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INTRODUCTION

TO A NEW

HISTORY OF THE WORLD;

INTENDED TO HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED

IN TWELVE VOLUMES 8vo.

BY J. NEWBERY 1764.

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TO THE PUBLIC.

EXPERIENCE every day convinces us, that no part of learning affords fo much wisdom upon fuch eafy terms as Hiftory. Our advances in moft other ftudies are flow and difgufting, acquired with effort, and retained with difficulty; but in a well written history every step we proceed only serves to increase our ardour: we profit by the experience of others, without tharing their toils or misfortunes; and in this part of knowledge, in a more particular manner, study is but relaxation.

Of all histories however, that, which not confined to any particular reign or country, but which extends to the tranfactions of all mankind, is the most ufeful and entertaining. As in geography we can have no juft idea of the fituation of one country withbut knowing that of others, fo in hiftory it is in fome measure neceffary to be acquainted with the whole, thoroughly to comprehend a part. A know ledge of univerfal hiftory is therefore highly useful, nor is it lefs entertaining. Tacitus complains, that the trafactions of a few reigns could not afford him a fufficient stock of materials to please or intereft the reader; but here that objection is entirely removed; an Hiftory of the World prefents the moft ftriking events, with the greatest variety.

These are a part of the many advantages which univerfal history has over all others, and which have encouraged fo many writers to attempt compiling works of this kind, among the antients as well as the moderns. Each invited by the manifeft utility of the defign; yet many of them failing through the great and unforeseen difficulties of the undertaking.

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The barrenness of events in the early periods of hiftory, and their fertility in modern times, equally ferving to increase their embarraffments. In recounting the tranfactions of remote antiquity, there is fuch a defect of materials, that the willingness of mankind to fupply the chafm, has given birth to falfhood and invited conjecture. The farther we look back into thofe diftant periods, all the objects feem to become more obfcure, or are totally loft, by a fort of perspective diminution. In this cafe, therefore, when the eye of truth could no longer discern clearly, fancy undertook to form the picture; and fables were invented where truths were wanting. For this reason we have declined enlarging on fuch difquifitions, not for want of materials, which offered themselves at every step of our progrefs, but because we thought them not worth difcuffing. Neither have we encumbered the beginning of our work with the various opinions of the heathen philofophers concerning the creation, which may be found in most of our fyftems of theology, and belong more properly to the divine than the hiftorian. Senfible how liable we are to redundancy in this firft part of our defign, it has been our endeavour to unfold antient history with all poffible concifenefs; and folicitous to improve the reader's ftock of knowledge, we have been indifferent as to the difplay of our own. We have not ftopt to difcufs or confute all the abfurd conjectures men of fpeculation have thrown in our way. We at firft had even determined not to deform the page of truth with the names of those, whose labours had only been calculated to encumber it with fiction and vain fpeculation. However, we have thought proper, upon fecond thoughts, flightly to mention them and their opinions, quoting the author at the bottom of the page, fo that the reader who is curious about fuch particularities, may know where to have recourfe for fuller information.

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As in the early part of hiftory a want of real facts hath induced many to fpin out the little that was known with conjecture, fo in the modern part the fuperfluity of trifling anecdotes was equally apt to intoduce confufion. In one cafe history has been rendered tedious from our want of knowing the truth, in the other from knowing too much of truth not worth our notice. Every year that is added to the age of the world, ferves to lengthen the thread of its history; fo that to give this branch of learning a juft length in the circle of human pursuits, it is neceffary to abridge feveral of the leaft important facts. It is true, we often at prefent fee the annals of a fingle reign, or even the tranfactions of a fingle year, occupying folios: but can the writers of fuch tedious journals ever hope to reach pofterity, or do they think that our defcendants, whofe attention will naturally be turned to their own concerns, can exhaust so much time in the examination of ours? A plan of general hiftory rendered too extenfive, deters us from a ftudy that is perhaps of all others the most useful, by rendering it too laborious; and inftead of alluring our curiofity, excites our defpair. Writers are unpardonable who convert our amufement into labour, and diveft knowledge of one of its moft pleafing allurements. The antients have reprefented History under the figure of a woman eafy, graceful, and inviting; but we have feen her in our days converted, like the virgin of Nabis, into an inftrument of torture...

How far we have retrenched these exceffes, and fteered between the oppofites of exuberance and abridgement, the judicious are left to determine. We here offer the public an Hiftory of Mankind from the earliest accounts of time to the prefent age, in twelve volumes, which, upon mature deliberation, appeared to us the proper mean. It has been

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