University of Virginia Library

921. BOOKS, Time and.—

The [French] literati are half a dozen years before us.
Books, really good, acquire just reputation in
that time, and so become known to us, and
communicate to us all their advances in knowledge.
Is not this delay compensated, by our
being placed out of the reach of that swarm
of nonsensical publications which issues daily
from a thousand presses, and perishes almost
in issuing?—
To Mr. Bellini. Washington ed. i, 445.
(P. 1785)