DEDICA'TION, the act of consecrat ing, or solemnly devoting, any person or thing to the service of God, and the pur poses of religion.—Feast of dedication, an anniversary festival among the Jews, in memory of Judas Maceabatus, who repaired and dedicated anew the temple and altar, which had been plundered and profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes. It was observed on the 25th of Chislcu, and con tinued eight days.—Dedication, in litera ture, a complimentary address to a par ticular person, prefixed by an author to his work. Dedications arose out of the dependent situation in which authors have too frequently been placed in refer ence to their powerful or wealthy patrons; and, at no very distant time, were often rewarded by pecuniary presents. The custom of dedicating works was in use at a very early period. The brightest orna ments of Roman literature, Horace, Vir gil, Cicero, and Lucretius, were among the number of those who practised it. At the period of the revival of letters in Europe, few works were published with out dedications; many of which arc re markable for their elegance and purity of style, and from the interesting matter which they contain are of far more value than the treatises to which they arc pre.
fixed. But the practice became gradu• ally perverted : and many of the anthora of the succeeding generations employed them chiefly with the view of securing the patronage of the great. Dedications were most abused in France tinder Louis XIV., and in England from 1670 to the acces sion of George III. Dryden was a great dedicator, and Johnson wrote dedications for money. Corneille got 1000 louis d'or I for the dedication of Cinna.. Some of the most beautiful dedications with which we arc acquainted are those prefixed to the different volumes of the Spectator, by Addison ; and in more recent times the poetical dedications with which each canto of Sir Walter Scott's -Mar ntion is pre faced.