Excerpt from Biographical Memoirs of Lord Viscount Nelson: With Observations, Critical and Explanatory A preface is generally unnecessary, and often impertinent: thatis to say, it is unnecessary to the reader; far otherwise to the author of a book. It is a vehicle, like the armed chariots of old, in which he proudly sits, displaying his own importance and superiority, while the wheels of invective on which it rolls, pass without mercy over those unfortunate wights who have attempted to possess themselves even of the smallest corner of that peculiar province, of which he himself, perhaps, is an impudent usurper. 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.