Philosophical empiricism : containing remarks on a charge of plagiarism respecting Dr. H----s, interspersed with various observations relating to different kinds of air / by Joseph Priestley.

  • Priestley, Joseph, 1733-1804.
Date:
1775
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Philosophical empiricism : containing remarks on a charge of plagiarism respecting Dr. H----s, interspersed with various observations relating to different kinds of air / by Joseph Priestley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/92 (page 29)
    * t- - ^ * 'Mr. Delaval, whom I had not had the pleafure of feeing before, and whom I was much pleafed with having this opportunity of feeing. And I mention it to give my readers fome idea of the manner in which he, at that time, ufually treated me, that they may compare it with the ftile of his letter to me. Upon mentioning my name to Mr. Delaval, which he did in a manner that feemed to ftiew he had fome kind of fatisfaftion in doing it, he faid, “ You fee, fir, all men of note find “ me out at laft,” or words to that effedt. Al- * fo, when, in the courfe of one of our con- verfations, I had occafion to afk him whether he happened to have a copy of my book at hand, he replied, with that formality, of which all who are acquainted with him know that he is capable, “ Do you think I could poffibly be “ without fo very capital a performance upon u the lubjedt” ? This compliment was, to be fare, awkward enough ; but I did not take it to be meant iro¬ nically, as there was nothing elfe in the con- verfation that could bear fuch a confiru&ion. How he can now reconcile thefe encomiums with his calling the principal difcoveries con¬ tained in the fame book mere conceits^ and with his faying that what I have done con lifts chiefly