PHILOSOPHY. 
182 
ment on thefe fubje&s. But experience has taught us, 
that this is not fo eafily to be accompliflied, After the 
multitude had loft their fuperftitious veneration for kings, 
they fooliflily imagined, that all difference of rank and 
all fubordination muft be abolilhed, and that every one 
mull be allowed to do as he pleafed. Such a giddinefs 
feized their minds, and fo great a confufion arofe in fo- 
ciety, that thofe who then ventured, at the rifle of their 
lives, to come forward, in order to fpeak one word in the 
name of Reafnn and Juflice, were very foon convinced 
that fuch ears were deaf to all rational information, fuch 
hearts dead to every better feeling; that force alone 
would be able to check the frenzy of a people already at 
the brink of ruin. The confequences of all this are well 
known. It is fufficient to diredl the attention of the 
reader to the great injury which may arife, not only from 
falfe, but even from true, enlightenment, when it is merely 
of a partial nature. Here a wide field opens for the prac¬ 
tical politician. Let it be left to him to deduce, from 
correct and fundamental conceptions of the true nature 
of enlightenment, and of human nature in general, fuch 
rules for a continually-progreflive cultivation of the 
mind as may render it a true and lafting blefling to man¬ 
kind. It is certain beyond all doubt, that our race is 
deftined fora continual progreflion to a clearer and more 
extended knowledge ; and that even the temporal difad- 
vantages which may arife, both to individuals and to 
■whole nations, from the oblique diredlion that this pro- 
greflion often takes, cannot render the good caufe of en¬ 
lightenment fufpicious in itfelf. It is, however, equally 
clear, that thofe who, by their mental fuperiority and true 
wifdom, are qualified to be guardians and leaders of the 
multitude, (wife teachers, magiftrates, ftate-officers,) are 
bnund in duty to manage and guide, as truly-enlightened 
men, the important bu fin eft of the enlightenment of the 
people, and never to forget to what incalculable 
evils every rafh and unprepared ftep may eafily lead. 
Their bufinefs is to endeavour to prevent the enlighten¬ 
ment of the people from taking place with the fhock of a 
mental revolution. This may belt be effected by a wife 
education; that is, by an early intelledlual and moral 
cultivation of the rifing generation, preventing fuper- 
ffition and error from having accefs to the mind : for, 
where there is no darknefs, there is no need of enlight¬ 
enment. 
Whoever has perufed with attention the preceding 
Syftem of Philofophy muft have been ftruck by the 
thought of enquiring from what fource could have arifen 
Inch accurate definitions, fubdivifions, in fad!, fo much 
fyftematic order and arrangement. The Englifli language 
has never before difplayed any thing to compare in this 
refpedt with the prelent treatife: for here the entire circle 
of knowledge is completely clofed. Nothing fhort of the 
fublime difcoveries made by the immortal Kant could 
have led to refults fo comprehendve, fo complete, and fo 
decifive, or could have enabled his fucceffors to elaborate 
fciences whole very exiftence were doubted; difcoveries 
which can never be fufficiently extolled for the lafting 
. benefits they will diffufe over a long line of pofterity. 
The following panegyric, borrowed from another fcience, 
applies fo clofely to the prefent, that I am induced to 
prefent it to the reader. “Neither did the beauty and 
Jimplicity of this fyftem alone recommend it to the imagi¬ 
nation; the novelty and unexpe&ednefs of that view of nature 
which it opened to the fancy excited more wonder and 
furprife than the ftrongeft of thofe appearances which it 
had been invented to render natural and familiar; and 
thefe fentiments ftill more endeared if. For, though it is 
the end of philofophy to allay that wonder which either 
the unufual or feemingly-disjointed appearances of nature 
excite, yet Ihe never triumphs fo much as when, in order 
to conned! together a few in themfelves perhaps incon- 
liderable objedls, Ihe has, if I may fo fay, created another 
conftitution of things, more natural indeed, and fuch as 
the imagination can more eafily attend to, but more new, 
more contrary to common opinion and expedition, than 
any of thofe appearances themfelves. As in the inltance 
before us, in order to conned! together fome feeming ir¬ 
regularities in the motions of the planets, the moft incon- 
fiderable objedis in the heavens, and of which the greater 
part of mankind have no occafion to take any notice during 
the whole courje of their lives , philofophy has moved the 
earth from its foundation, flopped the revolution of the 
firmament, made the fun ftand ftill, and fubverted the 
whole order of the univerfe. Such is the New Hypothefis !" 
It cannot, therefore, fail to gratify the intelligent reader 
to have the Principles upon which the preceding Treatife 
is founded difplayed before him in their fulled extent, 
fo that he may be enabled to decide for himfelf upon the 
corredinefs of the application of the New Syjiem. With 
this view I have fubjoined a tranflation of the “ Critic 
of Pure Reason.” This work embraces two confider- 
ations. The firft, the complete analyfis of the Faculty of 
Senfe, under the title of Esthetics. The fecond that of 
the Judging Faculty, or Underfunding and Reafon, under 
the title of Logic. The principles and the arguments in 
fupport of the former are fo concife, that any attempt to 
abridge them would greatly deteriorate their fenfe. I 
have therefore given them at full length, accompanied 
with the excellent Introdudlion of their author, which 
throws great light upon the fubjed!. The latter occupies 
by far the greater part of the work. In this part, the 
Logic, all the principles are fully tranflated and with the 
utmoft fidelity ; but the proofs and arguments have been 
in general confiderably abridged. It is prefumed, there¬ 
fore, that the reader may thence form a comprehenfive 
idea of the nature and objed! of this ftupendous work. 
Should this attempt to introduce to the notice of England 
that long-dormant booh, which is the pride and glory of 
Germany, call forth any criticifms, they will be hailed 
with delight, as a means of improvement to a complete 
and faithful tranflation of the “Critic of Pure Reason,” 
in which confiderable progrefs is already made. In this 
undertaking I have adopted the 2d edition of that valuable 
work, which is acknowledged by its author to be the 
moft perfedl, and which all the fubfequent editions have 
llridfly followed. In this work it is my intention not 
to deviate in one (ingle iota from the original German ; 
but fo far as lies in my power to render the tranflation as 
faithful a tranfcript as the genius of the two languages 
will admit. In the mean time the reader may form a to¬ 
lerably good foretafte of the nature of the “ Critic,” fo 
as to determine whether thefe abftrufe reafonings are in 
accordance with his tafte. Of this however I am fully 
perfuaded, that, if England do not adopt “Transcen¬ 
dental Philosophy,” refledlive Germany will, on fpe- 
culative points, foon be many centuries in advance. Buf, 
(hould this fyftem once ftrike root in Britain, I ftiould 
not be furprifed if, by her atftive powers, (he were far to 
furpafs, in application, all that has been effefled at the 
birth-place of this divine fyftem. T. \V. 
