19 / 844
A TI
p,
.Ar.R ~S ~ .
jI)
fil"r.' I ~·1
uJ".:r"
whcr~
lhe
O~jn
is fu
ten~
dc-r
.lInl
1:.'\
f'.!'
ti)
r~nd.:r
thl lO
filb¡.:d
lO
ilor..fiun.
A Da .'\STON,
in nH'diclnc,
th~
corruu.lllC
of any
pan
uy
;~crid
humour!: oc
m~'(hci'll.!s.
ABR_\ U~.l J
:Ul 'lbfol!!t..:
1I.lf&': of:l C'\!rtJin [rL'cics
oí
c1ay.
c.dJed
by
fUIne .1.H:hH:"
~'¡d';J:JÍt.·
r!arl h,
on
C!.ccuUnt
uf
it3
red
colcnT.
ABR:\ SAX,
01
A H ~.",;.A::,
:\
rnj'P.-ic:d tcrm
fOllnli
in
the ,oeicm
~.~01"8r
ancó philofophy uf llalil¡des's fol–
lowcrs.
A BR }. X,
3D
antiqul.!
llone
·.~i[h
the
WOH.l
ab"J"'tlJ
cngra–
ved un
¡t.
T hcy :lre of v,triou!I íi::es, :1nd
lOon
uf
th~m
as old
a~
lhe: lhird
C~ntUiy.
ABREAST,
a fea-termo
l n an attack,
p1llfuit,
or n!–
lreal al fCA, tilo! {qua.d.rons or
diyj:ions
of:t flCCl are
Orlen
obligcrl
lO
n ry th::tr dilpo(jtions, and
:H
¡he
f.'lmc time obfc rve
il
proper rcgularity,
by
f.t.iling in
right or cun'en
lines : when
rhey f¡:U1
:u
a prop::r
JI·
Hclnce
(rom
each othcr, and are al! cquaUy
forw:lfd,
theyere
rhen f,¡id
ro
h:.vc
formed
lh line
Qbr~nj1.
AB R ENUNC IATIO , Sec
!ttNUN C ' AT¡ ON
ABRfDGEl\1
ENT ,
in
lircralurc,
a
tcrm
fignifying the
TcJilt.'i.ion of a
boa
k
¡ntO a
fm:lllcr cumpafs. -
T he
art
of
eom'cying much femiment
Lo
fcw words,
is the
h' ppicfi ,,,Ien' an , u,hor can be poflcrrccl of, This
t alellt
is
peculiarly nece{fary
in
tl\C prefcnt
{hu of li·
¡,erature;
for
many writers havc
acquired lhe dextc–
rity of fpreading a
ftw
tritic:d rhoughts over
feve–
ni hundred pagcs. When an author hits upon a
lhol1Sht
thal
pleafes him, he
is
apt
tO
dweJJ
upon
it,
to
view
it
in ciiff'erenr
Jigh",
to
force it
in improperly,
." upon ,he fligh,efi rdalio.., Though .his m.y be
pleafant
ro the writer
J
it
tires
and
vexes
the
rcadcr.
There is anolher great fouree of
ditFulion
in
cornpo–
útion.
1t
¡,
a capital
objeét
wiLh
aDaurhor, whatever
be
,he (ubjet!,
to
give ven'
10
aJl
his bell ,houghts.
When he 6nd. "proper pl-lee for . DYof them, be i.
f"euli.d y h.ppy. But,
r...
her .h.,n f.cri/ice. thougb'
h e i. fund
of,
he forees " in by w"'y of digre!T¡01l,
.Ir
fuperRucus illuOration.
lf
none of. .hefe expe–
dieOts anfwer
his
purpofe,
he
ha"
reeourfe
tO
the mar·
tin, a very conveDienl' apanmenr
fOI:
al.b
manner
oE
pedantpy and
imperrinence.
Th.e~e
is nQt' an author,
however corret1.., but is more
or
le{s.
fuulty
in
this
,.,fpet! An . bridgr.r, howeve., is no, fubjct! 'o ,befe
1cmptations . The
thoughts
are nOI his own ; he vic\Lfs
Ihem
in a
eooler
a1d lefs
aífetnonate maoner
j
he
diJeo–
.er"
an
impropriety
in fome, a vaniry in
orhers
J
and
a
want of utllity in
m:\ny.
His
bufinefs,
therefore,
is
U>
retrench fuperHuiries, digreffions,
quotations,
pc~
dan,ry, &r , aDd 'o lay before ,he public only wh., is
re. lly uf<ful. This is by no me.n. an eafy employ.
m(m :
'ro
abridge fome books,
require~
t_lents cqual,
jf
00{
fuperiour
J
to
thofe
of the
author.
Thc faéts,
manOIT, {pirit, and reafoning,
mua
be
prc{en'ed ;
no–
thing
el1cntial,
eithcr in
atgument or
illultration, ought
10
~e
omitted . The dillieul.y of ,he ..
(k
15
.he
prin–
CiPfll
reafon
why
wc
hal"e
fo
fcw goad
abridgemenu :
' Vynne's abridgomcn, of L oeke's Efl' y on ,he Hu–
man
Und~rllandi nl!
¡s,
perhapsJ
the
Ollly
unexccptioo ..
able cne
in our Janguage.
