they require it; they have their own reward, and are best requited in the consciousness of their own worth. Their good effects, however, cannot fail to awaken the sensibility of grateful truth, which, to recording and endless time, will yield a boon that praise cannot bestow. Flattery is a thing repugnant to great minds, and those who have the talent to bestow it, have generally the disposition to deceive. Those also who covet applause have seldom the merit to deserve it, and none but the truly great will endure the sincerity of unwelcome truth. But nothing of an unpleasant kind is to be apprehended in the present instance. Your Royal Highness will, undoubtedly, continue the great work of the amelioration of mankind, which has already evinced a considerable degree of progress; and that it may attain a farther, if not the fullest, degree of accomplishment, under the auspices of Your Royal Highness, aided by all Sovereigns, and all people who have the power and means, is the sincere wish of, YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS'S MOST FAITHFUL AND MOST HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. THERE is a class of persons whom one of our elegant writers, long ago, described, "that never like to read a book without first knowing something of the Author." The cause of this is plain. If we know the character of a man, we can form a pretty correct judgment of the tendency of his works; for, however much he may be a party hireling, or wish to disguise his real sentiments and principles, they will always appear in some shape or other. Books have certainly a powerful tendency to do either good or evil, and it must be a stupid book that will neither produce the one effect nor the other. It is therefore necessary to be careful as to what books we read, and what books we send into the world to be read; but it is also rather unfair to judge of a work entirely by the reputation and dignity of its author; for every one must have a commencement in fame, or he could not acquire reputation. It cannot always drop down to us from the clouds, or be a fortuitous or spontaneous acquirement; nor does it always descend by the right of inheritance; then, if rightly judged, it should be the reward of individual merit, independent of prejudice or partial favour; but, unhappily, this principle is not always adhered to. As the Author of the present work is not much known in the literary world, or famed for other pursuits that have given him a title of high-sounding popularity, it is greatly to be feared, if we are to judge from the general rule, that this, his effort, although in a good cause, may fail in its effect, by not having emanated from a source that can give it stability in the estimation of mankind. The writer, however, has had much practical experience in the affairs of men; has had opportunities of viewing and studying mankind in different parts of the world, and in every class and rank of society; and if the conclusions which he has drawn from his observations may not meet with the fullest approval, still he has the confidence to believe, that they will nevertheless be found in a great degree useful. But Plato says, "whoever writes ought to conceal himself, disappear, and be forgotten, and only display the truths he designs to inculcate, and the passions he intends to purify and refine." He should make no parade of himself or his name; his works should speak for themselves; and such are the sentiments of THE AUTHOR. |