THE LUCUBRATIONS O F Ifaac Bickerstaff Efq; VOL. I. Οὐ χρή παννύχιον ἔδων βυληφόρον άνδρα. Homer. It ill becomes a Man who advices, to waste the Night in thoughtless ochore ་ LONDON, Printed: And to be deliver'd to Subfcribers, by Charles Lillie, Perfumer, at the Corner of Beauford-Buildings in the Strand; and John Morphew near Stationers-Hall. MDCCX. iii то Mr. Maynwaring. SIR, T HE State of Conversation and Business in this Town having been long perplexed with Preeders in both Kinds, in order to open fun's Eyes against such Abuses, it apcared no unprofitable Undertaking to publish a Paper which fhould obferve upon the Manners of the Pleasurable, as well as the Bufie Part of Mankind. To make this generally read, it feemed the most proper Method to form it by Way of a Letter of Intelligence, confifting of fuch Parts as might gratify the Curiofity of Perfons of all Conditions, and of each Sex. But a Work of this Nature requiring Time to grow into the Notice of the World, it happened very luckily, that a little before A 2 I had I had refolved upon this Defign, a Gentleman had written Predictions, and Two or Three other Pieces in my Name, which had render'd it famous through all Parts of Europe; and by an inimitable Spirit and Humour, raised it to as high a Pitch of Reputation as it could poffibly arrive at. By this good Fortune, the Name of Ifaac Bickerstaff gained an Audience of all who had any Taste of Wit; and the Addition of the ordinary Occurrences of common Journals of News broughr in a Multitude of other Readers. could not, I confefs, long keep up the Opinion of the Town, that these Lucubrations were written by the fame Hand with the first Works which were publifhed under my Name; but before I loft the Participation of that Author's Fame, I had already found the Advantage of his Authority, to which I owe the fudden Acceptance which my Labours met with in the World. The general Purpose of this Paper, is to expofe the falfe Arts of Life, to pull off the Difguifs of Cunning, Va |