“ "contracted from conftantly affociating with one Nation of Men, by a more free, gene"ral and mix'd Converfation. "FOLLIES and Vices cannot be too much "expos'd, nor too much guarded againft. (Horace fays very well: Sapientia prima eft "Stultitia caruiffe.) They grow up with us "from our Infancy: The Example of our "Parents, and Cuftom, ftrengthen them in us: The evil Concupifence of our Hearts "beget daily new Ones; and Self-Love nou"rifhes thefe Monsters. They are now a "days glofs'd over with new Names, which, "inftead of giving us an Abhorrence of them, "recommend them to our Approbation. "AVARICE is now call'd Good Husbandry; "LUXURY, Gallantry: An unreasonable "THIRST after HONOUR, is dignified with the fpecious Title of a Noble Ambition : TREACHERY is term'd Policy; PROFUSENESS, Li"berality: OBSTINACY is Conftancy: SUPERSTITION, Piety: BLASPHEMY, Free-Think"ing; and the like. Rochefort (if I am not "mistaken in my Author) fays of the Canni"bals, that they have no Word, in their "Language, to exprefs any Vice: And, in"deed, we may almost fay the fame Thing "of our Mother-Tongue. Wifely the Springs of Ation we conceal, Ambition i Ambition makes the publick Good her Care, POPE on Human Life. "By thus difguifing our Vices, under these " and the like winning Appellations, we like"wife get a Habit of forming a deceitful Judgment of Things: So, for Instance, Poverty, tho' no Sin, is what we are all "afham'd of: and, on the other hand, Pride, "tho' the most deform'd of all Vices, is what very few blush at. "THERE is another Ufe, that may be made " of fome Part of thefe Letters, which I "must not omit taking notice of. They "fhew in a lively manner, the Folly of Difcr content, and the Happiness of being fatif"fied with our own Condition of Life. That "Murmuring Difcontent is a Daughter of "diforderly, fuper-abundant Self-Love, and "the Mother of Complaint, is what every one "will readily allow But few, I fear, con"fider, that the latter may justly be call'd, a "Scourge of Human Society; a Pool of many «Vices; a Source of Despair; and a Peft of *our Eternal as well as Temporal Happiness. "A Perfon of this unfortunate Difpofition is "neither satisfied with himself nor others, neither with Nature, nor with the Almighty "Author of all Things. He is an Enemy to "the whole Creation. Difcontent makes him complain, and finding Fault encreases his "Discontent. "Discontent. A diffatisfied Body can never "I HAVE referv'd your Question, Whether "I think it might be worth your while to print thefe Letters? as the most difficult to be "answered, to the laft. I fhall only say, that "if an agreeable Mixture of History and Fa- "ble; of Wit, Humour and Satire; written "in an easy familiar Style, and in fuch Man- ner, that the moft ordinary Reader may " able to discover, which of these Occurrences "are related as Truth, and which as Fiction; "if, I fay, thefe Things can recommend any THOMAS LEDYARD. THUS far Mr. Ledyard: I have accepted of The EDITOR. SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS. LETTER I. From MUNSTER. Page 1. HE Author's Journy from Amfterdam to this Place, with a diverting Account of his Entertainment on the Road; and a brief Chronological History of the City of Muniter. LETTER II. From MUNSTER. P. 9. Continuation of the Author's Account of that City with the prefent State of it: His furprizing Adven ture with an English Nun; and her Hiftory. LETTER III. From PADERBORN. P. 23. The Author's Journy from Munster to this Place; with a Defcription of Soeft and Lipftadt; A merry Account of a Proceffion. An Historical Account of the City and Bishoprick of Paderborn. A Shocking Sight the Author met with in one of the Churches. LETTER IV. From OSNABRUG. P. 34. The Author's Journy from Paderborn to Caffel, with a Defcription of feveral Pieces of Curiofity to be feen there : His Return to Paderborn, and Journy thro' Bielfelt and Hervoden, to Ofnabrug: A brief A Defcription, and Hiftorical Account of that City: The Author bandfomly entertain'd by an English LETTER VI. From BREMEN. P. 47. The Author apprehenfive of a Plague at bis En- LETTER VII. From BREMEN. P. 54. The Bremers great Pretenders to Sanctity; and LETTER VIII. From BREMEN. P. 61. A Chronological and Hiftorical Account of the City of Bremen, with its ancient and prefent State, Form LETTER IX. From BREMEN. P. 70. Corps buried fifty, or more Years, not corrupted; accounted for, without the Expence of a Miracle. The Author's Defcription of the publick Building's con- tinued; particularly of the publick Hofpital, and the Houfe of Correction; with the Economy of the for- |
