PREFACE. xxv 



idle to buy books th?.t will n6t banifh. 

 Venuye from a {ingle hour. Succefs de- 

 pends on amufement. The historical 

 performances of this age and nation, 

 which have proved fo honourable to 

 their authors, would have met with a 

 lefs brilliant fuccefs, had not the charms 

 of flile rendered them as amufive as a 

 romance. Their extreme popularity is 

 perhaps built on rivalling, not only the 

 authors that had before treated the lame 

 iubjecls, but Sir Charles Grandiion and 

 Julia. That this obiervatiom however, 

 when applied to books of agriculture is 

 juft, will appear from the very ill fucceis 

 met with by authors of capital merit, 

 and the great fales that have attended 

 the moil miferable performances. The 

 merit of Mr. Lille's huibandry has, in 

 many years, carried it but into the ie- 

 cond edition. Mr Hitt's treat fe on 

 huibandry has not been re-printed, and 

 is very little known, yet there are par- 

 ticulars in it of more merit than half a 

 fcore volumes that have been fuccefs ful. 

 Even the elegant eflays on huibandry of 

 my old and much regretted friend Mr. 



Harte, 



