glory, gran- 

 deur, &c. This is a curious work, containing an immense amount of 

 reading, but ill arranged, and adopting many prejudices. The ' Ency- 

 clopaedia Epistemon, de varii Subjectis,' fol., Basel, 1559. An encyclo- 

 paedia by J. H. Alstedius, printed at Herborn, in 4to,in 1610 ; reprinted 

 and enlarged into 4 vols. fol., at Lynn, in Hi 111. In it he endeavours 

 to prove that the materials and principles of all the arts and sciences 

 are to be found in the Scriptures. Many others followed, among 

 them by C. Giieinzius, ' Encyclopaedia,' 1648, at Halle in Saxony ; A. 

 Calovicus, ' Encyclopedias Discipliuarum realium Ideaa,' Lubec, 1651 ; 

 J. Apazai, ' Magyar Encyclopiediat,' &c., in the Hungarian language, 

 Utrecht, 1653 ; J. Magnon, ' La Science Universelle, en vers he'roique,' 

 fol., Paris, 1663. This last is part of an encyloptcdia in verse, winch 

 the author intended to have completed in ton volumes, each containing 

 20,000 verses. Fras. Macedo, ' Encyclopedia: in Agonem Literatorurn,' 

 fol., 1677. About this period appeared the two works which may 

 be regarded as the forerunner of subsequent general dictionaries of 

 biography, history, and philosophy. The first of these was the ' Grand 

 Dictionnaire Historique et Critique' of Louis Moreri, of which the 

 first edition was published in 16/3, in one vol. folio. With many 

 iiujwrfcctions the work was of great value, and a second editi< 

 speedily required. This Moreri commenced on a larger scale, but he 

 died before the completion of the second volume. Several o 

 subsequently appeared under various editors ; the last being that of 

 Paris, 1759, in 10 vols. foL The other work to which we referred, 

 though later iu point of date, is of far greater literary imp 

 indeed has proved a mine of wealth to succeeding writer*, though dis- 

 figured by omo serious errors of opinion : thr ' Dirtk'Mnaiie Hi,-i 

 et Critique,' of Peter Bay le [BATi.K, in Uioo. I 'iv.J, published at I 

 dam, in 4 vols. fol., in liil'7. A m',ie l.ulky work was that of V. 

 nolli, 'Bibliotheca Universal]* : ' in 1709, nine years before the author's 

 18 folio volumes had appeared, which went no farther than 

 Cat-alien. It was to have extended to 45 volumes, folio. Between 



