the diftributors of literary honours, I have feldom defcended to the arts by which favour is obtained. I have seen the meteors of fashion rife and fall, without any attempt to add a moment to their duration. I have never complied with temporary curiofity, nor enabled my readers to discuss the topick of the day; I have rarely exemplified my affertions by living characters; in my papers, no man could look for cenfures of his enemies, or praises of himself; and they only were expected to perufe them, whofe paffions left them leisure for abstracted truth, and whom virtue could please by its naked dignity.

To fome, however, I am indebted for encouragement, and to others for affiftance. The number of my friends was never great, but they have been fuch as would not suffer me to think that I was writing in vain, and I did not feel much dejection from the want of popularity.

My obligations having not been frequent, my acknowledgments may be soon dispatched. I can restore to all my correfpondents their productions, with little diminution of the bulk of my volumes, though not without the lofs of fome pieces to which particular honours have been paid.

The parts from which I claim no other praise than that of having given them an opportunity of appearing, are the four billets in the tenth paper, the second letter in the fifteenth, the thirtieth, the forty-fourth, the ninety-feventh, and the hundredth papers, and the fecond letter in the hundred and seventh.

Having thus deprived myself of many excufes which candour might have admitted for the inequa'lity of my compofitions, being no longer able to al

lege

lege the neceffity of gratifying correspondents, the importunity with which publication was folicited, or obftinacy with which correction was rejected, I must remain accountable for all my faults, and fubmit, without fubterfuge, to the cenfures of criticism, which, however, I fhall not endeavour to soften by a formal deprecation, or to overbear by the influence of a patron. The fupplications of an author never yet reprieved him a moment from oblivion; and, though greatness has fometimes fheltered guilt, it can afford no protection to ignorance or dulnefs. Having hitherto attempted only the propagation of truth, I will not at last violate it by the confeffion of terrors which I do not feel: having laboured to maintain the dignity of virtue, I will not now degrade it by the meanness of dedication.

The feeming vanity with which I have fometimes spoken of myself, would perhaps require an apology, were it not extenuated by the example of thofe who have published effays before me, and by the privilege which every nameless writer has been hitherto allowed. "A mafk," fays Caftiglione, "confers a

right of acting and speaking with less restraint, "even when the wearer happens to be known." He that is discovered without his own confent, may claim fome indulgence, and cannot be rigorously called to juftify thofe fallies or frolicks which his difguise must prove him defirous to conceal.

But I have been cautious left this offence fhould be frequently or grofsly committed; for, as one of the philofophers directs us to live with a friend, as with one that is fome time to become an enemy, I have always thought it the duty of an anonymous

author

author to write, as if he expected to be hereafter known.

I am willing to flatter myself with hopes, that, by collecting these papers, I am not preparing, for my future life, either fhame or repentance. That all are happily imagined, or accurately polished, that the fame fentiments have not fometimes recurred, or the fame expreffions been too frequently repeated, I have not confidence in my abilities fufficient to warrant. He that condemns himself to compofe on a ftated day, will often bring to his task an attention diffipated, a memory embarraffed, an imagination overwhelmed, a mind distracted with anxieties, a body languishing with disease: He will labour on a barren topick, till it is too late to change it; or, in the ardour of invention, diffuse his thoughts into wild exuberance, which the preffing hour of publication cannot fuffer judgment to examine or reduce.

Whatever fhall be the final fentence of mankind, I have at least endeavoured to deserve their kindness. I have laboured to refine our language to grammati cal purity, and to clear it from colloquial barbarifms, licentious idioms, and irregular combinations. Some→ thing, perhaps, I have added to the elegance of its conftruction, and fomething to the harmony of its cadence. When common words were lefs pleasing to the ear, or less distinct in their fignification, I have familiarifed the terms of philofophy, by applying them to popular ideas, but have rarely admitted any word not authorized by former writers; for I believe that whoever knows the English tongue in its prefent extent, will be able to exprefs his thoughts without further help from other nations.

As

As it has been my principal defign to inculcate wisdom or piety, I have allotted few papers to the idle sports of imagination. Some, perhaps, may be found, of which the highest excellence is harmless merriment; but scarcely any man is fo fteadily ferious as not to complain, that the severity of dictatorial inftruction has been too seldom relieved, and that he is driven by the sternnefs of the Rambler's philofophy to more cheerful and airy companions.

Next to the excurfions of fancy are the difquifitions of criticism, which, in my opinion, is only to be ranked among the fubordinate and inftrumental arts. Arbitrary decifion and general exclamation I have carefully avoided, by afferting nothing without a reason, and establishing all my principles of judgment on unalterable and evident truth.

In the pictures of life I have never been so studious of novelty or furprize, as to depart wholly from all resemblance; a fault which writers defervedly celebrated frequently commit, that they may raise, as the occafion requires, either mirth or abhorrence. Some enlargement may be allowed to declamation, and fome exaggeration to burlesque; but as they deviate farther from reality, they become less useful, because their leffons will fail of application. The mind of the reader is carried away from the contemplation of his own manners; he finds in himself no likeness to the phantom before him; and though he laughs or rages, is not reformed.

The effays profeffedly ferious, if I have been able to execute my own intentions, will be found exactly conformable to the precepts of Christianity, without any accommodation to the licentioufnefs and levity.

of

of the prefent age. I therefore look back on this part of my work with pleasure, which no blame or praise of man fhall diminish or augment. I fhall never envy the honours which wit and learning obtain in any other caufe, if I can be numbered. among the writers who have given ardour to virtue, and confidence to truth.

Αὐτῶν ἐκ μακαρων αντάξια εἴη αμοιβή.

Celestial pow'rs! that piety regard,

From You my labours wait their laft reward.

END OF THE SEVENTH VOLUME.