LITERATURE, well or ill conducted, is THE GREAT ENGINE, by which, I am fully perfuaded, ALL CIVILIZED STATES must ultimately be fupported or overthrown. PURSUITS OF L. Dublin? PRINTED FOR J. MILLIKEN, No. 32, GRAFTON-STREET. 1799. TO THE READER. A LOVER OF LITERATURE and of his COUNTRY, wifhing to promote the circulation of a work of no common merit, THE PURSUITS OF LITERATURE, whose noble minded and profoundly learned author, pofterity will hail as THE SEVENTH SATIRIST; With all the playfulness of wit, the severity of virtue and the honefty of religion, unfparingly applying THE ROD to irreligion, fuperftition, anarchy, vice and folly; and liberally bestowing THE WREATH on piety, patriotifm, learning, knowledge and taste, In thoughts that breathe and words that burn. But who has not condefcended to give his own mafter key of translation, to those treasures of erudition and found criticism, which he has locked up in the learned languages, though fo effential to enforce and illuftrate his argument, by their energy, their beauty and their drollery; rather maliciously, in appearance, pearance, but with the best intentions, I am perfuaded, to pique the pride, and excite the curiosity of "scholars ripe and good," like Bryant, Hurd, Huntingford, Burgess, Porfon, Cooke, &c. &c. &c.-so thickly ftrewn throughout that happy land of literature-GREAT BRITAIN !-To repair to the original fources, in order to folve thefe queftions for exercise, fet by a mighty mafter, φωνέλα συνετοισι, "the intelligent," in this his petual poffeffion”: Speaking to -Wishing therefore, in fome measure, to supply the deficiency, in a fubordinate country, where claffical learning is lefs. generally diffused, and where fplendid names in literature, are as yet, more sparingly scattered throughout the land a land however, through the liberal conceffions of GREAT BRITAIN, rifing into national confequence, and emerging from darkness to light"-to a due fenfe of the infinite importance of found and well conducted learning to focial happiness :-The author of thefe TRANSLATIONS offers them PRO BONO PUBLICO. And the honefty of his intentions will, he trufts, atone |