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neither to approve nor disapprove the particulars they contain. I only act the part of an historian. There is but one of them that can be looked upon as critical; and even that is only intended to settle a matter of fact, misrepresented by a late historian. These notes are not very numerous: and I do not know but the fear of swelling them too much may have made me suppress some which would not have been wholly useless.

As for what concerns the impression itself, in order to make it more beautiful, I have been obliged to recede, in several respects, from our usual way of printing; which, if I am allowed to speak freely, is extremely vicious. It is matter of wonder, that in such a country as this, where there is so much encouragement for printing, there should prevail a sort of Gothic taste, which deforms our English impressions, and makes them not a little ridiculous. For can any thing be

more absurd, than so many capital letters, that are not only prefixed to all noun substantives, but also often to adjectives, pronouns, particles, and even to verbs? And what shall we say of that odd mixture of Italic, which, instead of helping the reader to distinguish matters the more clearly, does only perplex him; and breeds a confusion shocking to the eye? But you are not to be informed, sir, you, who every day enrich your library with books of the finest editions, that none of these faults were ever committed by the printers who have been eminent in their art. Surely, if the authors on the one hand, and the readers on the other, would oppose this barbarism, it would be no difficult matter to restore a just taste, and a beautiful way of printing.

To the pieces already mentioned, I have prefixed the character of Mr. Locke, at the request of some of his friends; as you will see by the letter before it, which was sent to me together with that character.

These, sir, are all the pieces, which make up this volume. Why may I not, at the same time that I offer it to you, unfold to the view of the public so many perfections, which a too severe and scrupulous modesty conceals from it! Why may I not make known the rare endowments of your mind, as well as the noble and

generous sentiments of your heart! But I fear I have already too much presumed upon your goodness, by prefixing your name to this discourse. And after having been so bold, as not to consult you, upon a thing which you would never have permitted; I ought to account myself very fortunate, if, on consideration of my passing over your excellent qualities in profound silence, you are pleased to forgive the freedom I have taken; and will give me leave to declare to you and all the world how sensible I am of the friendship you honour me with, and to assure you that I shall always be, with the greatest respect,

Sir,

Your most obedient and most humble servant,
DES MAIZEAUX.

March 23, 1719.

A

TABLE

OF THE

PIECES CONTAINED IN THIS COLLECTION.

THE character of Mr. Locke, by Mr. Peter Coste. The fundamental constitutions of Carolina.

A letter from a person of quality to his friend in the country; giving an account of the debates and resolutions of the House of Lords, in April and May 1675, concerning a bill, entitled, "An Act to prevent the Dangers which may arise from Persons disaffected to the Government."

Remarks upon some of Mr. Norris's books, wherein he asserts F. Malebranche's opinion of "our seeing all things in God."

* Elements of natural philosophy.

* Some thoughts concerning reading and study for a gentleman.

A letter to Mr. Oldenburgh, secretary to the Royal Society.

Letters to Anthony Collins, esq.

A letter to the Rev. Mr. Richard King.
A letter to✶✶✶ on Dr. Pococke.

Letters to the Rev. Mr. Richard King.

Rules of a society, which met once a week, for their improvement in useful knowledge, and for the promoting of truth and Christian charity.

*It has been deemed expedient, in the present edition, to transfer these two articles to the third volume.

THE

CHARACTER OF MR. LOCKE,

BY MR. PETER COSTE:

WITH

A LETTER RELATING TO THAT CHARACTER, AND TO THE AUTHOR OF IT.

SIR,

A LETTER to Mr. *

London, Feb. 4, 1720.

BEING informed that you design to publish several new pieces of Mr. Locke, I here send you, at the request of some of his friends, the translation of a letter, attempting his character, and containing several passages of his life and conversation; which you are desired to prefix before that collection.

The author of that letter is Mr. Peter Coste, who has translated into French Mr. Locke's Thoughts concerning Education, his Reasonableness of Christianity, and Vindications thereof; with his principal work, the Essay concerning Human Understanding.

Mr. Coste lived in the same family with Mr. Locke, during the seven last years of that great man's life; whereby he had all possible opportunities to know him.

The letter was written some time after Mr. Locke's death, and appears to be the production of a man in

VOL. X.

M

raptures, and struck with the highest admiration of Mr. Locke's virtue, capacity, and of the excellency of his writings; and under the deepest affliction for the loss of a person, to whom in his lifetime he had paid the most profound respect, and for whom he had constantly expressed the greatest esteem, and that even in writings, whereof Mr. Locke did not know him to be the author.

And therefore Mr. Locke's friends judge its publication necessary, not only, as they think it contains a just character of Mr. Locke, as far as it goes, but as it is a proper vindication of him against the said Mr. Coste, who in several writings, and in his common conversation throughout France, Holland, and England, has aspersed and blackened the memory of Mr. Locke, in those very respects wherein he was his panegyrist before.

For, they conceive, the eulogium contained in the following letter must stand good, till Mr. Coste thinks fit either to deny his own experience, or to confess that the same things, which he then thought praiseworthy, have since changed their nature.

I am, Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

THE CHARACTER OF MR. LOCKE.

In a Letter to the Author of the Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres. By Mr. P. Coste*.

London, Dec. 10, 1704.

SIR, You must have heard of the death of the illustrious Mr. Locke. It is a general loss. For that reason he is lamented by all good men, and all sincere lovers

That letter was printed in the Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres, for the month of February 1705, art. II. page 154, with this title, A Letter of Mr. Coste to the Author of these Nouvelles, written on Occasion of the Death of Mr. Locke.

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