privilege of being admitted into the best company; and the freedom of faying as many careless things as other people, without being fo feverely remarked upon.

I believe, if any one, early in his life, should contemplate the dangerous fate of authors, he would scarce be of their number on any confideration. The life of a Wit is a warfare upon earth; and the present spirit of the learned world is fuch, that to attempt to ferve it (any way) one must have the conftancy of a martyr, and a refolution to fuffer for its fake. I could wish people would believe, what I am pretty certain they will not, that I have been much less concerned about Fame than I durft declare till this occafion, when methinks I fhould find more credit than I could heretofore: fince my writings have had their fate already, and it is too late to think of prepoffeffing the reader in their favour. I would plead it as fome merit in me, that the world has never been prepared for thefe Trifles by Prefaces, byaffed by recommendation, dazled with the names of great Patrons, wheedled with fine reasons and pretences, or troubled with excufes. I confefs it was want of confideration that made me an author; I writ because it amused me; I corrected because it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write; and I published because I was told, I might please fuch as it was a credit to please. To what degree I have done

this, I am really ignorant; I had too much fondnefs for my productions to judge of them at first, and too much judgment to be pleased with them at last. But I have Reafon to think they can have no reputation which will continue long, or which deferves to do fo: for they have always fallen short not only of what I read of others, but even of my own Ideas of Poetry.

If any one should imagine I am not in earnest, I defire him to reflect, that the Ancients (to fay the least of them) had as much Genius as we : and that to take more pains, and employ more time, cannot fail to produce more compleat pieces. They conftantly apply'd themselves not only to that art, but to that single branch of an art, to which their talent was most powerfully bent; and it was the business of their lives to correct and finish their works for pofterity. we can pretend to have used the same industry, let us expect the fame immortality: Tho' if we took the fame care, we fhould ftill lie under a farther misfortune: they writ in languages that became univerfal and everlasting, while ours are extremely limited both in extent and in duration. A mighty foundation for our pride! when the utmost we can hope, is but to be read in one Island, and to be thrown afide at the end of one Age.

If

All that is left us is to recommend our productions by the imitation of the Ancients: and it will be found true, that in every age, the highest

character for sense and learning has been obtained by those who have been most indebted to them. For, to say truth, whatever is very good fense, must have been common sense in all times; and what we call Learning, is but the knowledge of the sense of our predeceffors. Therefore they who say our thoughts are not our own, because they resemble the Ancients, may as well fay our faces are not our own, because they are like our Fathers: And indeed it is very unreasonable, that people should expect us to be Scholars, and yet be angry to find us fo.

I fairly confefs that I have ferved myself all I could by reading; that I made ufe of the judgment of authors dead and living; that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors, both by my friends and enemies: But the true Reason these pieces are not more correct, is owing to the confideration how short a time they, and I, have to live: One may be ashamed to confume half one's days in bringing sense and rhyme together; and what Critic can be fo unreasonable, as not to leave a man time enough for any more serious employment, or more agreeable amusement ?

The only plea I shall use for the favour of the public, is, that I have as great a refpect for it, as most authors have for themselves; and that I have facrificed much of my own felf-love for its fake, in preventing not only many mean things from feeing

the light, but many which I thought tolerable. I would not be like those Authors, who forgive themselves fome particular lines for the fake of a whole Poem, and vice verfa a whole Poem for the fike of fome particular lines. I believe no one qualification is fo likely to make a good writer, as the power of rejecting his own thoughts; and it must be this (if any thing) that can give me a chance to be one. For what I have published, I can only hope to be pardoned; but for what I have burn'd, I deferve to be prais'd. On this account the world is under fome obligation to me, and owes me the justice in return, to look upon no verses as mine that are not inferted in this collectiAnd perhaps nothing could make it worth while to own what are really fo, but to avoid the imputation of fo many dull and immoral things, as partly by malice, and partly by ignorance, have been afcribed to me. I must further acquit myself of the prefumption of having lent my name to recommend any Mifcellanies, or Works of other men; a thing I never thought becoming a Person who has hardly credit enough to answer for his own.

on.

my

In this office of collecting my pieces, I am alto-, gether uncertain, whether to look upon myself as a man building a monument, or burying the dead.

If Time shall make it the former, may thefe Poems (as long as they laft) remain as a testimony, that their Author never made his talents fubfervient to the mean and unworthy ends of Party or

Self-interest; the gratifieation of public prejudices, or private paffions; the flattery of the undeferving, or the infult of the unfortunate. If I have written well, let it be confidered that 'tis what no man can do without good fenfe, a quality that not only renders one capable of being a good writer, but a good man. And if I have made any acquifition in the opinion of any one under the notion of the former, let it be continued to me under no other title than that of the latter.

But if this publication be only a more folemn funeral of my remains, I defire it may be known that I die in charity, and in my senses; without any murmurs against the justice of this age, or any mad appeals to pofterity. I declare I fhall think the world in the right, and quietly submit to every truth which time fhall difcover to the prejudice of thefe writings; not fo much as wishing so irrational a thing, as that every body should be deceived merely for my credit. However, I defire it may then be confidered, That there are very few things in this collection which were not written under the age of five and twenty: fo that my youth may be made (as it never fails to be in Executions) a case of compaffion. That I was never so concerned about my works as to vindicate them in print, believing, if any thing was good, it would defend itself, and what was bad could never be