CRITICAL NOTICES continued. 

 derives considerable aid from Home Tooke's philological labours ; and from the 

 >art before us, we would anticipate a useful and interesting work." Literary 



" The arrangement is founded upon the plan which Dr. Johnson put forth as 

 he proper mode of proceeding with his great undertaking, though he did not, 

 n the execution, adhere to his own scheme. The task which our great philo- 

 oger left unfulfilled has been performed by Mr. Richardson, with a patient 

 abour in research and collection, which Johnson, we suspect, never possessed, 

 and with means at his disposal, by the resuscitation of our ancient writers, which 

 Tohnson certainly never had. Judging from the specimen before us, the result 

 will be to present the world with the most complete Dictionary that ever was 

 published, as regards the etymology and primitive meaning of the words, the 

 successive growth of their secondary significations, the gradual advance and 

 changes of the language, the vast body of quotations from all authors, whether 

 ancient or modern, and, in consequence, the skeleton history of the English lan- 

 guage which it indirectly presents ; it will, in short, be a work indispensable to 

 every one who is curious in his mother tongue, and without which no library 

 can be considered complete." Spectator. 



11 It would be impossible to speak of the value of this work within the short 

 space of a literary notice ; but thus much we can assure our readers, that in its 

 plan it is novel, and more comprehensive than any of its predecessors ; that the 

 quotations from the earliest poets, chroniclers, divines, &c. arranged in chrono- 

 locrical order, in illustration of different words, supply an admirable view of the 

 progress of the English tongue ; that reference is made to chapter and verse for 

 every quotation given ; that it is cheap ; and that the publisher engages to de- 

 liver all parts beyond thirty free of expense. No library should be without it." 

 Christian Remembrancer. 



" This laborious work, of which the two first Parts are before us, is understood 

 to be completed in the manuscript ; the subscriber, therefore, incurs no risk of 

 disappointment from the non-accomplishment of the design. Of the care and 

 diligence bestowed in getting up the New Dictionary we are prepared to speak 

 in the highest praise. The paper is good, the type remarkably clear, the size 

 convenient, in every respect becoming a work of national importance. Ihe 

 radical word with its derivatives, is placed at the head of the meaning, of the 

 etymological derivation and of the quotations, by which their usages are illus- 

 trated. These quotations are selected and digested in the chronological order of 

 the writers appealed to, so that one, with oommon sagacity, may trace the 

 changes through which a word has passed down to its modern acceptation. The 

 primitive signification is thus made to give a strength and clearness to our own 

 perception of the word. We remember when it was the custom to characterize a 

 dull heavy work by the remark, " I would as soon read a Dictionary through." 

 We may now say, without drawing upon the truth, that we have a Dictionary 

 surpassing in entertainment and knowledge most books. The deep research and 

 extensive reading which have amassed this wealth of quotations, make us ac- 

 quainted with stores of thought, hitherto buried in the dust of time, or accessible 

 only to the favoured few. The divines, the poets, the dramatists, the philoso- 



sign, and so perfect in its execution, should meet with indifference, or even with 

 partial success." Gloucestershire Chronicle. 



" We are inclined to consider the English language as having attained th 

 fulness of maturity which leaves no wish for increase, but only anxiety for pre- 

 servation. As helps to this, we have the various acceptations, in which every 

 word has been used by approved writers, collected by Mr. Richardson, in a Dic- 

 tionary, such as, perhaps, no other language could ever boast : and we have a 

 HCW guide for the theory and use of languages, exemplifying his (Home Tooke : 

 principles, by applying them to our own tongue." Quarterly Review for March, 



Pickering's Publications, 



