THE

ENGLISH READER:

OR,

PIECES IN PROSE AND POETRY,

SELECTED FROM

THE BEST WRITERS.

Designed to assist young Persons

TO READ WITH PROPRIETY AND EFFECT;

TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE AND SENTIMENTS;

AND TO INCULCATE

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF PIETY

AND VIRTUE.

With a few preliminary Olfervations

ON THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD READING.

AUTHOR OF

By LINDLET ATURRAY,

“ ENGSISÉ, GEAMMAK ADAPTED TO THE
DIFFERENT CLASSES OF LEARNERS!! ATT

LIBR

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN AND REES, NO. 39, PATERNOSTER-
ROW, LONDON; SOLD ALSO BY VARTON AND HARVEY, NO. 55,
GRACECHURCH-STREET :- AND BY WILSON,
SPENCE, AND MAWMAN, YON K.

PREFACE.

MANY selections of excellent matter have lately been made for the benefit of

young persons.

Performances of this kind are of so great utility, that fresh productions of them, and new attempts to improve the young mind, will scarcely be deemed superfluous, if the writer make his compilation instructive and interesting, and sufficiently distinct from others,

The present work, as the title expresses, aims at the attainment of three objects: to improve youth in the art of reading; to meliorate their language and sentiments; and 26 inculca te foaie of the most important principles of piety and virtue.

nature are,

The pieces selected, not oņly give exercise to a great variety of emotions, and the corespondent tones and variations of woice, but contain sentences and members of sentences, which are diversified, proportioned, and pointed with accuracy. Exercises of this

it is presumed, well calculated to teach youth to read with propriety and effect. A selection of sentences, in which variety and proportion, with exact punctuation, have been carefully obferved, in all their parts as well as with respect to one another, will probably have a much greater effect, in properly teaching the art of reading, than is commonly imagined.