indifferently fo. And accordingly, this Edition, is the Edition which I would Commend to Pofterity, not owning the former, any further than they agree with this. In like manner as St. Auftin fays of his Imperfect Book upon Genefis, written when he was Young, which he would have measured by what he Wrote afterwards upon the fame Subject, when he was a Bishop. Breviter admoneo ut illi duodecem libri legantur, quos longe poftea Epifcopus feci, & ex ipfis de isto judicetur. The fame with due Accommodation fay I here, defigning as I have opportunity, to Revife my other Writings, and to Correct what is amifs in them: In the mean while, all that I have further to fay upon this Occafion is that if there be any thing in the Verfe part, that fall appear offenfive in ftrictnefs. of Notion, as perhaps there may, this fine in particular, But fure he Coveted to have thee there. I would not have it taken as offered for Theological or Phylofophic Truth, but only as a ftroke of Poetry, which with equitable Readers, I hope will find Allowance. To To the READER Ο F all the tedious things in the World, I was ever the leaft Friend to long Prefaces and therefore I fhall only commend to your Hands this Collection of Mifcellanies, occafionally compofed at feveral times, as my Humour and Leifure ferv'd me, with a brief Account of my Defign, as to both Parts of the Collection. Not to trouble you with a Pompous Difcourfe of the Nature of Poetry, its Measures of Criticism, its Variety, Antiquity, its great Use and Excellence, and the like, which have been at large fet forth by many curious Pens, Ihave only leifure at present to obferve, that Poetry is of late mightily fall'n from the Beauty of its Idea, and from its ancient Majesty and Grandeur, as well as Credit and Reputation. It may appear strange indeed, that in fuch a Refining Age as this, wherein all things feem ready to receive their last turn and finishing stroke, Poetry Should be the only thing that remains unimprov'd. And yet So it happens, that which we generally have now a days, is no more like the thing it was formerly, than Modern Religion is like Primitive Christianity. 'Tis with this as with our Mufick. From grave,majeftic, folemn strains, where deep inftructive Senfe is Sweetly convey'd in charming numbers, where equal Addrefs is made to the Judgment and the Imagination, and where Beauty and Strength go hand in hand, 'tis now for the most part dwindled down to light, frothy a Stuff, Stuff, confifting either of mad extravagant Rants, or flight Witticisms, and little amorous Conceits, fit only for a Tavern Entertainment; and that too among Readers of a Dutch Palate. The truth is, this moft Excellent and Divine Art has of late been fo cheapned and depretiated by the bungling Performances of fome who thought themSelves infpired, and whofe Readers too have been more kind to them than their Planets, that Poetry is almoft grown out of Repute, and Men come strongly prejudiced against any thing of this kind, as expecting nothing but Froth and Emptiness; and to be a Poet, goes for little more than a Country Fidler. But certainly he had once another Character, and that in as Nice and Wife an Age as this. If we may believe the great Horace he was one, Cui mens Divinior, atque Ös Magna locuturum He had then his Temple furrounded with a Divine Glory, spoke like the Oracle of the God of Wisdom, and could defcribe no Hero greater than himself. Poetry was once the Mistress of all the Arts in the Circle, that which held the Reins of the World in her Hand, and which gave the firft, and (if we may judge by the effects) perhaps the best Institutes for the moralizing and governing the Paffions of Mankind. The Defign therefore of the prefent Undertaking, is to restore the declining Genius of Poetry to its Primitive and genuine Greatnefs, to wind HP the Strings of the Mufes Lyre, and to fhew that Senfe and Gracefulness are as confiftent in these as in any other Compofitions. To the Reader. pofitions. I defign here all the Mafculine Senfe and Argument of a Differtation, with the advantage of Poetic Fineness, Beauty and Spirit; and accordingly I have made choice for the most part of Divine and Moral Subjects; and if I meddle with any other fort, I commonly turn the Stream another way, as particularly in thofe Two Poems call'd Beauty and Love, which I have refcued from thofe fordid Abufes they have hitherto fuffer'd. Iconfefs 'tis a difficult Province to make fubftantial maffy Senfe yield to the foftness of Poetry; and accordingly we find there are few Poems after the Divine and Moral way, but what are stiff, flat and infipid; but without this Mixture, Poetry is nothing worth; and when it has it, it has all it can have, and is withal fo Divine a thing, that even Plato I fancy, would give it Entertainment in his Common-wealth. I need not make any other Apology for my conver fing with the Mufes; for I do not think it an Employment beneath the Character of a Scholar ; and though I have, in a manner, now set up my outmost Pillar, yet I can't find in my heart to repent me of those few blank hours beftow'd in this Exercife. For I have the Example of some of the greatest and wifeft in all Ages to warrant me, and the greatness of Solomon is feen as much in his Divine Paftoral, the Canticles, as in his Proverbs or Sermons; and the wife Ben-Sirach, among other Characters of his Heroes, puts in this among the rest, that they were fuch as found out Mufical Tunes, and recited Verfes in writing, Eccl. 44. 5. And thus much for the Verfe part. Concerning the Effays and Difcourfes, I have only this to say, that I defign'd in them as much Brevity and Clearness as are confiftent with each other, and to abound in Senfe rather than Words: I wish all Men would obferve this in their Writings more than they do. I'm fure the multitude of Books, and the fhortnefs of Life require it; and Senfe will lye in a little compafs, if Men would be perfwaded to vent no Notions but what they are Mafters of; and were Angels to write, I fancy we should have but few Folio's. This is what I defign'd and endeavour'd in the whole. Whether I have attain'd it or no, I fubmit to the Judgment of the candid and indifferent Reader. All-Souls Coll. ན་ ལ་ J. Norris The |