ther, a much more humble one, which indeed gave Birth to this; and that is to acquaint the Publick with what Labor, Injury to Health, and Lofs of Eyes I have finifhed the following Hiftory. Indeed, courteous Reader, I have spent the major Part of a long Life in this Study, and I have inverted, as it were, the very Form of my Body in your Service; which was once plumpish, and inclining to fat upwards, but by my Sedentarinefs is now fallen downwards, to the no fmall Increase of my Legs. When I first engaged, I had Eyes of my own, but now I cannot fee, even with the Affiftance of Art: I have gone from Spectacles of the first Sight (i.e.) the leaft Magnifiers, to the third and greatest Magnifiers: The Chevalier Taylor gives my Eyes over, and my Optician writes me word he can grind no higher for me. Thus in endea vouring, according to my Motto, to bring to light the bidden Things of Darkness, I have loft my Sight; for which I hope you will fettle a fmall Penfion of your Candor upon me. I will fay nothing of the Usefulness of these Discoveries, because I must, at the fame Time, publish my own Importance, and Services to the Publick; but was I not restrained by this confequential 1 confequential Mode of Modefty, I should make no Scruple to affert, that Researches of this fort tend more to the illuftrating History, and afcertaining the Dates, Progrefs, Settlements and Customs of our Ancestors, than all the Rapins, the Echards, and the Cartes put together; for they appear to me not to have dug up their Materials themselves, and not to have been very choice of whom they had them: An Indolence and Indifference always fatal to Hiftory; for when dig we cannot, and beg we are afbamed, much depends upon the Abilities of the Antiquity-maker from whom we fteal. The particular Motives that induced me, at this Time, to publish the following Work, were really no other, than to establish the World in their present Belief of Antiquities, which I greatly fufpect fome ill-defigning Men, both at Home, and Abroad, are now endeavouring to fubvert: The Foundation of these my Fears is, partly, the uncommon Application of Men to Novel-writing; for though thefe Books come out under the Pretence of Diverfions and Amufements, I am very apprehenfive fome latent Malevolence at Antiquity lies couched under it; (an Artifice very G 2 common common in the World) and partly, the feeming Humanity of the Swedish Physician, who recommends Iron, inftead of Brass Implements in Cookery; for though in a Patriot-view we may think him promoting the Iron Mines of his Country, or in a benevolent one, the Life and Health of his Fellow-creatures, yet I wish his main Design be not levelled at Brass and Copper, in order to difcredit those noble Monuments of Antiquity, fuch as Coins, now remaining in these Metals; and particularly as he lays the greatest Stress upon the Unwholesomeness of the Ruft and Verdegrease Suffufions, which make thefe Coins fo very valuable. I fhould be glad to find thefe Apprehensions of mine groundless; but the fame indirect Attack (invisible indeed to common Eyes) we are told, has been made upon Protestantism by Father Hardouin, and upon Christianity itself by Dr. Middleton. But to give a more explicit Account of myfelf, and this Work, in the Words of a great Antiquary of the prefent Aage. "It being my Lot to be fixed in the Villa " of WHEATFIELD; and finding that it "abounds with many curious Materials, which, "if "if digested, might be of Ufe to present and "future Generations, I thought I could not "better employ my leifure Hours, than in "compiling this Book, which I now offer to "the Reader." "It might have been more compleat, if the "Records of the Parish had been carefully kept." 66 "In this laborious and toilfome Work," [I cannot lament that alas!]" the Greatest En"couragements I have received, have been 66 [only] repeated Acts of Beneficence, and good "Preferment;" [for in Truth I have not been favoured even with fuch Trifles.]" Nor in "other Refpects can I boaft of much Encou66 ragement; for I have not [one] Subscriber; " and the Expence of this Book, even allowing nothing for my Time and Pains, every understanding Perfon may judge." 66 66 "This Want of due Encouragement hath "retarded for fome time the Publication of "this Book, (while I was hesitating whether I "should commit it to the Prefs or the Flames) "but the World is no Lofer by that Delay; "fince it has afforded me full Leifure, and Opportunity G 3 66 : "Opportunity to perfect this Work to the " utmost of my Power;" [because fuch Hefitations naturally promote uncommon Diligence and Application to perfect a Book, equally poised, between the Fire, and the Prefs.] "By the Advice of Friends I have chofen "to print it in" Quarto,*" as the most com" modious Form; and though it be but thin, "it contains as much as might have been run "out into a more bulky Octavo;" [because one forth of a Sheet contains two eighths, and one fold more of the Paper would have made. the Bulk juft double.] + Si de quincunce remota est Uncia, quid fupereft ---triens.--- Semis. HOR. *This Tract was firft printed in Quarto. See the Preface to the Hiftory, &c. of Colthefter, by P. M. Printed at London 1748. Extracts |