true, that in every age, the highest character for sense and learning has been obtained by those who have been most indebted to them. For, to fay truth, whatever is very good fenfe, must have been common fense in all times; and what we call learning, is but the knowledge of the fenfe of our predeceffors. Therefore they who fay our thoughts are not our own, because they resemble the Ancients, may as well fay our faces are not our own, because they are like our Fathers: And indeed it is very unreasonable, that people should expect us to be Scholars, and yet be angry to find us fo.

I fairly confefs that I have ferved myself all I could by reading; that I made use of the judgment of authors dead and living; that I omitted no means in my power to be informed of my errors, both by my friends and enemies: But the true reafon these pieces are not more correct, is owing to the confideration how fhort a time they, and I, have to

than to look out for a new. His tafte partook the error of his religion; it denied not worship to faints and angels; that is, to writers, who, canonized for ages, have received their apotheofis from established and universal fame." It might, perhaps, have been replied to Young; you, indeed, have given us a confiderable number of original thoughts in your works, but they would have been more chafte and correct if you had imitated the ancients more. There are entertaining differtations on plagiarisms and borrowing in Le Motthe le Vayer, tom. ii. 344.

The opinion of Longinus deferves our attention.

ως

κλοπή το πράγμα, αλλ', ὡς ἀπὸ καλῶν ἠθῶν, ἤ πλασμάτων, ἤ δημιεργημάτων Tolúmwσis. Sect. 13. p. 88. edit. Pearce. Of this opinion alfo were Addison and Boileau.

J. WARTON.

live: One may be ashamed to confume half one's days in bringing sense and rhyme together: and what Critic can be fo unreasonable, as not to leave a man time enough for any more ferious employment, or more agreeable amusement?

The only plea I fhall ufe for the favour of the public, is, that I have as 'great a refpect for it, as most authors have for themselves; and that I have facrificed much of my own felf-love for its fake, in preventing not only many mean things from feeing the light, but many which I thought tolerable. I would not be like thofe Authors, who forgive themselves fome particular lines for the fake of a whole Poem, and vice verfa a whole Poem for the fake of fome particular lines. I believe no one qualification is fo likely to make a good writer, as the power of rejecting his own thoughts; and it must be this (if any thing) that can give me a chance to be one. For what I have published, I can only hope to be pardoned; but for what I have burned, I deserve to be praised. On this account the world is under fome obligation to me, and owes me the justice in return, to look upon no verfes as mine that are not inferted in this collection*. And perhaps nothing could make it worth my while to own what are really fo, but to avoid the imputation of fo many

• This fair and honeft ftatement fhould furely have prevented the admiffion of many things, which have been inferted, in Pope's Works, contrary to his own intentions.

dull

1

dull and immoral things, as partly by malice, and partly by ignorance, have been afcribed to me. I muft further acquit myself of the prefumption of having lent my name to recommend any Miscellanies, or Works of other men; a thing I never thought becoming a Person who has hardly credit enough to anfwer for his own.

In this office of collecting my pieces, I am altogether uncertain, whether to look upon myself as a man building a monument, or burying the dead.

If Time shall make it the former, may these Poems (as long as they last) remain as a testimony, that their Author never made his talents fubfervient to the mean and unworthy ends of Party or Self-interest; the gratification of public prejudices, or private paffions; the flattery of the undeferving, or the infult of the unfortunate. If I have written well, let it be confidered that 'tis what no man can do without good fenfe, a quality that not only renders one capable of being a good writer, but a good man. And if I have made any acquifition in the opinion of any one under the notion of the former, let it be continued to me under no other title than that of the latter.

But if this publication be only a more folemn funeral of my remains, I defire it may be known that I die in charity, and in my senses; without any murmurs against the justice of this age, or any mad

appeals

་

appeals to pofterity. I declare I fhall think the world in the right, and quietly fubmit to every truth which time fhall difcover to the prejudice of these writings; not fo much as wishing fo irrational a thing, as that every body should be deceived merely for my credit. However, I defire it may then be confidered, That there are very few things in this collection which were not written under the age of five-and-twenty fo that my youth may be made

(as it never fails to be in Executions) a cafe of compaffion. That I was never fo concerned about my works as to vindicate them in print, believing, if any thing was good, it would defend itfelf; and what was bad could never be defended. That I ufed no artifice to raise or continue a reputation, depreciated no dead author I was obliged to, bribed no living one with unjust praise, infulted no adverfary* with ill language; or, when I could not attack

* Dr. Warton fays "this was written in 1716; did our author recollect it in 1729?" Who can help grieving, indeed, for the weakness of our beft refolutions, when we reflect that the heart and hand which dictated and wrote these manly fentiments, fhould be capable of nourishing refentment, and directing the fhafts of increafing hoftility, against a female, once the object of tenderness and refpect. I allude to the lines on lady M. W. Montagu, which no provocation could justify. Nothing, however, can be more just and beautiful, than the fentiments and language of the author conveyed in this paffage. If he departed from them in his more advanced age, let us attribute fomething to the irritation of ficknefs and bodily infirmity, to the disappointments which increafing years neceffarily bring; to warmth of feelings unreturned, and to ideas of unkind treatment exaggerated, by a mind too refined in its fenfations of wrong.

a Rival's

a Rival's works, encouraged reports against his Morals. To conclude, if this volume perish, let it ferve as a warning to the Critics, not to take too much pains for the future to destroy fuch things as will die of themselves; and a Memento mori to fome of my vain contemporaries the Poets, to teach them that, when real merit is wanting, it avails nothing to have been encouraged by the great, commended by the eminent, and favoured by the public in general *.

Nov. 10, 1716.

* I cannot forbear adding how excellently well written is Cowley's preface to his works, folio, 1659; and how much fuperior it is to Sprat's Life of that amiable Author. Both Cowley and Spenser wrote profe excellently. J.WARTON.