INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 47 



compofitions in our language. It had how- 

 ever been better, had this author confulted 

 Lowth's Grammar, as well as the veterinary 

 writers, previous to adventuring abroad; fmce 

 he has invited his reader "to fink a tedious 

 hour in the ferious tafk of criticifm!" 



I have heard the new lines of plagiarifm 

 (truck out by this ingenious veterinarian, 

 fpoken of with admiration, as a wonderful and 

 fuccefsful ftroke of refined policy. Amongft 

 the generality of copiefts who with to borrow 

 a reputation, mum is the order of the day, as 

 to the names of their god-fathers, the original 

 writers. Mr. Taplin, on the contrary, with a 

 confidence that would do honor to a courtier, 

 or even to a patriot, boldly brings forward the 

 names of thofe writers from whom he has 

 compiled his book ; and after loading their 

 memory with obloquy, accufing them of fheer 

 ignorance, and attempting to expofe their 

 characters with what he imagines to be ridi- 

 cule; very coolly and deliberately, tranfcribes 

 their opinions and their practice ; and compla- 

 cently viewing himfelf arrayed in his borrowed 

 plumage, with a moft becoming modefty, con- 

 gratulates the world, upon the immenfe bene- 

 fits it is about to derive from his entirely new 

 and original fyftem. He rightly judged, from 

 the natural indolence and ignorance of the far 

 greater number of readers, that they would 



much 



