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"The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq. 1721."

The dedication, of which the following is an extract, has a pretty vignette, and the letter I is engraved with a lyre behind it. "I cannot wish that any of my writings should last longer than the memory of our Friendship (he observes to Craggs), and therefore I thus publickly bequeathe them to You, in return for the many valuable instances of your Affection. That they may come to you with as little disadvantage as possible, I have left the care of them to one, whom, by the experience of some years, I know well qualified to answer my intentions. He has already the honour and happiness of being under your protection; and, as he will very much stand in need of it, I cannot wish him better, than that he may continue to deserve the favour and countenance of such a Patron. I have no time to lay out in forming such compliments, as would but ill suit that familiarity between us, which was once my greatest pleasure, and will be my greatest honour hereafter. Instead of them, accept of my hearty wishes, that the great reputation, you have acquired so early, may increase more and more: and that you may long serve your country with those excellent talents, and unblemished integrity, which have so powerfully recommended to the most gracious and amiable Monarch,

you

VOL. III.

that

that ever filled a Throne. May the frankness and generosity of your spirit continue to soften and subdue your enemies, and gain you many friends, if possible, as sincere as yourself. When you have found such, they cannot wish you more true happiness than I, who am, with the greatest zeal,” &c.

"O that some Muse, renowned for Lofty verse,
In daring numbers wou'd thy Toils rehearse!
Draw the Belov'd in peace, and Fear'd in wars,
Inur'd to Noon-day sweats, and Mid-night cares?
But still the God-like Man, by some hard Fate,
Receives the Glory of his toils too late,
Too late the Verse the mighty Act succeeds,
One Age the Hero, one the Poet breeds."

To King William III.

"The Works of John Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave, Marquis of Normanby, and Duke of Buckingham, 1723."

This quarto, handsomely printed on a white thin paper, has a very fine portrait of him by Vertue, and a good engraving of his Monument by Fourdrinier, and contains a specimen of the licence then in use. George, &c. &c. Greeting. Whereas our trusty and well beloved John Barber, Printer, and Alderman of Our City of London, has humbly represented unto us, that he is

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now

now printing the Works of his Grace John Sheffield Duke of Buckinghamshire, in Verse and Prose; and whereas the said John Barber has informed us, that he has been at great Expence in carrying on the said Work, and that the sole Right and Title of the Copy of the said Work is vested in the said John Barber; he has therefore humbly besought us to grant him our Royal Privilege and License for the sole printing and publishing thereof for the Term of Fourteen Years. We being willing to give all due Encouragement to so useful a Work, are graciously pleased to condescend to his Request, and do therefore hereby, so far as may be agreeable to the Statute in that behalf made and provided, grant unto the said John Barber our Royal License and Privilege for the sole printing and publishing the said Works of the said Duke of Buckinghamshire, for and during the Term of Fourteen Years, to be computed from the Day of the Date hereof, strictly charging and prohibiting all our Subjects within our Kingdoms and Dominions to re-print or abridge the same, either in the Like or in any other Volume or Volumes whatsoever, or to import, buy, vend, utter, or distribute any Copies of the same or any Part thereof re-printed beyond the Seas, during the said Term of fourteen Years, without the Consent and Approbation of the said John Barber, his Heirs, Executors, and Assigns, under

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under his or their Hands and Seals first had and obtained, as they and every of them offending herein, will answer the contrary at their Perils: Whereof the Master, Wardens and Company of Stationers of our City of London, Commissioners and other Officers of our Customs, and all other our Officers and Ministers, whom it may concern, are to take notice, that due Obedience be given to our pleasure herein signified. Given at our Court at St. James's the 18th Day of April 1722 in the Eighth Year of our Reign. By his Majesty's Command,

"CARTERET."

The Dedication is in these words: "To the memory of John Sheffield Duke of Buckingham. These his more lasting remains (the monuments of his mind, and more perfect image of himself) are here collected by the direction of Catharine his Duchesse: Desirous that his ashes may be honoured, and his fame and merit committed to the test of time, truth, and Posterity."

Small engravings or head-pieces are placed over the titles of each ode or poem, taken from the subject of it; and the first letters are engraved with a back ground, derived from the same source. Some of the printer's tail-pieces are very good.

I have purposely avoided making any kind of observation on the various peculiarities in orthography, style, sentiment, or manner of introducing works to the publick, in the preceding part of this chapter. Much might have been said; but every thing I could have advanced must occur to every reader in perusing the extracts in their chronological series.

I shall conclude this chapter with the substance of some curious remarks on our language made about the reign of George I. by the anonymous author of "A Journey through England." He says, the Welsh and Scotch call it Sassenagh or Saxon, but erroneously, as it is not Saxon; and repeats what I have already mentioned relating to the endeavours made by William the Conqueror to suppress the English, in order to introduce the Norman French, in which he decreed all parliamentary and law proceedings should be written. This, however, he continues, " never went farther than the lawyers, and the little scavengers of the law;" for example, Oyez, which in Norman is to hear or listen, is by the common cryers in the several boroughs repeated, O yes; but they know no more what it means than they do when they go to a cook's shop, and ask for a kickshaw, from the French words quelque chose.

And

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