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G

R.

EORGE the Second, by the Grace of God, King

of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all whom thefe Prefents fhall come Greeting: Whereas WILLIAM OWEN, and WILLIAM JOHNSTON, of Our City of London, Bookfellers, have, by their Petition, humbly reprefented unto Us, That, they have, with great Care, Labour and Expence, compleated a Work, entitled, A NEW and GENERAL

Biographical Dictionary,

CONTAINING

The Lives of the moft illuftrious Perfons, who have flourished in all Nations, from the earliest Period to the Present Time,

And have moft humbly prayed, That We would grant Them Our Royal Licence, for the fole Vending of their faid Dictionary, for the Term of Fourteen Years, according to the Statute in that Cafe made and provided; We, being willing to give all due Encouragement, to a Work of this Nature, which may be of public Ufe and Benefit, are graciously pleafed to condefcend to Their Requeft; And We do, therefore, by these Presents, (fo far as may be agreeable to the Statute, in that behalf made and provided ;) grant, unto Them, the faid WILLIAM OWEN, and WILLIAM JOHNSTON, Their Heirs, Executors, and Affigns, Our Royal Privilege and Licence for the fole printing, publishing, and vending their faid Dictionary, for the Term of Fourteen Years; to be computed from the Date hereof, ftrictly forbidding and prohibiting all Our Subjects within Our Kingdoms and Dominions, to reprint, abridge, or tranflate the same, either in the like or any other Volume or Volumes whatsoever; or, to import, buy, vend, utter, or diftribute any Copies thereof, reprinted, beyond the Seas, during the aforefaid Term of Fourteen Years, without the Confent and Approbation of them, the faid WILLIAM OWEN and WILLIAM JOHNSTON, their Heirs, Executors, or Affigns, by Writing under their Hands and Seal, firit had and obtained, as they and every of them offending herein will answer the contrary at their Peril. Whereof the Commiffioners and other Officers of Our Customs, the Mafter Wardens and Company of Stationers of Our City of London, and all other Our Officers and Minifters whom it may concern, are to take Notice, that due Obedience be rendered to Our Pleasure herein fignified. Given at Our Court at Kensington the Twenty-third Day of October 1755, in the Twenty-ninth Year of Our Reign.

By His Majefty's Command,
HOLDERNESSE:

BIOGRAPHICAL

DICTIONARY;

CONTAINING

An Hiftorical and Critical ACCOUNT

OF THE

LIVES and WRITINGS.

OF THE

Most Eminent Persons

In every NATION;

Particularly the BRITISH and IRISH;

From the Earlieft Accounts of Time to the present Period.

WHEREIN.

Their remarkable ACTIONS or SUFFERINGS,
their VIRTUES, PARTS, and LEARNING, are
accurately difplayed; with a CATALOGUE of their
LITERARY PRODUCTIONS.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

Printed for T. OSBORNE, J. WHISTON and B. WHITE,
W. STRAHAN, T. PAYNE, W. OWEN, W. JOHNSTON,
S. CROWDER, B. LAW, T. FIELD, T. DURHAM,
J. ROBSON, R. GOADBY, and E. BAKER.

MDCCLXI.

2101 a 24

Hablan (deterd. is kit. of Europe, Preface fr. KTH) dange of this Dictionary of of this editions of it: "the English Brogriptical Dictioning was first Grablished in 1761. I speats of this edition with some regard, from its having beer the compensions of many youthful hours; but it is auther arcles is its general executions. It is somation, ascribed to Biret; but I suspect that Heatherto hand mous to Is with it!" Mr. H. There - да on to speak of the alterations on Enlargement it underwent until it was expanded into 32 solames under the Witorship of "Alexandra Chalmers "white manes is a commonly kurs??

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PREFAC E.

A

S it is unneceffary to fhew the usefulness

of an accurate hiftorical account of fuch perfons and facts as have been the objects of public attention in all ages and nations, nothing more can be expected in a preface to this work, than an account of the manner in which it is executed, and the reasons why it was not thought to be precluded by any other work of the fame kind that is already

extant.

The principal of these works are Bayle's Historical and Critical Dictionary; the General Dictionary; the Biographia Britannica; the Athenæ Oxonienfes, and Mr. Collier's Hiftorical Dictionary.

Bayle's work is in five large volumes in folio, yet there are many perfons of great eminence both antient and modern, whom Bayle has not

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