found to have established, and to which public utility does not give its fanction, will gradually fink into public difefteem: and this, long continued, will make part of that pirit of men, of nations, and of times, which must finally bear down every thing that opposes it. Confequently, the only method of perpetuating any order of men whatever, is to make it truly refpectable and ufeful: This was the original foundation of honour, and it cannot finally ftand upon any other.

I must add, that the world will expect the more from your Lordship, on account of your relation to a nobleman who is eminently distinguished for his private, as well as his public virtues, and for nothing more than his attention to the education of his children, and his liberality of fentiment in the conduct of it.

That your Lordship may, in riper years, fully reward the care and attention that have been bestowed upon you, confirm the hopes which your friends have formed from your prefent improvements and

difpofitions, and eminently contribute to fupport the dignity of the rank to which you were born, by adding to the real luftre and value of it, is the fincere prayer of,

My LORD,

Your LORDSHIP'S

Moft devoted,

Humble Servant,

J. PRIESTLEY.

THE

PREFACE.

THIS Course of Lectures was compofed when I was Tutor in the Languages and Belles Lettres in the Academy at Warrington, and was first delivered in the year 1762. The plan is rather more comprehenfive than any thing that I have seen upon the subject, the arrangement of the materials, as a system, is new, and the theory, in feveral respects, more fo.

For this reafon I have been frequently urged to make the Lectures public; and having poftponed it fo long, I have been induced to do it at this time, partly with a view to the illuftration of the doctrine of the affociation of ideas, to which there is a conftant reference through the whole work (in order to explain facts relating to the influence of Oratory, and the striking effect of Excellencies in Compofition, upon the genuine principles, of human nature) in confequence of having of late endeavoured to draw fome degree of attention to those principles, as advanced by Dr. Hartley. Another reason for publishing these Lec

Lectures at this time is, for the fake of the young nobleman to whom they are dedicated, to whofe improvement my best services are, on many accounts, due.

Confidering the nature of the work, it will not be expected, by the candid and judicious, that every thing in it fhould be original. It is, on the contrary, the businefs of a Lecturer, to bring into an easy and comprehenfive view whatever has been obferved by others; and in this respect I hope it will be thought that I have not acquitted myfelf ill; few works of criticism, of any value, having escaped my attention, at the time that I was engaged in those studies. But I own, that of the later publications of this kind I can give less account than might have been wifhed; having been generally engaged in purfuits of a different nature. But, notwithstanding there may be fome things in common between this work and other publications of the kind, it is probable that many of the observations will be peculiar to myself, because my general theory of human nature is very much.fo. I have fhewn myself willing to contribute what I may be able to the illustration of my fubject. If my endeavours have been attended with fuccefs, the friends of literature will not be difpleafed; and if, in their

opinion,

opinion, I have contributed nothing to the common stock of useful obfervations, this work, they will conclude, will not stand long in the way of better.

The most confiderable work on the fubject of criticism, that was extant at the time of my compofing these Lectures, was that of Lord Kaims, to whom I am indebted for a very great number of my examples, especially those from the dramatic writers, and fometimes for the obfervations too; but with respect to this subject, on which fo many able men have written, it is hardly poffible to fay to whom we are ultimately obliged for any very valuable remark.

Several of the examples in the first part of this work are borrowed from Dr. Ward's Oratory, and fome from other works of the fame nature; but many of the inftances are of my own collecting. I would have been more particular in making my acknowledgments, if I had been better able to recollect them, and had thought it at all neceffary. Let my reader confider this work as a fuccinct and fyftematical view of the obfervations of others, interfperfed with original ones of my own; and he will not, I hope, think that the perufal of it has been time ill-bestowed.

A con