PREFACE. xi 



dead, so neither were truth and justice ever sacrificed 

 to those opinions. 



The Statesmen of George the Third's age having 

 thus formed the subject of the volumes already pub-* 

 lished, I now offer to the attention of the reader a 

 more full and elaborate view of the Learned Men 

 who flourished in the same period. In my opinion, 

 these, the great teachers of the age, covered it with 

 still greater glory than it drew from the Statesmen 

 and the Warriors who ruled its affairs. It was neces- 

 sary to enter much more into detail here than in the 

 former branch of this work, because a mere general 

 description of scientific or of literary merit is of ex- 

 ceedingly little value, conveying no distinct or precise 

 idea of the subject sought to be explained. It ap- 

 peared the more necessary to discuss these matters 

 minutely, because upon some of them much prejudice 

 prevailed, and no attempt had hitherto been made to 

 examine them completely, or even impartially. Of 

 this a remarkable example is afforded by the want 

 of any thing that deserves the name of a Life of 

 Voltaire, and by the great prejudices, both favour- 

 able and unfavourable to him, which, among differ- 

 ent classes, exist on the subject. But it must also 

 be observed that Dr. Black's discoveries have been far 

 from attaining the reputation which they so well de- 

 serve as the foundation of modern chemistry ; and 

 justice to this illustrious philosopher required that the 

 consequences arising from his modesty and his great 



