l8 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 



ments, upon whatever fubjecl;, whether the mod 

 abftrufe and recondite, or the mod common ; 

 whether he attempts to difcriminate and fix 

 upon the precife point which divides fpeed 

 from ftoutnefs in horfes, or to regulate the 

 ceconomy of bits, halters, and faddles ; are all 

 drawn from Euclid, Ariftotle, and the Schools, 

 and prefent themfelves in the regular logical 

 array of ma. mi. and con. to confront, or rather 

 to confound the prefumptuous fceptic. 



He had read Dee's prefaces before, 

 The Devil and Euclid, o'er and o'er. 



His book contains many more learned quo- 

 tations than pages, and the fluency of his ftyle, 

 and his powers of amplification, are upon a 

 level with his learning. He was moreover well 

 read in many branches of ufeful fcience, and 

 whoever will be hardy and patient enough to 

 wade through the tedious labyrinths of his 

 vineyard, and candid enough to make allow- 

 ance for the quaintnefs of his ftyle, and the 

 frequent unnatural ftrangenefs of his concep- 

 tions, the mere confequence of the then pre- 

 vailing education ; (hall find great ftore of im- 

 portant and ufeful obfervations, by no means 

 inapplicable even to the prefent enlightened 

 period. 



But the name of Baret ought ever to be 

 mentioned with honour and refpecl, were it 



only 



