Project Gutenberg's An History of Birmingham (1783), by William Hutton

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Title: An History of Birmingham (1783)

Author: William Hutton

Release Date: November 2, 2004 [EBook #13926]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN HISTORY OF BIRMINGHAM (1783) ***

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AN

HISTORY

OF

BIRMINGHAM.

[Illustration: the-text-caption]

THE SECOND EDITION,

WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS.

By W. HUTTON.

PREFACE.

A preface rather induces a man to speak of himself, which is deemed the
worst subject upon which he _can_ speak. In history we become acquainted
with things, but in a preface with the author; and, for a man to treat
of himself, may be the most _difficult_ talk of the two: for in history,
facts are produced ready to the hand of the historian, which give birth
to thought, and it is easy to cloath that thought in words. But in a
preface, an author is obliged to forge from the brain, where he is
sometimes known to forge without fire. In one, he only reduces a
substance into form; but in the other, he must create that substance.

As I am not an author by profession, it is no wonder if I am
unacquainted with the modes of authorship; but I apprehend, the usual
method of conducting the pen, is to polish up a founding title-page,
dignified with scraps of Latin, and then, to hammer up a work to fit it,
as nearly as genius, or want of genius, will allow.

We next _turn over a new leaf_, and open upon a pompous dedication,
which answers many laudable purposes: if a coat of arms, correctly
engraven, should step first into view, we consider it a singular
advantage gained over a reader, like the first blow in a combat. The
dedication itself becomes a pair of stilts, which advance an author
something higher.

As a horse-shoe, nailed upon the threshold of a cottage, prevents the
influence of the witch; so a first-rate name, at the head of a
dedication, is a total bar against the critic; but this great name, like
a great officer, sometimes unfortunately stands at the head of
wretched troops.