MOST STRIKING AND IMPORTANT

EVENTS, CHARACTERS, SITUATIONS,

A la vérité ce n'est ici qu'un fragment, mais dans les travaux les plus achevés des hommes
il n'y a que des fragments. L'histoire d'un roi n'est qu'un fragment de celle de sa dynastie,
celle de sa dynastie de celle de fon royaume, celle de fon royaume de celle du genre humain ;
qui n'est elle-même qu'un fragment de celle des êtres qui habitent le globe, dont l'hiftoire uni-
verfelle ne serait après tout qu'un bien petit chapitre de l'histoire des astres innombrables qui
roulent sur nos têtes à des distances qu'on ne peut assigner. Prove.

London:

PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.

1801.

PREFACE.

IF

"That no man

the Rambler is right when he fays, "ever obtains more from his moft zealous endea"vours, than a painful conviction of his own defects,” how ftrongly must that conviction prefs upon her mind, who having collected all these facts together, prefents them as an object of Retrospection to the Publick. Of those who turn them over, how different, how numerous will be the cenfures! while each expects his favourite hero, his best-remembered incident to be dilated and brought forward;-instead of which others perhaps appear, and take the lead.

Different obfervers attach to every object, different degrees of importance. Taking a country-walk one day in a remote province, the steward advised speedy removal of an ugly ftag-horned tree. Oh!" cried out a gentleman in company who was taking views—“ pray spare

"the