THE BRITISH CRITIC, FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MDCCC V. Πινυτοῖσιν ἐνίσπων Οἷς ἀγαθὴ κραδίη, καὶ πείθεται ἀθανάτοισιν. ORPHEUS. VOLUME XXV, London's PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON, 1805. Printed by Bye and Law, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell. PREFACE. NOTHING could be more interefting than a regifter of births, if it were poffible, in recording them, to fay, for what ufes in fociety the perfons then entering the world would afterwards be fit; and what intellectual rank they would be qualified to hold. Books, in fact, are born in a state to be thus estimated: and it is the bufinefs of public Critics, to record both the birth, and the qualities of these new beings. Their intellectual rank we are continually employed to afcertain; keeping pace, as far as we may, with the prolific powers of Literature; and in our Prefaces, we give a general View of those productions, which appear to us to be strong in conftitution, found in intellect, and likely to inftruct and improve the world, as long as they are destined to exift. With refpect to thofe which are feeble, or likely to prove pernicious, we point out their qualities once, with more or lefs feverity, and take no further notice. DIVINITY. If we could not give unlimited credit to the name of Bryant, we at leaft were always happy to record it: and the Obfervations on Scripture, published by *See Vol. xxiv. p. 665, and No. I. p. 45. |