Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/14

PREFACE TO to conclude from this, that it is any part of our intention to be more than ordinarly nice and cri- tical : on the contrary, we have for the moil part purpofely avoided mere criticifm, minute enquiries and difcumons, and all thofe trifling points which conftkute the dry part of Bio- graphy ; but then we have endeavoured to be at leaft fo particular and fo accurate in our ac- counts, as to convey a fufficient knowledge of the perfons we have recorded ; which certainly can by no means be faid of Mr. Collier. So that, upon the whole, neither any nor all of thefe per- formances, however voluminous and expennVe, contain what ought to be found in an Univerfal Biographical Dictionary;- and fucli is the work which we now offer to the public, This contains fome account of every Fife that has been fufficiently diftinguifhed to be record- ed ; not indeed a lift of all the Names which 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 aclions or ,vritings, the honours or difgraces, of all thofe whofe Virtues, Parts, Learning, or even Vices, have preferved them from oblivion in any records, of whatever age, and in whatever language. This