THE BRITISH CRITIC, FOR JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, M DCCCI. Χαλεπόν, ἄνθρωπον ὅντα, μὴ διαμαρτάνειν ἐν πολλοῖς, τὰ μὲν ὅλως ἀγνοήσανία, GALEN. VOLUME XVIII. London: PRINTED FOR F. AND C. RIVINGTON, 1801. PRINTED BY T, RICKABY, PETERBOROUGH-COURT, FLEET-STREET. PREFA C E. A MONG the profpects of Peace, few are more pleafing to a true critic, than that of seeing literature flourish, the commerce of learning renewed, and fecurity and leifure prepared for thofe on whom the Mufes fimile, or whom inventive Genius qualifies to increase the triumphs of art, or extend the boundaries of knowledge. That hope is now conceded to us, and we truft our future volumes will record as realized, what we at present hail as probable. Yet there are enemies with whom, for the fake of public happinefs and tranquillity, BRITISH CRITICS muft not make even a moment's truce. Thefe are, the affailants of religion, infidelity and impiety; or the dif turbers of the ftate, faction and difloyalty; enemies, whofe inroads called us from our voluntary studies, to a state of literary warfare; to wield the pen, and fhed the ink, which otherwife would have been quietly confumed, in defence of all that we hold facred in religion, valuable in law, or ufeful in fociety. Thofe enemies, as we cannot hope to drive them from the field, we muft always be prepared to combat: happy if we may at least preferve the ftatus quo, prepared for us in church and ftate, by our honest and judicious ancestors. Dulnefs, Ignorance, and their companion Impudence, we must alfo oppose; but not fo much in the character of enemies with whom we are to contend, as in that of delinquents whom it is our office to punifh. Not that infidelity and fedition difdain even these affociates; but ftill, what BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVII. ever |