28 INTRODUCTION. 



menced in 1809; and Partington's British Cyclopsedia, printed in 

 1835-6. The Penny Cyclopaedia, conducted by the Society for the 

 Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, was commenced in 1833, and is to 

 be completed in 24 volumes octavo. It is a work of great value. 

 Dr. Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopaedia, begun in 1829, in duodecimo, 

 is a valuable series of distinct treatises on the different branches of 

 knowledge ; but we have not perceived in it any higher arrange- 

 ment. An Encyclopaedia was printed by Mr. Dobson of Philadel- 

 phia, in 21 volumes quarto, 1793 1803. The Encyclopedia Ame- 

 ricana, edited by Dr. Lieber, commenced in 1830, and now complete 

 in 13 volumes octavo, is chiefly a translation of the German Conver- 

 sations Lexicon, alphabetically arranged; and is the most convenient 

 work of reference with which we are acquainted. It has been re- 

 printed in Glasgow. 



CHAPTER III. 



CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. 



THE importance of classifying human knowledge, according to 

 some regular system, has been often, if not generally, admitted ; and 

 the subject has attracted the attention of many distinguished men, in 

 various ages and countries. As such a classification was the primary 

 object of the present work; the writer is desirous of doing full jus- 

 tice to the labors of his predecessors, in this field of study ; before 

 submitting what he believes to be an improved system; with its prac- 

 tical application to the knowledge which is to be classified. A brief 

 review of the different classifications, which have been hitherto 

 attempted, will first be given ; for which we are chiefly indebted to a 

 work of much erudition, published in Philadelphia in 1816, by the 

 late judge Woodward, under the title of Encatholepistemia, or a 

 System of Universal Science. This review will be followed by an 

 explanation of the new classification, here proposed ; with a sum- 

 mary of the reasons on which it is founded. 



Former Classifications of Knowledge. 



To the Greeks we must refer, for the earliest classification of 

 human knowledge, of which we possess any information. All their 

 learning was originally comprehended in the term Mathematics ; 

 from navGavw, I learn ; a term which has since been very much 

 restricted. The introduction of the term Philosopher, by Pythago- 

 ras, we have already mentioned, (p. 20.) Pythagoras subdivided 

 the ancient mathematics, with reference to number and magnitude, 

 rest and motion, into the branches of Arithmetic, Music, Ge- 

 ometry, and Astronomy. Music, he regarded as produced by the 

 motion of numbers; and Astronomy, as produced by the motion 

 of magnitudes. These four branches were afterwards called the 

 Quadrivium, from Latin words, signifying the meeting of four 

 roads. To these branches Plato added Physics, or Natural Philoso- 

 phy ; and Theology ; under which he probably included both Ethics 



