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THE

HISTORY

OF A

FOUND LI IN G.

BOOK XIII.

Containing the space of twelve days.

C

.

CHAP. I.

An invocation.

OME, bright love of fame, infpire my glowing breaft: not thee I call, who over fwelling tides of blood and tears doft bear the hero on to glory,' while fighs of millions waft his fpreading fails; but thee, fair gentle maid, whom Mnefis, happy nymph, first on the banks of Hebrus did produce. Thee, whom Mæonia educated, whom Mantua charmed, and who on that fair hill which overlooks the proud metropolis of Britain, fat'ft, with thy Milton, fweetly tuning the heroic lyre; fill my ravifh'd fancy with the hopes of charming ages yet to come. Foretel me that fome tender maid, whofe grandmother is yet unborn, hereafter, when, under the fictitious name of Sophia, fhe reads the real worth which once exifted in my Charlotte, fhall, from her fympathetic breaft, fend forth the heaving figh. Do thou teach me not only to forfee, but to enjoy, nay, even to feed on future praife. Comfort me by a folemn affurance, that when the little par lour in which I fit at this inftant fhall be reduced to a worfe furnished box, I fhall be read, with honour, by those who never knew nor faw me, and whom I fhall never know nor fee.

And thou, much plumper dame, whom no airy forms

nor phantoms of imagination clothe, whom the well feafoned beef, and pudding richly stained with plumbs, delight: Thee, I call; of whom in a Treckfchuyte in fome Dutch canal the fat unfrow gelt, impregnated by a jolly merchant of Amfterdam, was delivered; in Grub-street school, didst thou fuck in the elements of thy erudition. Here haft thou, in thy maturer age, taught poetry to tickle not the fancy, but the pride of the patron. Comedy from thee learns a grave and folemn air; while tragedy ftorms loud, and rends th' affrighted theatres with its thunder. To footh the wearied limbs in flumber, Alderman Hiftory tells his tedious tale; and again, to waken thee, Monfieur Romance performs his furprifing tricks of dexterity. Nor lefs thy well-fed bookfeller obeys thy influence. By thy advice the heavy unread folio lump, which long had dozed on the dufty fhelf, piece-mealed into numbers, runs nimbly through the nation. Inftructed by thee, fome books, like quacks, impofe on the world by promifing wonders; while others turn beaus, and trust all their merits to a gilded outfide. Come, thou jolly fubftance, with thy fhining face keep back thy inspiration, but hold forth thy tempting rewards; thy fhining, chinking heap; thy quickly-convertible bank-bill, big with unfeen riches; thy often-varying ftock; the warm, the comfortable houfe; and, laftly, a fair portion of that bounteous mother, whofe flowing breafts yield redundant fuftenance for all her numerous off-fpring, did not fome too greedily and wantonly drive their brethren from the teat. Come thou, and if I am too tastelefs of thy valuable treafures, warm my heart with the tranfporting thought of conveying them to others. Tell me that, through thy bounty, the prattling babes, whose innocent play hath been interrupted by my labours, may one time be amply rewarded for them.

And now this ill-yoked pair, this lean fhadow, and this fat fubftance, have prompted me to write, whofe affiftance fhall I invoke to direct my pen ?

First, Genius; thou gift of heaven, without whofe aid in vain we struggle against the stream of nature; thou, who doft fow the generous feeds which Art nourishes, and brings to perfection; do thou kindly take me by

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