Lacon; or Many things in few words; addressed to those who think

Front matter

LACON: OK. MANY THINGS IN FEW WORDS; ADDRESSED TO THOSE WHO THINK. By the Rev. C. C. COLTON, A.M. LATE FELLOW OF KIVG's COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. " 4*(Xo0*ot^t9t ik ttr&pst&tiysAXTvv* *' The noblest study of mankind is m»n." LONDON: PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, HURST, BEES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER ROW; AND BUBD AND CALKIN, FALL MALL. 1820. 'Stereotypeo. and printed by J. M'Gowan, Grettu Windmill-Street, Haymarket. A PREFACE, <yC. <yC. There are three difficulties in authorship ; — to write any thing worth the publishing — to find honest men to publish it — and to get sensible men to read it. Literature has now become a game ; in which the Booksellers are the Kings ; the Critics, the Knaves ; the Public, the Pack ; and the poor Author, the mere Table, or Thing played upon. For the last thirty years, the public mind has had such interesting and rapid incidents to wit ness, and to reflect upon, and must now anticipate some that will be still more momentous, that any thing like dulness or prosing in authorship, will either nauseate, or be refused ; the realities of life have pampered the public palate with a diet so stimulating, that vapidity has now become as in sipid as water to a dram-drinker, or sober sense to a fanatic.

The attempts however of dulness, are constantly repeated, and as constantly fail. For the misfor tune is, that the Head of Dulness, unlike the tail of the torpedo *, loses nothing of her benumbing and lethargising influence, by reiterated discharges ; * See Humboldt's account of the Gymnotus Electricus.