fellers; but I enquired in vain; the memorial of them was loft among men, their place was no more to be found: And I was laughed to fcorn for a clown and a pedant, without all tafte and refinement, little verfed in the courfe of present affairs, and that knew nothing of what had passed in the best companies of court and town. So that I can only avow in general to your Highness, that we do abound in learning and wit; but to fix upon particulars, is a task too flippery for my flender abilities. If I fhould venture in a windy day to affirm to your Highnefs, that there is a large cloud near the horizon, in the form of a bear; another in the zenith, with the head of an afs; a third to the weftward, with claws like a dragon ; and your Highnefs fhould in a few minutes think fit to examine the truth; it is certain, they would all be changed in figure and position; new ones would arife; and all we could agree upon, would be, that clouds there were, but that I was grofsly mistaken in the zoography and topography of them. But your governor perhaps may still infist, and put the question, What is then become of those immenfe bales of paper, which must needs have been employed in fuch numbers of books? Can thefe alfo be wholly annihilate, and fo of a fudden, as I pretend? What fhall I fay in return of fo invidious an objection? It ill befits the diftance between your Highnefs and me, to fend you for ocular conviction to a jakes, or an oven; to the windows of a bawdy-house, or to a fordid lan tern. tern. Books, like men, their authors, have no more than one way of coming into the world; but there are ten thousand to go out of it, and return no more. I profefs to your Highness, in the integrity of my heart, that what I am going to fay is literally true this minute I am writing. What revolutions may happen before it fhall be ready for your perufal, I can by no means warrant: However, I beg you to accept it as a specimen of our learning, our politenefs, and our wit. I do therefore affirm, upon the word of a fincere man, that there is now actually in being, a certain poet called John Dryden, whofe tranflation of Virgil was lately printed in a large folio, well bound, and, if diligent fearch were made, for aught I kuow, is yet to be feen. There is another, called Nahum Tate, who is ready to make oath, that he has caufed many reams of verfe to be published, whereof both himfelf and his bookfeller (if lawfully required) can ftill produce authentic copics; and therefore wonders, why the world is pleafed to make fuch a fecret of it. There is a third, known by the name of Tom Durfey, a poet of a vast comprehenfion, an univerfal genius, and moft profound learning. There are alfo one Mr Rymer, and one Mr Dennis, moft profound critics. There is a perfon ftyled Dr Bentley, who has written near a thousand pages of immenfe erudition, giving a full and true account of a certain fquabble of wonderful importance between himfelf T 2 himfelf and a bookfeller *. He is a writer of infinite wit and humour; no man rallies with a better grace, and in more sprightly turns. Farther, I avow to your Highnefs, that with these eyes I have beheld the perfon of William Wotton, B. D. who has written a good fizeable volume against a friend of your governor †, (from whom, alas! he muft therefore look for little favour), in a moft gentlemanly ftyle, adorned with the utmost politcnefs and civility; replete with discoveries, equally valuable for their novelty and use; and embellished with traits of wit, fo poignant and fo appofite, that he is a worthy yokemate to his forementioned friend. Why fhould I go upon farther particulars, which might fill a volume with the juft elogies of my contemporary brethren? I fhall bequeath this piece of juftice to a larger work; wherein I intend to write a character of the present set of wits in our nation. Their perfons I fhall defcribe particularly, and at length; their genius and understanding, in miniature. In the mean time, I do here make bold to prefent your Highness with a faithful abstract drawn from the univerfal body of all arts and sciences, intended wholly for your service and inftruction. Nor Bentley, in his controverfy with Lord Orrery, upon the genuineness of Phalaris's epiftles, has given, in a preface, a long account of his dialogues with a bookfeller, about the loan and reftitution of a M S. Hawkef. Sir William Temple. Nor do I doubt in the leaft, but your Highness will peruse it as carefully, and make as confiderable improvements, as other young princes have already done, by the many volumes of late years written for a help to their studies *. That your Highness may advance in wisdom and virtue, as well as years, and at last outshine all your royal ancestors, fhall be the daily prayer of, SIR, Your Highness's Dec. 1697. Moft devoted, &c. * There were innumerable books printed for the use of the Dauphin of France. Hawkef. THE PREFACE. THE HIE wits of the prefent age being so very numerous and penetrating, it feems the grandees of church and fiate begin to fall under horrible apprehenfions, left these gentlemen, during the intervals of a long peace, fhould find leifure to pick holes in the weak fides of religion and government. To prevent which, there has been much thought employed of late, upon certain projects for taking off the force and edge of thofe formidable inquirers, from canvafling and reafoning upon fuch delicate points. They have at length fixed upon one, which will require fome time as well as coft to perfect. Mean while, the danger hourly increafing, by new levies of wits, all appointed (as there is reafon to fear) with pen, ink, and paper, which may, at an hour's warning, be drawn out into pamphlets, and other offenfive weapons, ready for immediate execution; it was judged of abfolute neceffity, that fome prefent expedient be thought on, till the main defign can be brought to maturity. To this end, at a grand committee, fome days ago, this important difcovery was made by a certain curious and refined obferver, That feamen have a cuftom, when they meet a whale, to fling him out an empty tub, by way of amufement, to di |
