The history of civilisation in Scotland

consulting the Library of the University of Aberdeen that I was enabled to prosecute my special historical inquiries with ease and advantage. Indeed, this Library has been of great and indispensable use to me. And I now gratefully thank the Senatus for so freely granting me the use of it; and also the late Librarian, Mr. Fyfe, now Professor of Moral Philosophy, and his successor, Mr. Walker, and all the assistant Librarians, for their uniform kindness and attention in everything which could facilitate my researches.

Regarding the ascertainment of facts, I have spared no labour or research to make myself fully conversant with them. And although some trifling errors may be detected, which, in so large an undertaking, may have escaped my notice, the general accuracy of the work may be relied on. But some classes of facts are of more value and importance than others, and I have done my best to observe this relative value of facts throughout the work.

Touching the method I have chosen, doubtless there is ground for difference of opinion. My aim throughout being to ascertain the essentials of everything that had contributed to the development and to the progress of the nation, I have considered nothing to be irrelevant which seems to have had any influence upon the civilisation of the people. Merely to generalise or state results without inquiring into facts and circumstances is altogether alien to my conception and method, as I believe, that in the present state of historical knowledge, such a method would be comparatively worthless.

The original design of the work has been curtailed

one volume, which, however, only affects the unpublished part; the second and the third volumes being produced according to the scheme sketched at the end of the first volume, with the single exception of the last chapter of the third volume. But this modification of the original plan does not in the least impair the symmetry of the work, rather improves it; thus, a part of the fourth volume being transferred to the third, where it is more appropriate to the succession of events, the continuity runs on as the fourth volume opens with the history of Scottish philosophy. While the special matters proposed to be discussed in the fifth volume will, by implication, be treated in the fourth volume, and then explicitly, so far as is consistent with the historical character of the work.

Concerning the method of the closing chapter of the present volume, the chief aim being a clear exposition of the systems treated, my efforts have been directed to this. Expositive and instructive considerations being thus the main end, criticism is here subordinated to exposition. Accordingly I have endeavoured faithfully to explain the system of each philosopher by itself, carefully keeping any criticisms of my own separate from the exposition. In reading works on the history of philosophy, I have frequently been much annoyed by historians mixing their own views and criticisms with their expositions of the systems of which they were treating; sometimes interjecting at every second or third sentence some remark or comment of their own. I have tried to avoid this; and I have some hope that this chapter will prove interesting

and instructive, and, perhaps, stimulative and suggestive.

As to the success of the work so far, I have no reason to complain; and the encouragement I have received has caused me to redouble my efforts to make this volume and the next one more worthy of recognition and perusal.

Knihy