The Critical Review Or Annals Of Literature 1808 Vol 15 Classic Reprint PDF Download

Excerpt from The Critical Review, or Annals of Literature, Vol. 14: May, 1808 At the same time we are aware of the difficulties attert dant on a close adherence to the spirit of antiquity in the pornt of orthography. Not that we conceive those persons whosejudgments are worthy of being consulted likely to be repelled by the quaintness, or disgusted by the barbarism, of the antique garb; but because, from the early multiplica tion of copies of books, and from the alterations made by successive transcribers before the invention of printing; an by different editors since it will be in many casesfvery difficult, and in some perhaps impossible, to ascertain the true orthography. But such obstacles should rather serve as a stimulus to the undertaking, than as a dissuasive from it. Mr. Burnett informs us that it once occurred to him to print a few sentences, or a short passage in each author, in the ancient manner, ' and that he may probably adopt this measure at a future time, should his work obtain the public approbation. This, if executed with sufficient care, would certainly, in a great measure, answer the end proposed. But still we confess that we should be more satisfied, our selves, by a general, than by a partial, adoption of the origi nal orthography. The series Opens with a single writer under the reign of Edward the third, our old entertaining liar, Mandeville. His propensity to the marvellous has brought him into great dis'repute but we ought to recollect that there must, probably, have been some foundation even for his lies and that, in sifting their origin, romantic as they are, a great deal of very curious truth may still be discovered. The eit tracts here given are among the most miraculous of all his miracles. Of Hippocras's daughter transformed from a woman into a dragon, ' and 'of the devil's head in the valley Perilous.' With regard to the first, even Vertot relates with gravity the story ofa knight of Malta who acquired immor tal honour by combating a dragon in the Isle of Rhodes; and, without presuming to discover who was the daughter oip pocras, 'we cannot help suspecting that the two stories have a'similar origin. 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.