by one fingle Man, so the several Authors must not only understand Greek, Latin, and even the Oriental Languages, but be Mafters of the modern Tongues; and befides the Knowledge of Hiftory, Arts and Sciences, muft have a critical Tafte, and be exercised in the Art of Writing. And a Circumftance that is abfolutely requifite in all learned and ingenious Performances, but more particularly in a Work of this kind, is, that the Authors must write with pleasure, each of them on the Subject in which he is most converfant: for very few are capable of writing upon all. And therefore fuch Writers as have a Tafte for Poetry and the BellesLettres; fuch whofe Inclination leads them to Hiftory, to Divinity, or Philofophy; fuch as have a Fondnefs for the Mathematicks or Phy-. ficks; fhould each treat of those Articles, which are relative to the Art or Science for which they have a Genius. From all this 'twill appear, that the Authors of fuch a Work muft not be forced into it thro' neceffity, as is the Misfortune of fome, who therefore are oblig'd to write in a perpetual hurry, and toil like fo many Day-labourers. Whether the Gentlemen concerned in this Work are well qualified for it, will appear by the first Number they now publifh, tho' as they themselves obferve, "fome. "Allowances may juftly be claim'd from the "Confideration of the Difficulties, they muft "unavoidably have met with, at the first fet"tling and digesting fo comprehenfive and ar"duous a Work." To this therefore we fball refer our Readers, and content ourselves with tranfcribing their Plan, as prefix'd to their N°. I.

No. XXI. 1733.
VOL. IV.

X

MR.

૬.

MR. Bayle's Dictionary was fo generally efteem'd, that it not only bore two Impreffions in his Life-time, in 1697 and 1702, "but has fince been reprinted at Geneva in 1715, at Rotterdam in 1720, with his pofthumous Additions (which were reprinted at "Geneva in 1722, by way of Supplement) and σε laftly at Amfterdam in 1730; and notwithσε ftanding the great Freedom with which the celebrated Author delivers himself on all occafions, yet a very beautiful Edition of this "Work is now printing in France. And indeed'tis "a Library of itself, a noble Treature of Erudi"tion, in which an Account is given of the Lives

and Writings of a Multitude of remarkable "Perfons, of different Ages and Nations. It differs almost entirely from that of Moreri.

'Tis a Dictionary of a new and fingular Kind, "and comprehends a prodigious Variety of Par"ticulars. In the Text or Body of the Articles, "Mr. Bayle gives a fuccinct, tho' very exact "Account of thofe Perfons whofe Lives he writes: but then be fully gratifies the Reader's Curiofity,

by the Remarks fubjoin'd to the Text, which are "a Commentary on it. He there draws the Cha"racters of fuch Perfons, relates the Particulars

66

of their Lives, difcovers the feveral Springs of "their Actions, and examines the Judgment "that has been, or may be formed of them. He "expatiates on the most important Articles of Re

66

ligion, Morality, and Philofophy; and fome"times the Text feems to be written merely for "the fake of the Notes. The Actions or Senti"ments of an obfcure and almost unknown Perfon "give him an Opportunity of entertaining and "in

* See Mr. Des Maizeaux's Life of Mr. Bayle, prefix'd to the laft French Edition of his Dictionary.

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inftructing the Reader. Thus feveral Articles "which at first feem to promife little or nothing, "are often illuftrated with the most curious Parti"culars. He has every where performed the part ❝ of an exact, faithful, and disinterested Hifto rian, as well as of an impartial, penetrating, and judicious Critic, &c."

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*

"THE Uncommon Applaufe this Work fo justly obtained, made thofe of our Nation, who did not understand the Original, very defirous of an English Translation; and ac"cordingly it was tranflated. But as this Ver"fion was undertaken by feveral Perfons, moft "of whom were not only unacquainted with the "Author's Style and Manner, but unskill'd in "the French, and even in their own Tongue, it "was univerfally condemned, efpecially by the beft Judges, who were particularly offended to find the Work caftrated in feveral Places. Thefe Defects were prejudicial to the Bookfeller's Intereft, as well as highly injurious to the Author; and indeed the whole appear'd to be an Impofition on the Public and yet "fo great was Mr. Bayle's Fame, that this "Tranflation, which was at firft fold very cheap, was afterwards purchas'd at an exor"bitant Price.

"BESIDES these great Defects, the Greek, "Latin, Spanish, and Italian Quotations were "not tranflated; and there being a multitude "of them, most of which are very curious, "fuch Readers as did not understand thofe Lan"guages: remained Strangers to a confiderable "Part of the Work. We have remedied this Imperfection, and in fuch a manner as we hope will not difpleafe. The Verfions of the "Citations from the Claffics are borrow'd from our most eminent Tranflators and where

"we had no Tranflations, we ourselves have "attempted them. With refpect to the modern

'

Latin, Spanish, Italian, and French Poets, "cited by Mr. Bayle, we either render them in Verfe, or endeavour to convey the Sense and Spirit of them in poetical Profe. This, and "the prodigious Variety of Subjects, Styles, and efpecially the Quotations from the old "French Writers, were almoft fufficient to deter us from attempting this Tranflation, tho' "the inimitable Author himfelf had not been "fo vaftly difficult.

FROM the above-mentioned Confiderations we believ'd, that a new Tranflation of this "excellent Work would be acceptable.

"BUT as Mr. Bayle did not propofe to compile a general Dictionary, and made choice of "fuch Articles only as best suited his Views, or "for which he had Materials already prepar'd; "he omitted a great many Perfons, illuftrious "for their Rank and Dignity, as Emperors, "Kings, Princes, &c. or confpicuous for their "Knowledge in the Arts, the Sciences,and polite "Literature. We have therefore endeavour'd "to fupply this Omiffion, by interfperfing Ar"ticles of fuch famous Perfonages throughout "the Dictionary of Mr. Bayle, whofe Articles

we have likewife enlarged and compleated, "wherever we apprehended it to be neceffary. "But with regard to our additional Articles, "our View has been to make the Work curi"ous and inftructive, rather than voluminous; "for which reafon we have excluded from them "whatever relates to Geography, as being fareign to a Work of this kind.'

We cannot but obferve here, that this Method of interfperfing the additional Articles, so

as

as to form one Body of the whole, is perfectly well calculated for the conveniency of Readers. For in cafe thefe Additions were printed in feparate Volumes, the Reader must have both Mr. Bayle's Dictionary and these Volumes before him, and be obliged to turn perpetually. from the one to the other. Befides, in order to make thefe Supplements in fome measure intelligible and complete, feveral things must be brought into them from Mr. Bayle's Dictionary, and fuch Repetitions would fwell the fupplemental Volumes; not to mention the Confu. fion this would create. But all these Inconveniencies are avoided by joining them together in the fame Order and in the fame Work.

"We have felected from the French, Italian, "German,Dutch,&c. Historical Dictionaries,all "fuch Particulars as we imagined would improve "our Plan: however, thefe Dictionaries were "not barely tranfcrib'd, we having not only "corrected the Errors with which they abound, "but made very confiderable Additions to fuch "Articles as we have extracted from them. "The Reader will likewife meet with a great "number of new Articles, all which have been "carefully drawn up from the original Authors, "and generally in Mr. Bayle's manner; that is, "with critical and other Remarks fubjoin'd

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to the Text, which will render the Work "lefs voluminous.

"THE French Editors of Moreri's Dictionary "being retain'd by the Bookfellers of Paris, "were more induftrious to fwell the Work, "than to make it useful to the Public. As 66 to ourselves, we are determined to infert fuch "Particulars only as we prefume may be effential. Thefe Editors, who promis'd an Uni X 3

verfal