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ADVERTISEMENT.

prevent any mistakes that might arise,

Tand in juftice to his Readers and himself,

the Editor of the following Tract feels himself bound to declare, that he has no farther concern in it, than as being accidentally the channel through which it is conveyed to the Public. Having ordered, a few months ago, * Irish editions

* It is with concern that the Editor has learnt, that this fpecies of traffic, fo convenient for the Knights Compa nions of the light purfe, is fo much at present on the decline, as to threaten (in the language of the Counter) to be Speedily knocked up. The Irish Editors have imprudently fcrewed up their prices too high: and their Rivals on this fide the water have been, of late, unusually sharp fet in running them down, by the affiftance of the Statute Book, and officers of the cuftoms. It was a forry fight to the Editor, last vacation, to fee the Royal warehouses at the ports oppofite to the Irish coaft, crowded with fo many choice and famous Authors, languishing in ignoble bonds, and fome of them expiring, in defiance of MAGNA CHARTA, under cruel tortures. Here lay Mrs. C-TH-NE My, juft new from the beers and Spunge,-" her filver fkin laced with her golden blood,"-pointing to

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editions of fome late publications (an irregu larity into which the high prices of town-made books, and the low ftate of his own finances, have fometimes betrayed him, to the detriment of COPY-HOLD rights, and "against the "form of the Statute in that cafe provided;") he found the parcel, on its arrival in his chambers, to be double-fortified with fwathes of printed fheets; refembling, in their general appearance, what is known among the Trade, by the name of Imperfections. This, being quite

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felon les Regles," excited neither curiofity nor attention; but approaching, foon after, the parcel to his teeth, for the purpose of undoing the twine, the wrappers were again forced upon bis eye; when he perceived, by certain cabalif tical marks upon the margins and field, and which his printer would laugh at him should he attempt to depict, that what he had taken at firft for imperfections, were no other than proof-sheets, of a work apparently critical, and which he felicitated himself on his chance of

feafting on, perhaps before the Public. He fet

...

her ample gashes, and bellowing for her HABEAS CORPUS. There lay the redoubted JUNIUS, his body dif membered by the axe, and his quarters at the King's difpofal,----and there the ftately G-E-NS, laniatum corpore toto, with the vehicle of his keen elocution bored through with red-hot iron, &c. &c.

Non, mihi fi linguæ centum fint, oraque centum,
Omnia pœnarum percurrere nomina poffim.

5

himself

himfelf accordingly to examine the sheets with attention; and found them, not without fome furprise, to contain a methodical criticism upon Gray's "Elegy written in a Country Churchyard;" executed in a manner fomewhat outré, and containing Obfervations on certain other Poems of Gray, together with allufions to certain Analyses of them, which were referred to as preceding this particular Criticism, but which were not to be found in these fheets. A fudden thought now entered his head, and one which fome will perhaps think he too hastily adopted. Having been lately reading Dr. J-hn-n's Criticism on Gray (a work which afforded him infinite amusement), and the Doctor's manner being then ftrongly impreffed on his mind, he fancied he perceived a resemblance betwixt the style and mode of Criticifm difplayed in the Doctor's Strictures on Gray's other Poems, and that adopted in the Criti-cifm now before him. The leges judicandi were the fame; and the Editor was led to fancy it poffible, that the Obfervations on the Elegy written in a Country Church-yard, were compofed by Dr. J-hn-n, printed off for publica-. tion, along with the other parts of the Criticifm on Gray, but afterwards withdrawn; from the suspicion that a cenfure fo free, of one of the most popular productions in the English language, might be ill-received by the Public.

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Full of this idea, the Editor formed the refolution of restoring to his Fellow-Readers what feemed to him to have been needlessly taken away; and thus to gratify their palates with a difh that one meets not with every day.

What his riper fentiments upon this subject are, the Editor does not chufe to fay, The Public are in poffeffion of the evidence, both external and internal; and they are left to judge for themselves. It is, however, but fair to admit, that there are fome circumstances which are rather unfavourable to the idea, that this Criticism on Gray's Elegy is the genuine production of Dr. J-hn-n. Although it is not difficult to conceive, that means might have been found to get the proof-sheets of this work tranfmitted fucceffively to Ireland (as the proof fheets of other works have been) in due course of poft; and although the cafe of an † Author of

The great number of proprietors (in all thirty-fix) whose names, in eight files, marshalled in the form of the CUNEUS, defend the title-page of Dr. J-hn-n's amufing work, though calculated to ftrike terror in after pirates, may have even contributed to render easy the first trefpafs. Secrecy and Prudence diftributed among thirty-fix men, become little elfe than names. "In the "multitude of counsellors there is fafety:" The cafe is different with copy-holders.

+ It is faid to be a vouched anecdote of the Author of Effays and Treatifes on feveral Subjects," that he revoked and deftroyed certain Effays, which he had already got printed off, and in which he found reafon to fufpect that he had taken his ground rather too hastily. note

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