OR; useful and entertaining Young Persons being similar in Design to Deste Printed for TLongman B.Law & Son Dodsley, Johnson, C.Dilly CGS J.Robinson TCadell, WRichardson. 1794. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PRESENT EDITION. TH PHERE cannot be a doubt but that a Book, like this, purpofely adapted to the use of young perfons of both fexes, copious beyond former examples, fingularly various in its contents, felected from writers whofe characters are established without controverfy, abounding with entertainment and useful information, inculcating the pureft principles of morality and religion, and difplaying excellent models of ftyle and language, must contribute most effectually to the improvement of the RISING GENERATION in knowledge, tafte, and virtue. It must form at once the elegant fcholar and the enlightened member of civil Society. The public have indeed already felt and acknowledged by the leaft fallible proof, their general reception of it, its great utility. It has been diffufed throughout all the most reSpectable places of education in the kingdom, and doubtless fown the feeds of excellence, which may one day arrive at maturity, and add to the happiness of the community and of human nature. Infufing virtuous and liberal ideas at the moft fufceptible age into the minds of a whole nation, its effect must be in the highest degree falutary, on the rifing race, and on late pofterity. What ENGLISH book fimilar to this volume, calculated entirely for the use of young ftudents at fchools, and under private tuition, was to be found in the days of our fathers? None certainly. The confequence was, that the ENGLISH PART of education (to many the most important part) was defective even in places most celebrated for claffic difcipline; and boys were often enabled to read Latin perfectly, and write it tolerably, who, from difufe of the want of models for practice, were wretchedly qualified to do either in their native language. From this unhappy circumftance, claffical education was brought into fome degree of difgrace; and it was certainly prepofterous, to study during many of the best years of life, foreign and dead languages, with the moft fcrupulous accuracy, and at the fame time entirely to neglect that mother tongue, which is in daily and hourly requifition; to be well read in Cicero, and a total franger to Addifon; to have Homer and Horace by heart, and to know little more than the names of MILTON and POPE. Learning, thus defective in a point fo obvious to detection, incurred the imputation of pedantry. It was obferved to affume great pride, the important air of fuperiority, without difplaying to the common obferver any just pretenfions to it. It even appeared with marks of inferiority when brought into occafional collifion with well-informed understandings cultivated by English literature alone, but improved in the School of experience. Perfons who had never drunk at the claffic fountains, but had been confined in their education to English, triumphed over the Scholars and learning often hid her head in confufion, when pointed at as pedantry by the finger of a DUNCE. It became highly expedient therefore to introduce more of English reading inte our claffical fchools; that those who went out into the world with their coffers richly ftored with the golden medals of antiquity, might at the fame time be furnished with a fufficiency of current coin from the modern mint, for the commerce of daily ufe: but there was no school book, copious and various enough, calculated entirely for this purpose. The Grecian and Roman Hiftory, the Spectators, and Plutarch's Lives, were indeed fometimes introduced, and certainly with great advantage. But ftill, an uniformity of English books in fchools, was a defideratum. It was defirable that all the students of the fame clafs, provided with the fame book, containing the proper variety, might be enabled to read it together, and thus benefit each other by the emulous fludy of the same subject or compofition, at the fame time, under the eye of their common master. For this important purpose, the large collections entitled "ELEGANT EXTRACTS,” both in Profe and Verfe, were projected and completed by the prefent Editor. Their reception is the fulleft teftimony in favour both of the defign and its execution. Several editions, confifting of very numerous impreffions, have been rapidly circulated, and a new one is now demanded. Public encouragement has not operated on the Editor as a feduction to indolence, but as a fpur to fresh exertion; and as the prefs proceeded, great additions, alterations, and improvements, have been made in every Edition, without regard to encreasing expence or trouble. The advantage has hitherto chiefly redounded to the public; for thofe who are able to eftimate the expence of fuch works as thefe, and are acquainted with the embarrassments that fometimes impede their progrefs, or render them unproductive, will readily believe it may happen, that the reward of the Projector, Editor, and Establisher, fhall be little more than the amusement arifing from his invention and fuperintendance. The labour of a Compiler of a book like this is indeed humble; but its utility is extenfive; and he feels a pride and pleasure in the reflection that he has been ferving his country most effectually, in ferving the rifing generation by fuch books as this, without facrificing either to avarice or to, vanity. The renown attending a public work, is indeed feldom proportioned to its utility. Glitter is not always the most brilliant on the furface of the most valuable fubflance. The loadflone is plain and unattractive in its appearance, while the pafte on the finger of the beau fparkles with envied luftre. The Spade, the plough, the shuttle, have no ornament bestowed on them, while the fword is decorated with ribbands, gold, and ivory. Yet REASON, undazzled in her decifions, dares to pronounce, while She holds the fcales, that the USEFUL, though little praised, preponderates, and that the fhewy and unfubftantial kicks the beam of the balance, while it attracts the eye of inconfiderate admiration. Things Things intrinfically good and valuable have however, the advantage of securing permanent esteem, though they may lose the eclat of temporary applaufe. They carry with them to the clofet their own letters of recommendation. This volume confidently claims the character of good and valuable, and therefore wants not the pafport of praife. Every page Speaks in its own favour, in the modeft language of merit, which has no occafion to boast, though it cannot renounce its right to just efteem. The most valuable woods used in the fine cabinet work of the artifan, require neither paint nor varnish, but appear beautiful by their own variegated veins and colours. As it is likely that the ftudent who reads this volume of Profe with pleasure, may also poffefs a tafle for POETRY, it is right to mention in this place, that there is published by the fame Proprietors, a volume of Poetry, fimilar in fize and form; and as he may also wish to improve himself in the very useful art of Letter-Writing, that there is provided a moft copious volume of Letters from the beft authors, under the title of ELEGANT EPISTLES, This whole Set of Collections, more copious, convenient, and valuable, than any which have preceded it, certainly conduces in a very high degree, to that national object, the PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. SEPTEMBER, 1794. great |