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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 these Trifles by Prefaces, biaffed by recommendations, dazzled with the names of great Patrons, wheedled with fine reafons and pretences, or troubled with excufes. I confefs it was want of confideration that made me an author; I writ because it amufed 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 such 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 firft, and too much judgment to be pleafed with them at laft. 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 fhort 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 leaft of them) had as much genius as we: and that to take more pains, and employ more time, cannot fail to produce. more complete pieces. They conftantly applied themfelves not only to that art, but to that fingle branch of an art, to which their talent was most powerfully bent; and it was the bufinefs of their lives to correct and finish their works for Pofterity. If we can pretend

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pretend to have used the fame industry, let us expect the fame immortality: Though if we took the fame care, we fhould ftill lie under a further 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.

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 fense and learning has been obtained by those who have been most indebted to them. For, to say truth, whatever is very good sense, must have been common fenfe in all times; and what we call Learning, is but the knowledge of the sense of our predeceffors. Therefore they who fay our thoughts are not our own, becaufe they refemble 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 fhould 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:

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One may be ashamed to consume half one's days in bringing fenfe and rhyme together; and what Critic can be fo unreasonable, as not to leave a man time enough for any more ferious employment, or more agreeable amusement ?

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The only plea I shall use for the favour of the Public, is, that I have as great a respect 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 seeing the light, but many which I thought tolerable. I would not be like thofe Authors, who forgive themselves some particular lines for the fake of a whole Poem, and vice verfa a whole Poem for the fake 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; 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 burned, I deserve to be praised. On this account the world is under fome obligation to me, and owes me the juftice în return, to look upon no verses as mine that are not inferted in this collection. And perhaps nothing could make it worth my 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 presumption of having lent my name to recommend any Miscellanies, or Works of other men; a thing I never thought becoming a perfon who has hardly credit enough to answer for his own.

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

If Time shall make it the former, may these 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 gratification of public prejudices or private paffions; the flattery of the undeferving, or the infult of the unfortunate. If f have written well, let it be confidered that it is 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 fenfes; without any murmurs against the juftice of this age, or any mad appeals to pofterity. I declare I shall think the world in the right, and quietly fubmit to every truth which Time fhall difcover to the prejudice of these writings; not fo much as wishing fo irrational a thing, as that every bodyfhould be deceived merely for my credit. However, I defire it may then be confidered, That there are very few things in this colle&tion 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 cafe of compaffion. That I was never fo 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 defended. That I used no artifice to raise or continue a reputation, depreciated no dead author I was obliged to, bribed no living one with unjuft praise, infulted no adverfary with ill-language; or when I could not attack a Rival's works, encouraged reports against his Morals. To conclude, if this volume perifh, let it ferve as a warning to the Critics, not to take too much pains for the future to deftroy fuch things as will die of themselves; and a Memento mori to fome of my vain contemporaries the Poets, to teach them that, when real merit is wanting, it avails nothing to have been encouraged by the great, commended by the eminent, and favoured by the Public in general.

Nov. 10, 1716.

VARIATIONS in the Author's Manufcript Preface.

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FTER page 6. 1. 21. it followed thus: For my part, I confefs, had I feen things in this view, at first, the Public had never been troubled either with my writings, or with this apology for them. I am fenfible how difficult it is to fpeak of one's felf with decency: but when a man must speak of himself, the best way is to speak truth of himself, or, he may depend upon it, others will do it for him. I'll therefore make this Preface a general confeffion of all my thoughts of my own Poetry, refolving with the fame freedom to expofe my

felf,

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