Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Critical Notices Of The Literature Of The Last Three Months,
CRITICAL NOTICES OF THE LITERATURE OF THE LAST THREE MONTHS ,
AND 01 ? MATTERS CONNECTED AVITH SCIENCE AK 3 > AUT . " Why should not divers studies , at divers hours , delight , when the variety is alone able to refresh and repair us ?"—Ren Jonson ' s Discoveries . Smosr WAGSTAFFE , of immortal memory , apologised much in the
same manner , for the strange melange of dishes which ho placed before his company , as we are inclined to do for the heterogeneous mass of books Which it is our peculiar office and object to introduce to the notice of our readers . " Some , " he says , " will perhaps object that , vrhon I bring my company to dinner , I mention too great a variety of dishes , not consistent ivith the art of cookery , or proper for the season of the year ; and part of the first course is mingled with tho second ; besides a failure in
politeness , by introducing a black pudding to a lord ' s table , ancl at a great entertainment . But if I had omitted the black pudding , ivhat woulcl have become of that excellent reason given by Miss Notable for not eating it The world might perhaps have lost it for ever , and I should have been justly answerable . I cannot but hope that such hypercritical readers vrill please to consider , that my business ivas to make so full and complete a body of refined sayings as compact as I could ; only taking care to produce them in the most natural and probable manner , in order to allure my readers into the very substance ancl marrow of this most admirable and necessary art . "
As it was Simon Wagstaffe ' s business to make his " work as full and complete" as possible , so is it ours to arrange and notice the current literature of the day , taking as little heed of the vast variety of the subjects , as of the apparent inconsistency of bringing together and noticing under one head so many works of different character , and of degrees of merit ancl interest . But the fact is , that , like the excellent reason given by Miss Notable for not eating black pudding , many ofthe works , if we did
not notice them , would ; it is much to be feared , be in danger of being lost to the world for ever . At no period that AVO can recollect , in the history of the literature of this country , were there ever so many works published of mere momentary interest , arising out of some peculiar local subject , founded on some grievance or prejudice , or having their origin in some temporary excitement . Doubtless the demand for cheap literature , of some kind or another , has been the moving cause ; the supply obeying the
laws of social economy , answering the demand . Another , and more gratifying cause , perhaps , is the growing inclination on the part of the masses for intellectual food , or , at any rate , for something which , while affording amusement for a leisure hour , shall increase their stock of knowledge , and render them more at home on the chief subjects which affect their own , and tho well-being of the rest of the human race . Amongst the most valuable , however , ancl interesting of the historical works of the day , may fairly be ranked " Ear-mi ' s lloman State ; " * the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Critical Notices Of The Literature Of The Last Three Months,
CRITICAL NOTICES OF THE LITERATURE OF THE LAST THREE MONTHS ,
AND 01 ? MATTERS CONNECTED AVITH SCIENCE AK 3 > AUT . " Why should not divers studies , at divers hours , delight , when the variety is alone able to refresh and repair us ?"—Ren Jonson ' s Discoveries . Smosr WAGSTAFFE , of immortal memory , apologised much in the
same manner , for the strange melange of dishes which ho placed before his company , as we are inclined to do for the heterogeneous mass of books Which it is our peculiar office and object to introduce to the notice of our readers . " Some , " he says , " will perhaps object that , vrhon I bring my company to dinner , I mention too great a variety of dishes , not consistent ivith the art of cookery , or proper for the season of the year ; and part of the first course is mingled with tho second ; besides a failure in
politeness , by introducing a black pudding to a lord ' s table , ancl at a great entertainment . But if I had omitted the black pudding , ivhat woulcl have become of that excellent reason given by Miss Notable for not eating it The world might perhaps have lost it for ever , and I should have been justly answerable . I cannot but hope that such hypercritical readers vrill please to consider , that my business ivas to make so full and complete a body of refined sayings as compact as I could ; only taking care to produce them in the most natural and probable manner , in order to allure my readers into the very substance ancl marrow of this most admirable and necessary art . "
As it was Simon Wagstaffe ' s business to make his " work as full and complete" as possible , so is it ours to arrange and notice the current literature of the day , taking as little heed of the vast variety of the subjects , as of the apparent inconsistency of bringing together and noticing under one head so many works of different character , and of degrees of merit ancl interest . But the fact is , that , like the excellent reason given by Miss Notable for not eating black pudding , many ofthe works , if we did
not notice them , would ; it is much to be feared , be in danger of being lost to the world for ever . At no period that AVO can recollect , in the history of the literature of this country , were there ever so many works published of mere momentary interest , arising out of some peculiar local subject , founded on some grievance or prejudice , or having their origin in some temporary excitement . Doubtless the demand for cheap literature , of some kind or another , has been the moving cause ; the supply obeying the
laws of social economy , answering the demand . Another , and more gratifying cause , perhaps , is the growing inclination on the part of the masses for intellectual food , or , at any rate , for something which , while affording amusement for a leisure hour , shall increase their stock of knowledge , and render them more at home on the chief subjects which affect their own , and tho well-being of the rest of the human race . Amongst the most valuable , however , ancl interesting of the historical works of the day , may fairly be ranked " Ear-mi ' s lloman State ; " * the