THE HISTORY and ANTIQUITIES OF THE ANCIENT VILLA OF WHEATFIELD, IN THE COUNTY of SUFFOLK. Ex fumo dare lucem. HOR. First Printed in the Year 1758. I TO The Right Honourable LORD My LORD, **** VENTURE into the Ocean of Antiqui ties in Confidence of your Lordship's Humanity and great Judgment; relying on the former to hold me up, if you fee me finking; and on the latter to diftinguifh me from the many Logs, and drowned Puppies, bobbing up and down upon the fame Element; and upon both for Your Excufe of this Prefumption. Your Lordship very well knows, that Studies of this Kind are apt, in their own Nature, to introduce Familiarities, not nicely regardful of Distinctions; because it is oftentimes neceffary to be free with Kings, and great Men; by making them older, or younger, better or worse, as it best fuits the Purpose of the Antiquary: There is also fomething levelling in thefe Enquiries; where we find Rottenness and Corruption, Duft and Ashes, to be equally the the Fate of the Emperor, and the meanest of his Vaffals. But not to found my Apology wholly upon fuch mortifying Reflexions; Permit me, my Lord, to plead Your general Civility to Strangers, and Your indulgent Partialities to all Men embarked in the fame Studies with Your Lordship: Permit me likewife to plead the Merit of a Performance, which retrieves the proper Name of a moft important Village, and delivers down to Pofterity the Antiquities of a Place unnoticed by former Writers. To thefe Confiderations let me add the infinite La. bour, as well as Usefulness of such Discoveries. I cannot conclude this Addrefs without joining my hearty Wishes, that, for Your Lordship's Amusement, fome Hill may open itself, and pour forth Treafures and Curiofities, not inferior to those of Herculaneum; and that Your Lordship may live to be Yourself a moft venerable Piece of Antiquity. I am, My Lord, Moft devoted Humble Servant. THE PREFACE. "T is a customary Refpect generally paid to IT the Reader to give him, by way of Preface, fome Account of the Book he has been at the Expence of purchafing, and purposes to be at the Trouble of Reading: I call it Refpect, in concert with my Fellow-writers; but I do not, in the leaft, defire him to entertain a more favourable Opinion, either of my Manners, or of my Regard for him from this Circumstance; for I can affure him, we durft not hazard our Works into the World, abfolutely upon their own Bottom, but are obliged previously to point out the Beauties, &c. left they fhould not ftrike the Reader fo forcibly as, perhaps, they have us, the Authors, or Editors. As this is one Reason, and generally the principal one, for Prefaces, fo there is anoVOL. II. G ther, |