infinuate against their Abilities for entring into Affairs, have equally vanished. And Experience has shown, that Men of Letters are not only) qualify'd with a greater Capacity, but alfo a greater Integrity in the Dispatch of Business. Your own Stu dies have been diverted from being the highest Ornament, to the highest Ufe to Mankind, and the Capacities which would have rendered you the greatest Poet of your Age, have to the Advantage of Great Britain been employed in Purfüits which have made you the most able and unbiaffed Patriot. A vigorous Imagination, an extenfive Apprehenfion, and a ready Judgment, have distinguished you in all the illuftrious Parts of Administration, in a Reign attended with fuch Difficulties, that the fame Talents without the fame Quickness in the Poffeffion of them would have been incapable of Conquering. The natural Succefs of fuch Abilities has advanced you to a Seat in that illuftrious House, where

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where you were received by a Crowd of your Relations. Great as you are in your Honours, and Perfonal Qualities, I know you will forgive, an humble Neighbour, the Vanity of pretending to a Place in your Friendship, and fubfcribing himself,

THE

PREFACE.

IN

་

N the laft Tatler I promised fome Expla nation of Paffages and Perfons mentioned in this Work, as well as fome Account of the Affiftances I have had in the Performance. I shall do this in very few Words; for when a Man has no Defign but to speak plain Truth, he may say a great deal in a very narrow Compass. I have in the Dedication of the First Volume made my Acknowledgments to Dr. Swift, whofe pleafant Writings, in the Name of Bickerstaff, created an Inclination in the Town towards any Thing that could appear in the fame Difguife. I must acknowledge alfo, that at my first en tring upon this Work, a certain uncommon Way of Thinking, and a Turn in Converfation pe culiar to that agreeable Gentleman, rendered his Company very advantageous to one whofe Imagination was to be continually employed upon obvious and common Subjects, though at the Same Time obliged to treat of them in a new and unbeaten Method. His Verfes on the Shower in Town, and the Defcription of the Morning, are Inftances of the Happiness of that Genius, which could raife fuch pleafing Idea's upon Occafions fo barren to an ordinary Invention.

When

1

When I am upon the Houfe of Bickerstaff, I must not forget that Genealogy of the Family fent to me by the Poft, and written, as I fince underftand, by Mr. Twifden, who died at the Battle of Mons, and has a Monument in WestminsterAbbey Suitable to the Respect which is due to his Wit and his Valour. There are through the Course of the Work very many Incidents which were written by unknown Correfpondents. Of this Kind is the Tale in the Second Tatler, and the Epiftle from Mr. Downes the Prompter, with others which were very well received by the Publick. But I have only one Gentleman, who will be nameless, to thank for any frequent Affiftance to me, which indeed it would have been barbarous in him to have denied to one with whom he has lived in an Intimacy from Childhood, confidering the great Eafe with which he is able to dispatch the most entertaining Pieces of this Nature, This good Office he performed with fuch Force of Genius, Humour, Wit, and Learning, that I fared like a diftreffed Prince who calls in a powerful Neighbour to his Aid; I was undone by my Auxiliary; when I had once called him in, I could not fubfift with aut Dependance on him...

racters of M&

The fame Hand writ the diftinguishing Chaand Women under the Names of Mufical Inftruments, the Distress of the NewsWriters, the Inventory of the Play-house, and the Defcription of the Thermometer which I cannot but look upon as the greatest Embellifhments of this Work.

Thus

Thus far I thought neceffary to fay relating to the great Hands which have been concerned in thefe Volumes, with Relation to the Spirit and Genius of the Work; and am far from pretending to Modefty in making this Acknowledgment. What a Man obtains from the good Opinion and FriendShip of worthy Men, is a much greater Honour than he can poffibly reap from any Accomplishments of his own. But all the Credit of Wit which was given me by the Gentlemen above-mentioned (with whom I have now accounted) has not been able to attone for the Exceptions made against me for fome Raillery in Behalf of that learned Advocate for the Epifcopacy of the Church, and the Liberty of the People, Mr. Hoadley. I mention this only to defend my felf against the Imputation of being moved rather by Party than Opinion; and I think it is apparent I have with the utmost Franknefs allowed Merit wherever I found it, though joined in Interefts different from thofe for which I have declared my felf. When my Favonius is acknowledg'd to be Dr. Smalridge, and the amiable Character of the Dean in the Sixty fixth Tatler drawn for Dr. Atterbury, I hope I need fay no more as to my Impartiality.

I really have acted in thefe Cafes with Honefty, and am concerned it should be thought otherwife: For Wit, if a Man had it, unless it be directed to fame useful End, is but a wanton frivolous Quality, all that one should value himself upon in this Kind is, that he had fome honourable Inten

tion in it.

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