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The EPISTLE DEDICATORY.

To His Royal Highness

PRINCE POSTERITY.

I

SIR,

HERE present your Highness with the fruits of a very few leifure-hours, ftolen from the fhort intervals of a world of business, and of an employment quite alien from fuch amufements as this; the poor production of that refufe of time which has lain heavy upon my hands, during a long prorogation of parliament, a great dearth of foreign news, and a tedious fit of rainy weather.

For which, and other reafons, it cannot chufe extremely to deferve fuch a patronage as that of your Highnefs, whofe numberlefs virtues, in fo few years, make the world look upon you as the future example to all princes. For altho' your

The citation out of Irenæus in the title-page to the Tale of a Tub, c. which feems to be all gibberish, is a form of initiation ufed antiently by the Marcofian heretics. W. Wotton.

It is the ufual ftyle of decried writers, to appeal to Pofterity; who is here reprefented as a prince in his non-age, and Time as his governor; and the author begins in a way very frequent with him, by perfonating other writers, who fometimes offer fuch reafons and excufes for publishing their works, as they ⚫ught chiefly to conceal, and be ashamed of.

your Highness is hardly got clear of infancy, yet has the universal learned world already refolved upon appealing to your future dictates with the lowest and most refigned fubmiffion; fate having decreed you fole arbiter of the productions of human wit, in this polite and moft accomplished age. Methinks, the number of appellants were enough to shock and startle any judge of a genius lefs unlimited than yours. But, in order to prevent fuch glorious trials, the perfon, it seems, to whofe care the education of your Highness is committed, has refolved (I am told) to keep you in almost an univerfal ignorance of our studies, which it is your inherent birth-right to inspect.

It is amazing to me, that this person should have affurance, in the face of the fun, to go about perfuading your Highness, that our age is almost wholly illiterate, and has hardly produced one writer upon any fubject. I know very well, that when your Highnefs fhall come to riper years, and have gone through the learning of antiquity, you will be too curious to neglect inquiring into the authors of the very age before you. And to think that this Infolent, in the account he is preparing for your view, defigns to reduce them to a number fo infignificant as I am afhamed to mention; it moves my zeal and my fpleen for the honour and intereft of our vaft flourishing body, as well as of myfelf, for whom I know, by long experience, he has profeffed, and still continues a peculiar malice.

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It is not unlikely, that when your Highness will one day peruse what I am now writing, you may be ready to expoftulate with your governor upon the credit of what I here affirm, and command him to fhew you fome of our productions. To which he will anfwer, (for I am well informed of his defigns), by afking your Highness, Where they are? and, What is become of them? and pretend it a demonstration that there never were any, because they are not then to be found. Not to be found! Who has mislaid them? Are they funk in the abyfs of things? It is certain, that in their own nature they were light enough to fwim upon the furface for all eternity. Therefore the fault is in him, who tied weights fo heavy to their heels, as to deprefs them to the centre. Is their very effence destroyed? who has annihilated them? were they drowned by purges, or martyred by pipes? who administered them to the pofteriors of -- ? But that it may no

longer be a doubt with your Highnefs, who is to be the author of this univerfal ruin, I befeech you to obferve that large and terrible fcythe, which your governor affects to bear continually about him. Be pleased to remark the length and ftrength, the fharpness and hardness of his nails and teeth; confider his baneful, abominable breath, enemy to life and matter, infectious and corrupting; and then reflect, whether it be poffible for any mortal ink and paper of this generation to make a suitable refistance.

Oh!

Oh! that your Highnefs would one day refolve to difarm this ufurping maitre de palais * of his furious engines, and bring your empire hors de page t

It were endless to recount the feveral methods of tyranny and deftruction which your governor is pleased to practise on this occafion. His inveterate malice is fuch to the writings of our age, that of several thousands produced yearly from this renowned city, before the next revolution of the fun there is not one to be heard of: Unhappy infants! many of them barbarously destroyed, before they have fo much as learned their mother tongue to beg for pity. Some he stifles in their cradles; others he frights into convulfions, whereof they fuddenly die: Some he flays alive, others he tears limb from limb: Great numbers are offered to Moloch; and the reft, tainted by his breath, die of a languishing confumption.

But the concern I have most at heart, is for our corporation of poets; from whom I am preparing a petition to your Highness, to be fubfcribed with the names of one hundred and thirty-fix of the first rate; but whofe immortal productions are never likely to reach your eyes, though

each

* Comptroller. The kingdom of France had a race of kings, which they call les roys faincans, [from their doing nothing,] who lived lazily in their apartments, while the kingdom was administered by the mayor de palais; till Charles Martel, the last mayor, put his master to death, and took the kingdom into his own hand. Hawkef

Out of guardianship.

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each of them is now humble, and an earneft appellant for the laurel, and has large comely volumes ready to fhew for a fupport to his pretenfions. The never dying works of these illuftrious perfons, your governor, Sir, has devoted to unavoidable death; and your Highness is to be made believe, that our age has never arrived at the honour to produce one fingle poet.

We confefs Immortality to be a great and powerful goddess: But in vain we offer up to her our devotions and our facrifices, if your Highness's governor, who has ufurped the priesthood, muft, by an unparalelled ambition and avarice, wholly intercept and devour them.

To affirm that our age is altogether unlearned, and devoid of writers in any kind, feems to be an affertion fo bold, and fo falfe, that I have been fome time thinking, the contrary may almost be proved by uncontroulable demonftration. It is true indeed, that although their numbers be vaft, and their productions numerous in proportion; yet are they hurried fo haftily off the fcene, that they escape our memory, and elude our fight. When I first thought of this address, I had prepared a copious lift of titles to present your Highnefs, as an undifputed argument for what I affirm. The originals were pofted fresh upon all gates and corners of ftreets; but, returning in a very few hours to take a review, they were all torn down, and fresh ones in their places. I enquired after them among readers and bookVOL. I. fellers;

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