6
A B R
Ther. obf.n'atio,"
,cbro
(ulcly
'D
fuó••',i"re–
mcnts JS
are
t.L·lit;n<:d
for
lhe pubIic.
Hur .
Vlhen
a (led on
wants tO flot dll'o<tn
lbe Juh!lallC'c o(
any. bouk!
:l
fhortcr and leI!: Jaborious mc:thori
Illily
be
followed.
h
would
1.)(:
ror~ign
to Hur plJll
le
gl~t:
ex'"
aml'le'J of.tbridg(·'llC'nr
<;
for
:he puLI;e:
UUI,
aj
Il
may
be
ufeflll,
crl'~c¡.t1ly
tu
yOU;lg peoplt,
to k.now hO\fl
tO
abridg\!
buoks for
theif own
ufc:,
alter
s;i...
in" a
fe\V dircft.ici15. .....e fh aH
C"
hilJit ;ln c.'i::ull!Jh: or
l~~O,
to
!hcw
WI(h
wh.ltcJfe
Tt
Il" ly
be done.
Re<id
lhe
buok carcfully ;
endea\ our
co
lealn
th:=
principal
,-icV/ or
Ihe
aUl nor ; artead
lO
the
aJ gu–
mc:nts cmploy,_-d:
\Vhen you
ha\'c
done
(o. you ""IIJ
gcner:.Jly lind, tllar
whar the
aurhor ufeq ;1S nt:\V
or
additional
argllntenls,
are in rc.:Jlity
onl)'
coll.att raJ.
anes,
01"
cxtenfioO!;
of
me
principal
artiunlent.
T
a.kca
piece
of
p.tpcr. ar :'l
common-pld.cebook, puc
d"wn
whac
the
amhor
want,
tO
plo"e, fubJoin
Ih"! argu,
ment
or
argwnents,
and yon
have the
fulnf:anee oi' Ihe
book
in a-rew tincs .
Fcr
ex.!mple,
In {he
E{fay
on
l\¡iracles,
Mr Hume', defign
¡,
to
prove, That
mirades
whieh have not
beeo
th~
imme–
diate
ohjeéls of our
[cofes,
cannor.
rearoDabJy
be be.
licved
upon
the
tellimony of
others.
Now,
his
argurnt:nt,
(fur
there
happen,
\O
be
but
orr~),
is,
H
Tl,at
experience, which
in
fome
lhing' is
va~
Ir
ablc,
in
others
\lniform,
is
our
on1.J
gUIJe
in rea-
foning
conecrnin~
mau crs_ cf
r.él.
A
variable cx–
Cf
pericnce
gives
rife
tO
prohabi lity
only;
an
undorm
H
expericnce amounts
ro
a
proof.
Our belief
of
.nr
H
faél
from
the tcClamony of
eye-wItDC!flcs, is
dc ri.
te
ved
from
no odlt:r
princi:>lc _han
our experience
u
in the;
\'cracity of
'human tefrimony.
Ir
lhe
F-Ja
'-f
anelled
be
mirflculous,
bere
arifes
a
cCDlefl
of
H
rwo
oppofire
experiences,
or proof ag:linft proof.
e4
Now
J
a miracle is a
viohuion
of 1he laws
of
rnl·
u lure
i
and
as
a
firm and
unahe~bll!
e:<perience
has
.. efiablifhed ,hefe
l.~,s,
,ht proof againlf a miraele.
u
from lhe very narure of
lhe
fita,
is
as
complete
a'
e.
any
argument
from
experience
Cfln
poffibly
be ¡Ola·
H
gined; and
jf
fo,
ir
is
ao und.eJliablc.:
confcquence,
.{ that
it
cannor
be
furmounr!d
by
""Y proof
WhiU–
.., cver
derived
from
hum;m
teflimony."
In
Dr CampbeH's
Di{fer~atioR
on
I\lirades,
the
.u ...
mor's
principal
aim is to f'hew
lhe:
faJlacy
(lf
Mr Hume's
.rgum. n, ; whieh he ha, done mol! fucccfsful1y by an–
other
fiogl~
argument,
as
folJc.ws:
fe
T he e" idence
arifing
from
human tellimooy ;/
ce
I/of
flffly
derived
from
experiencc: on
thc
COntra.·
u
ryJ
tetlimony hath a
n3mr...
1 influence en
bd icf ..
n–
H
tece:dent tO
expenence.
Tr.e
early and unlllnit·
" ed arren, given
!O
.eflimony
by
ehildren gradu.lly
ti
contraéis
as
they
advance
io
Jire : ir is,
thlTefore,
" more confonant
lO
truth,
to {ay,
th:u
(lur
díjfiJnlu
fe
in td limony
is
the refult of expc:ricDce, Ih:1O
Ihat
H
our
fllílh
in
ir
has thi,
found;nion.
Reficies,
the
ce
unifurmity
of experience. in
fa.-our
of .1Oy
f.I..
~.
is
nOl a
proof
againA
ilS
IJting
re"erfed
111 :\
parucut.lrII
inflanee.
T he
e\luence l Tlfing
from the fingle re–
" fUmooy of a man
of
know.II. \'craci
tr
wil1 go
I~tr
lO
u
eJh l.lilh