fo much as named, though he has mentioned others of whom nothing is known, but that they were the occafion or the fubject of fome ufelefs controverfy, the very terms of which few understand, and the merits of which a fmall part even of thofe few are difpofed to examine. Bayle's Lives are indeed nothing more than a vehicle for his criticism, and his work feems to have been chiefly the tranfcript of a voluminous common-place book, in which he had inserted his own remarks on the various authors he had read, and gratified his peculiar turn of mind by difcuffing their opinions and correcting their mistakes; it is therefore rather a mifcellany of critical and metaphysical speculations, than a fyftem of Biography.

The General Dictionary, as it includes Bayle, is so far liable to the fame objections: it is indeed augmented with other articles, but they alfo are written in Bayle's manner, and for that reason the work upon the whole is not much better adapted to general use. There are many redundancies, and yet there are many defects; and there is befides an objection of more weight though of another kind, the work confifting of no less than ten volumes in folio, for which the purchaser must pay much more than fo many pounds.

The

The Biographia Britannica, is indeed much more an hiftorical work than Bayle's, but is written upon a much less extensive plan; it contains the Lives of those eminent perfons only who were born in Great Britain and Ireland, and of these the chief alone are felected, though many others have a degree of eminence fufficient to render them objects of general curiofity.

The Athenæ Oxonienfes is written upon a plan ftill more contracted, for it contains an account of fuch authors only, as received their academic education at the University of Oxford.

Mr. Collier's Great Hiftorical, Geographical, Genealogical, Poetical Dictionary may poffibly feem, by the pretended univerfality of its plan, to have answered every purpose, which can be pròposed from any new work: but this Dictionary is, as its title fhews, filled with Geographical and Poetical descriptions, which are no part of our defign, and with tedious uninteresting Genealogies which have neither use nor entertainment in them. It is exceedingly defective both as to the number of the lives, and the fullness of the accounts: that is, its accounts of men are too general, too fuperficial, and indeed too short to give fatisfaction. We would not have the reader to conclude from this, that it is any part of our in

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intention to be more than ordinarily nice and critical on the contrary, we have for the most part purposely avoided mere criticifm, minute enquiries and difcuffions, and all those trifling points, which conftitute the dry part of Biography; but then we have endeavoured to be at least fo particular and fo accurate in our accounts, as to convey a fufficient knowledge of the perfons we have recorded; which certainly can by no means be said of Mr. Collier. So that upon the whole, neither any nor all of these performances, however voluminous and expenfive contain what ought to be found in an Univerfal Biographical Dictionary; and fuch is the work which we now offer to the publick.

This contains fome account of every life that has been fufficiently distinguished to be recorded; not indeed a list of all the Names that are to be found in chronological and regal tables, for of many nominal rulers both of the Church and State it can only be faid that they lived and died; but a judicious narrative of the actions or writings, the honours and disgraces of all those whofe Virtues, Parts, Learning, or even Vices, have preserved them from oblivion in any records, of whatever age, and in whatever language.

This

This work will therefore naturally include a hiftory of the most remarkable and interesting tranfactions, an hiftorical account of the progrefs of learning, and an abstract of all opinions and principles by which the world has been influenced in all its extent and duration. We have been particularly careful to do justice to the learned and ingenious of our own country, whose works are justly held in the highest esteem; and we have also been attentive to the inftruction and amufement of the ladies, not only by decorating our work with the Names of those who have done honour to the fex, but by making our account of others fuf ficiently particular to excite and gratify curiofity; and, where the subject would admit, to intereft the paffions, without wearying attention, by minute prolixity or idle fpeculations.

In the execution of this plan we have not had recourse merely to dictionaries, nor contented ourselves with fupplying the defects of one dictionary from another, and cutting off the redundancies of all, but we have collected from every performance in every language that had any relation to our Defign. For the lives of authors, we have had recourfe to their works ; and for the lives of others, to the best memoirs that are extant concerning them. We shall, how

ever,

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ever, notwithstanding the extent of our undertaking, and the labour and expence neceffary to the execution of it, comprize this work within Twelve volumes in octavo, and fell them. for Six fhillings a volume; fo that the price of the whole will be no more than Three pounds twelve fhillings when bound.

In a work fo various, the materials of which are fo numerous, diffufed and diffimilar, we have endeavoured to felect in every inftance, what was in itself moft eligible; we hope therefore that when our Readers confider what we have done, they will not withhold their approbation, upon a mere fupposition that we might have done more. Those who are acquainted with the pains and attention requifite for the compiling of great works, will readily excufe any fmall defects that may have escaped us. The authors hope for fuccefs from the candid and judicious only, whofe recommendation of this, it is their utmost ambition to obtain, as it has been their earnest endeavours to merit.

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