THE HISTORY O F PHILOSOPHY, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENT CENTURY: DRAWN UP FROM BRUCKER's Hiftoria Critica Philofophiæ. BY WILLIAM ENFIELD, LL. D. Opinionum commenta delet dies, naturæ judicia confirmat. CLC IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. DUBLIN: PRINTED FOR P. WOGAN, P. BYRNE, A. GRUEBER, W. MCKENZIE, 7. RICE, R. WHITE, and G. DRAPER M,DCC,XCII.. 1792 PREFA C E. IN Na country, which has fo long held a diftinguished place in the Republic of Letters as Great Britain, it is furprifing that fo fmall a fhare of attention should hitherto have been paid to the fubject of this work. While the events of civil history have been related in every poffible variety of method and language, and have been made the frequent fubject of philosophical difcuffion, a series of facts, lefs adapted, indeed, to imprefs the imagination, but by no means less inftructive, has been almost entirely overlooked. A British student, who, in his fearch after truth, fhould be defirous of taking a general furvey of the rise and progress of opinions on the more important fubjects of speculation, and by a fair comparison of different fyftems to draw legitimate conclufions for himself, would seek in vain for the neceffary information in any English work. The only treatise, which might feem to promife him much affiftance on this fubject, is STANLEY'S HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY: but, to say nothing of the uncouth and obA 2 fcure |