neither lived to publifh his effay, nor to proceed farther in fo useful an attempt; which is very much to be lamented, because the difcovery he made, and communicated with his friends, is now univerfally received: Nor do I think, any of the learned will dispute that famous treatise to be a complete body of civil knowledge, and the revelation, or rather the apocalypfe of all state arcana. But the progrefs I have made is much greater, having already finished my annotations upon feveral dozens; from fome of which I fhall impart a few hints to the candid reader, as far as will be neceffary to the conclufion at which I aim.

The first piece I have handled, is that of Tom Thumb, whofe author was a Pythagorean philofopher. This dark treatife contains the whole scheme of the metempfychofis, deducing the progrefs of the foul through all her stages.

The next is Dr Fauftus, penned by Artephius, an author bonæ notæ, and an adeptus. He published it in the nine-hundredth-eighty-fourth year of his age*. This writer proceeds wholly by reincrudation, or in the via humida: And the marriage between Fauftus and Helen does most confpicuously dilucidate the fermenting of the male and female dragon.

Whittington and his cat is the work of that myfterious Rabbi, Jehuda Hannafi; containing a defence

The chymifts fay of him in their books, that he prolonged his life to a thousand years, and then died voluntarily. Hawkef

defence of the Gemara of the Jerufalem Mifna *, and its juft preference to that of Babylon, contrary to the vulgar opinion.

The Hind and Panther. This is the mafterpiece of a famous writer now living†, intended for a complete abftract of fixteen thousand fchoolmen, from Scotus to Bellarmin.

Tommy Pots. Another piece fuppofed by the fame hand, by way of fupplement to the former.

The wife men of Goatham, cum appendice. This is a treatife of immenfe erudition; being the great original and fountain of those arguments, bandied about both in France and England, for a just defence of the moderns learning and wit, against the presumption, the pride, and ignorance of the ancients. This unknown author hath fo exhausted the fubject, that a penetrating reader will eafily discover whatever hath been written fince upon that difpute, to be little more than repetition. An abstract of this treatife hath been lately published, by a worthy member of our society ‡.

These notices may ferve to give the learned reader an idea, as well as a tafte, of what the whole work is likely to produce; wherein I have now altogether circumfcribed my thoughts and

my

*The Gemara is the decision, explanation, or interpretation of the Jewish rabbies; and the Mifna is properly the code or body of the Jewish civil, or common law. Hawkef.

+ Viz. in 1698.

This I fuppofe to be understood of Mr Wotton's discourse of antient and modern learning.

my ftudies; and, if I can bring it to a perfection before I die, fhall reckon I have well employed the poor remains of an unfortunate life *. This indeed is more than I can juftly expect from a quill worn to the pith in the fervice of the ftate, in pro's and con's, upon Popish plots, and mealtubs t, and exclufion-bills, and paffive obedience, and addresses of lives and fortunes; and prerogative, and property, and liberty of confcience, and letters to a friend: From an understanding and a confcience thread-bare and ragged with perpetual turning; from a head broken in a hundred places by the malignants of the opposite factions; and from a body spent with poxes ill cured, by trufting to bawds and furgeons, who, as it afterwards appeared, were profeffed enemies to me and the government, and revenged their party's quarrel upon my nofe and fhins. Fourfcore and eleven pamphlets have I written under three reigns, and for the service of fix and thirty factions. But, finding the ftate has no farther occafion for me and my ink, I retire willingly to draw it out into fpeculations more becoming a philofopher; having, to my unspeakable comfort, paffed a long life with a confcience void of offence.

But

*Here the author feems to perfonate L'Eftrange, Dryden, and fome others, who, after having paffed their lives in vices, faction, and falfehood, have the impudence to talk of merit, and innocence, and fufferings.

In King Charles II.'s time, there was an account of a Prefbyterian plot, found in a tub, which then made much noife.

But to return: I am affured from the reader's candour, that the brief specimen I have given, will eafily clear all the rest of our fociety's productions from an afperfion grown, as it is manifeft, out of envy and ignorance, That they are of little farther use or value to mankind beyond the common entertainments of their wit and their style; for thefe I am fure have never yet been difputed by our keenest adversaries : In both which, as well as the more profound and mystical part, I have throughout this treatise closely followed the most applauded originals. And to render all complete, I have, with much thought and application of mind, fo ordered, that the chief title prefixed to it, I mean, that under which I design it shall pafs in the common conversations of court and town, is modelled exactly after the manner peculiar to our fociety.

I confefs to have been fomewhat liberal in the bufinefs of titles +, having obferved the humour of multiplying them to bear great vogue among certain writers, whom I exceedingly reverence. And indeed it seems not unreasonable, that books, the children of the brain, should have the honour to be christened with variety of names, as well as other infants of quality. Our famous Dryden has ventured to proceed a point farther, endeavouring to introduce alfo a multiplicity of godfathers;

I

+ The title-page, in the original, was fo torn, that it was not poffible to recover feveral titles, which the author here speaks of.

fathers; which is an improvement of much more advantage, upon a very obvious account. It is a pity this admirable invention has not been better cultivated, fo as to grow by this time into general imitation, when such an authority serves it for a precedent. Nor have my endeavours been wanting to fecond fo useful an example: But it seems, there is an unhappy expence usually annexed to the calling of a godfather, which was clearly out of my head, as it is very reasonable to believe. Where the pinch lay, I cannot certainly affirm; but having employed a world of thoughts and pains to split my treatife into forty sections, and having intreated forty lords of my acquaintance, that they would do me the honour to ftand, they all made it a matter of confcience, and fent me their excufes.

*See Virgil tranflated, &c. He dedicated the different parts ef Virgil to different patrons.