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Pickering Eugl-Hawford 7320

6-2-1922

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ADVERTISEMENT.

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Tis neceffary to inform the reader, that the following Remarks are a fmall part of a work lately given to the public, wherein occafion is incidentally taken to exhibit fome inftances of the manner in which Milton's character has been treated by fome of his former biographers and others. About the time that specimen was clofed Dr. Johnson's New Narrative was thrown in the way of the editors, and could not be overlooked without leaving fome of the more candid and capable judges of Milton's profe-writings to fuffer by the illiberal reflections of certain (perhaps well

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meaning) men, who may be led to think that truth, judgment, and impartiality are fmall matters, when contrafted with what Dr. Johnson's admirers have thought fit to call, an inimitable elegance of stile and compofition. Our countrymen are certainly interested, that wrong reprefentations of the character of fo capital a writer as John Milton fhould be corrected, and properly cenfured; and therefore as the work from which the following Remarks are extracted may fall into the hands of very few of the numerous readers of Dr. Johnson's Prefaces, we hope the public will approve of our republishing these ftrictures on the Doctor's account of Milton, in a form to which may be had an eafier and more general accefs.

We

We have only to add, that it has been thought convenient to fubjoin to these Remarks, new and accurate editions of two of Milton's profe tracts; viz. his Letter to Mr. Samuel Hartlib on Education, and his Areopagitica. The first was grown scarce, being omitted in fome editions, both of the author's prose and poetical works; but highly worthy to be preserved as prescribing a course of difcipline, which, though out of fashion in these times, affords many useful leffons to those who may have abilities and courage enough to adopt fome of those improvements, of which the modes of learned education in prefent practice are confeffedly fufceptible.

The

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