Biographia Navalis, Vol. 1 of 4 (Classic Reprint) - Paperback

Excerpt from Biographia Navalis, Vol. 1 of 4: Or Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, From the Year 1660 to the Present Time; Drawn From the Most Authentic Sources, and Disposed in a Chronological Arrangement

It probably would be, in fome refpeéts, a wife and wholel'ome act of literary legiflature, were it aprefly to forbid, under pain of being everlalt ingly configned to. Moths and book-worms, any promulgation of Opinion as to individual merits or delinquency, till time had mellowed the afpea rity of prejudice, as well as cooled the warmth of partiality and private friendfhip for it is a certain and ferious truth, that among the worfi means of attaining a true knowledge of a man's character, are the accounts written of him during his life, or (con after his deceafe. On the other hand, to the rilk of allerting what never exified, by placing an implicit confidence in reports or opinions which time has eflablilhed as truths, we may add the danger of omitting many im portant facts which really did happen. Thefe are perpetually occurring, and prel'enting them felves to us in thofe inmoft reech'es of private life which biography delights (0 much in ex ploring; (0 that it may, with tolerable propriety.

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