and, lastly, a fair Portion of that bounteous Mother, whofe flowing Breafts yield redundant Sustenance for all her numerous Offfpring, did not fome too greedily and wantonly drive their Brethren from the Teat. Come thou, and if I am too taftelefs of thy valuable Treasures, warm my Heart with the tranfporting Thought of conveying them to others. Tell me, that through. thy Bounty, the prattling Babes, whofe innocent Play hath often been interrupted by my Labours, may one Time be amply rewarded for them.

And now this ill-yoked Pair, this lean Shadow and this fat Subftance, have prompted me to write, whofe Aflistance hall I invoke to direct my Pen?

Do

First, Genius; thou Gift of Heaven; without whofe Aid, in vain we struggle against the Stream of Nature. Thou, who doft fow the generous Seeds which Art nourishes, and brings to Perfection. thou kindly take me by the Hand, and lead me through all the Mazes, the winding Labyrinths of Nature. Initiate me into all those Mysteries which profane Eyes never beheld.. Teach me, which to thee is no difficult Task,

to

to know Mankind better than they know themfelves. Remove that Mift which dims the Intellects of Mortals, and causes them to adore Men for their Art, or to deteft them for their Cunning in deceiving others, when they are, in reality, the Objects only of Ridicule, for deceiving themselves. Strip off the thin Difguife of Wifdom from SelfConceit, of Plenty from Avarice, and of Glory from Ambition. Come thou, that haft infpired thy Aristophanes, thy Lucian, thy Cervantes, thy Rabelais, thy Moliere, thy Shakespear, thy Swift, thy Marivaux, fill my Pages with Humour; 'till Mankind learn the Good-Nature to laugh only at the Follies of others, and the Humility to grieve at their own.

And thou, almoft the conftant Attendant on true Genius, Humanity, bring all thy tender Senfations. If thou haft already difpofed of them all between thy Allen and thy Lyttleton, fteal them a little while from their Bofoms. Not without thefe the tender Scene is painted. From thefe alone proceed the noble, difinterested Friendship, the melting Love, the generous Sentiment, the ardent Gratitude, the foft Compassion, the candid Opinion; and all thofe ftrong Ener

B 3

gies

gies of a good Mind, which fill the moif tened Eyes with Tears, the glowing Cheeks with Blood, and fwell the Heart with Tides of Grief, Joy and Benevolence.

And thou, O Learning, (for without thy Affiftance nothing pure, nothing correct, can Genius produce) do thou guide my Pen. Thee, in thy favourite Fields, where the limpid, gently rolling Thames washes thy Etonian Banks, in early Youth I have worshipped. To thee, at thy birchen Altar, with true Spartan Devotion, I have facrificed my Blood. Come, then, and from thy vaft, luxuriant Stores, in long Antiquity piled up, pour forth the rich Profufion. Open thy Meonian and thy Mantuan Coffers, with whatever elfe includes thy Philofophic, thy Poetic, and thy Historical Treafures, whether with Greek or Rqman Characters thou hast chosen to infcribe the ponderous Chefts: Give me a while that Key to all thy Treasures, which to thy Warburton thou hast entrusted.

Laftly, come Experience long conver fant with the Wife, the Good, the Learned, and the Polite. Nor with them only,

but

but with every Kind of Character, from the Minifter at his Levee, to the Bailiff in his Spunging-Houfe; from the Dutchefs at her Drum, to the Landlady behind her Bar. From thee only can the Manners of Mankind be known; to which the reclufe Pedant, however great his Parts, or extensive his Learning may be, hath ever been a Stranger.

Come all thefe, and more, if poffible; for arduous is the Tafk I have undertaken : And without all your Affiftance, will, I find, be too heavy for me to fupport. But you all smile on my Labours, I hope still to bring them to a happy Conclufion,

if

CHA P. II.

What befel Mr. Jones on his Arrival in
London.

HE learned Dr. Mifaubin used to

TH
Tay, that the proper bir afon to

Direction him was, To Dr. Mifaubin, in the World; intimating, that there were few. People in it to whom his great Reputation was not known. And, perhaps, upon a very nice Examination into the Matter, we shall find that this Circumftance bears no inconfiderable Part among the many Bleffings of Grandeur.

The great Happiness of being known to Pofterity, with the Hopes of which we fo delighted ourselves in the preceding Chapter, is the Portion of few. To have the feveral Elements which compofe our Names, as Sydenham expreffes it, repeated a thoufand Years hence, is a Gift beyond the Power of Title and Wealth; and is scarce to be purchased, unless by the Sword and the Pen. But to avoid the fcandalous Imputation, while we yet live, of being one

whom