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 recommendatien, dazzled with the names of great patrons, wheedled with fine realons and pretences, or troubled with excules. 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 publifhed, because I was told I might pleafe fuch as it was a credit to please. To what degree I have done this I am really ignorant : I had too much fondness for my productions to judge of them at first, 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 themselves 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 to have used the fame induftry, let us expect the fame immortality: though, if we took the fame care, we should 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 ifland, 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 fenfe and learning has been obtained by those who have been

moft

moft indebted to them. For, to fay truth, whatever is very good fenfe, must have been common fense in all times; and what we call Learning, is but the knowledge of the fenfe of our predeceffors. Therefore they who fay 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 fhould expect us to be scholars, and yet be angry to find us fo.

I fairly confefs that I have served myself all I could by reading; that I made use 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 reafon thefe 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 rhime 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 fhall ufe for the favour of the public is, that I have as great a refpect for it as moft 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 thofe authors who forgive themselves fome 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; 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 burned I deserve to be praised. On this account the world is under fome obligation to me, and owes me the juftice, in return, to look úpon no verfes 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 im

putation

putation of fo many dull and immoral things as, partly by malice, and partly by ignorance, have been afcribed to me. I muft 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 perfon who has hardly credit enough to anfwer 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 fhall make it the former, may thefe poems, as long as they laft, remain as a teftimony 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 I have written well, let it be confidered that it is what no man can do without good fense, 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 fhall 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 body fhould 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 cafe of compaffion; that I never was fo concerned about my Works as to vindicate them in print, believing, if any thing was good, it would defend itfelf, and what was bad could never be defended; that

I ufed no artifice to raife or continue a reputation, depreciated no dead author I was obliged to, bribed no living one with unjust praise, infulted no adversary with ill language; or, when I could not attack a rival's works, encouraged reports against his morals. To conclude, if this volume perish, 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 themfelves; 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.

AFTER page 48. 1. 21. it followed thus-For my part, I confefs, had I feen things in this view at firft, 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 muft fpeak 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 myself as it is in the power of any other to expole them. In the first place, I thank God and Nature that I was born with a love to poetry; for nothing more conduces to fill up all the intervals of our time, or, if rightly ufed, to make the whole courfe of life entertaining: Cantantes licet ufque (minus vit lædet.) It is a valt happiness to poffets the pleatures of the head, the only pleafures in which a man is fufficient to himself, and the only part of him which, to his fatisfaction, he can employ all day long. The Mufes are amica omnium horarum; and, like our gay acquaintance, the best company in the world as

long

long as one expects no real fervice from them. I con. fels there was a time when I was in love with myself, and my first productions were the children of Self-love upon Innocence. I had made an epic poem, and panegyrics on all the princes in Europe, and thought myself the greatest genius that ever was. I can't but regret thofe delightful vifions of my childhood, which, like the fine colours we fee when our eyes' are fhut, are vanifhed for ever. Many trials, and fad experience, have fo undeceived me by degrees, that I am utterly at a lofs at what rate to value myself. As for fame, I fhall be glad of any I can get, and not repine at any I mifs; and as for vanity, I have enough to keep me from hanging myself, or even from wishing those hanged who would take it away. It was this that made me write. The sense of my faults made me correct; besides that it was as pleasant to me to correct as to write.

At p. 50. 1. 25. In the firft place, I own that I have used my best endeavours to the finishing these pieces; that I made what advantage I could of the judgment of authors dead and living; and that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors by my friends and my enemies; and that I expect no favour on account of my youth, bufinefs, want of health, or any fuch idle excufes. But the true reafon they are not yet more correct, is owing to the confideration how short a time they and I have to live. A man that can expect but fixty years, may be afhamed to employ thirty in meafuring fyllables, and bringing fenfe and rhime together. We spend our youth in purfuit of riches or fame, in hopes to enjoy them when we are old; and when we are old, we find it is too late to enjoy any thing. therefore hope the wits will pardon me if I referve fome of my time to fave my foul; and that fome wife men will be of my opinion, even if I fhould think a part of it better spent in the enjoyments of life than in pleafing the critics.