My father, Dr. Priestley, having taken the trouble of writing down the
principal occurrences of his life, to the period of his arrival in this
country, that account is now presented to the public in the state in
which he left it, one or two trifling alterations excepted. The simple
unaffected manner in which it is written, will be deemed, I have no
doubt, far more interesting, than if the narrative itself had been made
the text of a more laboured composition.
Independent of the desire, so universal among mankind, to know somewhat
of the private as well as the public history of those who have made
themselves eminent among their fellow citizens, the life of my father
is likely to be more useful as well as more interesting than those of
the generality of literary men; not only as it is an account of great
industry combined with great abilities, successfully exerted for the
extension of human improvement, but because it affords a striking proof
of the value of rational Christianity, adopted upon mature reflection
and practiced with habitual perseverance.
Few men have had to struggle for so many years with circumstances more
straitened and precarious than my father; few men have ventured to
attack so many or such inveterate prejudices respecting the prevalent
religion of his country, or have advanced bolder or more important
opinions in opposition to the courtly politics of the powers that be;
few have had to encounter more able opponents in his literary career,
or have been exposed to such incessant and vindictive obloquy, from
men of every description, in return for his unremitting exertions
in the cause of truth; yet none have more uniformly proceeded with
a single eye, regardless of consequences, to act as his conviction
impelled him, and his conscience dictated. His conduct brought with it
its own reward, reputation and respect from the most eminent of his
contemporaries, the affectionate attachment of most valuable friends,
and a cheerfulness of disposition arising in part from conscious
rectitude which no misfortunes could long repress. But to me it seems,
that conscious rectitude alone would hardly, of itself, have been
able to support him under some of the afflictions he was doomed to
bear. He had a farther resource, to him never failing and invaluable,
a firm persuasion of the benevolence of the Almighty towards all his
creatures, and the conviction that every part of his own life, like
every part of the whole system, was preordained for the best upon the
whole of existence. Had he entertained the gloomy notions of Calvinism
in which he was brought up, this cheering source of contentment
and resignation would probably have failed him, and irritation and
despondency would have gained an unhappy ascendancy. But by him the
deity was not regarded as an avenging tyrant, punishing, for the sake
of punishing his weak and imperfect creatures, but as a wise and kind
parent, inflicting those corrections only that are necessary to bring
our dispositions to the proper temper, and to fit us for the highest
state of happiness of which our natures are ultimately capable.
With these views of the present and the future, it is no wonder that he
submitted with perfect resignation to the inevitable vicissitudes of
human life, and looked forward to futurity, as a period of existence
when his capacity for receiving happiness would be greater because his
capacity for communicating it would be enlarged.
My father’s narrative closing with his arrival in this country, where
he has done so much for the promotion of useful knowledge of all
kinds, I have compleated the account of his life from that period to
the termination of it. The Notes have been added to the narrative as
desireable illustrations of the passages to which they refer.
I have likewise thought it proper to add a review of my father’s
literary labours, in order to give the reader a knowledge of his
opinions on many important subjects, likewise, of the share in
the increase of human knowledge, which may be justly ascribed to
his exertions. The Appendices giving an account of his Chemical,
Philosophical, Metaphysical, Political and Miscellaneous writings, as
well as the Summary of his religious opinions, are written by my friend
Judge Cooper, formerly of Manchester in England. For the Appendix
containing an analysis of my father’s Theological writings, I am
indebted to the Rev. W. Christie, formerly of Montrose in Scotland.
The work might have been made more interesting as well as entertaining,
had I deemed myself at liberty to have published letters addressed
to my father by persons of eminence in this country, as well as in
Europe. But those communications that were intended to be private,
shall remain so; as I do not think I have a right to amuse the public
either against, or without, the inclinations of those who confided
their correspondence to his care.
I regret, that more of the present work is not the production of
my father’s pen; and I hope the reader will make allowance for the
imperfection of that portion of it, for which I have made myself
responsible.