312 PREFACE. If there are many of these pieces which may seem to carry, in them something too youthful and trivial, I entreat my friends to remember, it is a collection of such compositions of this kind from my early years as I have found among my papers: and if I had never published them myself, I fear it would have been done some time or other by persons into-whose hands they might have been dispersed ; and then the many mingled blunders, which always arise from frequent transcrip- tions, would have utterly disgusted the reader, as well as brought a double dis- grace upon the writer. It is impossible for the nicest and most correct pen to avoid the offence of those readers who carry an excess of delicacy always about them, much less do I expect it here : Nor is it within the power of any man who writes, to escape the censure of those whose minds are so full of vile and uncleanly images, that they will impose their own dishonest and impure ideas upon words of the most distant and innocent sound. Every low and, malicious wit may turn even sacred language to wicked and abominable purposes, and clap a set of perverse ideas on the purest diction. Where neither a David nor a Paul, neither prophets nor evangelists, are safe, no human writer Should expect an exemption ; but the crime is still in him that con- strues, and not in him that writes. If Oleo finds an ill savour in every place where be comes, I suspect that he has somefoul ulcer about him ; and when I hear Flavinus tell me, on a snowy day, that the ground looks yellow, I may venture to pronounce that Flavinus has the jaundice. As for the characters which are found here in some of the Essays, I profess solemnly there is not one of the vicious or foolish kind that is designed to represent any particular person. I never thought it proper to have mankind treated in that manner, unless upon some very peculiar and extraordinary occasions, and then I would leaye the anpleasing work to other hands. It has been the aim and design of my life, in my hours of leisure, as well as my seasons of business, to do what ser_ vice I could to myfellow-creatures without giving offence. I would not willingly create needless pain or uneasiness to the most despicable figure: amongst man- kind. There are vexations enough distributed among the beings of my species, -without my adding to the heap : And yet I confess I have often attempted to hit the sore part in general ; but it is with this sincere intent, that the wise and thought: ful, whosoever they are, may feel their disease and be healed. My readers may be assured thereforè, that though the vices and the follies which are here displayed may appear to be as just and sincere.. representation as if they were all borrowed from life, yet there are not features enough to deseribe any person living. When a reflecting glass skews the deformities of a face so plain as to point to the per- son, he will sooner be tempted to break the glass, than to reform his blemishes : But if I can find any' error of my own happily described in sume'general cha- racter, I am then awakened to reform it in silence, without the public notice of the - world, and the moral writer attains his noblest end. My particular friends, to whom I have sent any of these pieces, will generally be pleased to read them in print, and addressed to a feigned name, rather than their own : This I found the safest way to avoid offence on all hands, and therefore I bave not mentioned one proper name here, but. what was in,print before. In the disposition of these pieces, I pretend to no. Order, but only aimed to diversify every sheet of the collection with verse and prose. In a nosegay, or a flower- piece, no man expects an exact regularity of situation among the parts that compose it:. It is sufficient if the colours and fragrance entertain the senses with a grateful confusion. I presume .nobody will expect in such a book an entrance into deep arguments upon difficult subjects of any kind.whatsoever. The design is to please and ptofit every gentle reader, without giving pain and fatigue to the mind. If any thing here written may induce strangers to take pp so good an opinion of the writer as to peruse apy of bis other works, it is his hearty desire and prayer, that they may find abundant compensation in their own improvements in knowledge, virtue or piety, and may thereby grow fitter for the heavenly world ; to which important and happy end all our labours here on earth should conspire, and even our amusements, whe- ther We read .0.1' write. Amen.-- NuwiNCTOH, Moen 25, 1739.
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