k&6 Encyclopedias and Scientific Dictionaries. 



The next in order was a Dictionary of Arts and 

 Trades, published by a society in France, arid em- 

 bracing an amount of information on all mecha- 

 nical subjects, more extensive and curious than 

 had ever before been collected. This was fol- 

 lowed by the celebrated French Encyclopedic, of 

 which Messrs. D'Alembert and Diderot were 

 the principal conductors, aided by a number of 

 their learned countrymen. It is probable that 

 they were prompted to this undertaking by the 

 fame and success of Mr. Chambers's work; and 

 also by a premeditated and systematic desigrt to : 

 throw all possible odium on revealed religion. 

 This great compilation was begun in 1752, and 

 brought to a close about fifteen or twenty years 

 afterwards, in thirty-three folio volumes. A lead- 

 ing feature of the Encyclopedia is the encourage- 

 ment which it artfully gives throughout to the 

 most impious infidelity; and though much valuable 

 science is undoubtedly diffused through its pages, 

 yet it is so contaminated with the mixture of licen- 

 tious principles in morals and religion, that no- 

 thing but its great voluminousness prevents it from 

 being one of the most pernicious works that ever 

 issued from the press. 



After the appearance of the French Encyclope^ 

 die, Baron Bielfeld, of Germany, published a 

 work which he called The Elements of Universal 

 Erudition. This compilation, however, is com- 

 paratively little known, and is certainly inferior 

 to many made both before and since. About the 

 ^ear 1760, a bookseller, by the name of Owen, 

 published a kind of Encyclopaedia, in three very 

 large octavo volumes. This work, though less 

 full on many subjects than some that had gone 

 before it, yet contained much useful information, 

 the mode of exhibiting which has been generally 

 applauded. In 1764 appeared The Complete Die- 



