Excerpt from Memoirs of Dr. Robert Blakey, Professor of Logic and Metaphysics, Queens's College, Belfast Men of the times. He was a man to whom, to use his own words, the love of knowledge was not only a cold sentiment, but a positive passion from his earliest recollection. Devoting himself to the pursuit of knowledge from his earliest years, he seems to have read with avidity everything that came in his way, until, his mind taking a philosophical bent, he settled down to the mastery of mental and political science. For this purpose he ransacked the libraries of London, Paris, and Brussels. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This volume sheds light on contemporary perception of William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, a biographically and intellectually compelling literary family of the Romantic period. The writings reveal the personalities of the subjects, and the motives and agendas of the biographers.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII. PEOM 1848 TO I852. The publication of my "History" brought me many letters, some nattering, and some critical. I set a great value upon most of them. But the one from Dr. George Croly, the Rector of Walbrook, pleased me most. He was an old acquaintance, and had, moreover, a more profound and accurate knowledge of mental philosophy in all its bearings than any man of his day. He had lived among philosophical and literary books of solid worth all his days; and no man was better known for his critical skill in London than he was. I shall insert his letter here: --3, Lansdowne Terrace, London Fields, Hackney, March 2nd, 1848. My Dear Sir, --I but yesterday, on going into town, received your volumes. From my knowledge of your abilities and their manly and intelligent direction, I was highly gratified by your completion of so important a performance. I have had time only to glance at the Introduction, which I think remarkably clear, spirited, and eloquent, and I have no doubt ef deriving great interest and instruction from the volumes. I rejoice, too, that you have not shaped your understanding to the advocacy of the German transcendentalism, which appears to me, in general, to be an offshoot of the German infidelity--to be an attempt to transfer into the science of mind the same mixture of presumption and perplexity with which they have dishonoured Scripture. The German seems to me to have no more capacity for truth than a drunkard has for soberness. He never tastes the reality ol things. He longs for some harsh, hot, and stimulating addition to the natural aliment, which perverts it into a sting and a poison. I must acknowledge that I cannot indulge in your generous expectations that the Continental philosophy of mind will grow...

This volume sheds light on contemporary perception of William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, a biographically and intellectually compelling literary family of the Romantic period. The writings reveal the personalities of the subjects, and the motives and agendas of the biographers.