Excerpt from Universal Biography, Vol. 1 of 2: Containing a Critical and Historical Accounts of the Lives, Characters, and Labours of Eminent Persons, in All Ages and Countries; Together With Selections of Foreign Biography From Watkins's Dictionary, Recently Published, and About Eighth Hundred Origin In the Composition of his biographical work, the author acknow ledges himself indebted to those, at home and abroad, whose labours have been directed to the same pursuits. He has freely drawn his materials from the researches of former historians and biographers and the accuracy and the impartiality of their statements, which concurrent testimonies fully prove and corroborate, are entitled to no small share of praise. From this mingled mass, and from va rious sources of information, he has endeavoured to form one gene ral whole, and to exhibit. With the judicious brevity which so nume rous a class of objects requires, rather characteristic sketches, in pleasing miniature, than a series of finished and full-sized portraits. However anxious he may have been to notice every one who has risen to temporary or to lasting eminence in the long lapse of so many ages, he may, perhaps, in the opinion of some, have selected the subjects of his biographical labours with too sparing a hand, while by others he may be charged with tedious prolixity. He trusts, however, that in whatever he has done, he has been actuated by the purest motives of impartiality; and in delineating the life, and in enumerating the productions of men of various countries, he has sacrificed natinnality at the altar of truth. He trusts that he has spoken of the Christian and the Pagan, of the Catholic and the Protestant, of the Churchman and Sectary, with the bold language of an unprejudiced narration, which would not condescend to flatter the great and the powerful, when in the height of authority, at the expense of historical veracity, and which disdains to insult their memory after they have descended to the tomb. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.