For Printing, by SUBSCRIPTION,

THE

HARLEIAN MISCELLANY:

OR, A

COLLECTION

OF

Scarce, Curious, and Entertaining

TRACTS and PAMPHLETS

Found in the late

EARL of OXFORD's LIBRARY.

INTERSPERSED

With HISTORICAL, POLITICAL, and CRITICAL NOTES.

CONDITIONS.

1. 1
T is propofed to publish Six
Sheets of this Work, at the
Price of One Shilling, every
Saturday, on the fame Letter
with these Propofals.
II. No Money is required till the
Delivery of each Number.
III. It is defired, for Afcertaining
the Number to be printed,
and the more speedy Delivery
of each Number, that they

who think the Design worthy of their Encouragement, would favour the Proprietor, T. OSBORNE, of Gray's Inn, Bookfeller, with their Names and Places of Abode. IV. The first Number will be published on Saturday the 24th of March, 1743-4, and the following Numbers regularly. every Saturday Morning.

PROPOSAL S at large, with an Account of this Undertaking, may be had of all Bookfellers both in Town and Country, and of JACOB ROBINSON, Publifher, on Ludgate-Hill, where SUBSCRIPTIONS are taken in.

PE F A C E. FA

H

AVING prefixed to the former Volumes of my Ca talogue an Account of the prodigious Collection accumulated in the Harleian Library, there would have been no Neceffity of any Introduction to the fubfequent Volumes, had nt fome Cenfures, which this great Un taking des drawn on me, made it proper to offer to the Put anotoy for me Conduct.

HE Price, which I have fet upon my Catalogue, has been rerefented, by the Bookfellers, as an avaricious Innovation; and, in a Paper published in the Champion, they, or their Mercenary, have reafoned fo justly, as to allege, that, if I could afford a very large Price for the Library, I might there fore afford to give away the Catalogue.

I SHOULD bave imagined, that Accufations, concerted by fuch Heads as thefe, would have vanished of themselves, without any Anfwer; but, fince I have the Mortification to find that they bave been in fome Degree regarded by Men of more Knowledge than themfelves, I fhall explain the Motives of my Procedure.

MY original Design was, as I have already explained, to publifh a methodical and exact Catalogue of this Library, upon the Plan which has been laid down, as I am informed, by feveral Men of the first Rank among the Learned. It was intended by those who undertook the Work, to make a very exalt Difpofition of all the Subjects, and to give an Account of the remarkable Differences of the Editions, and other Peculiarities, which make any Book eminently valuable, and it was imagined, that Jome Improvements might, by pursuing this Scheme, be made in Literary Hiftory.

WITH this View was the Calalogue begun, when the Price was fixed upon it in public Advertisements; and it cannot be denied, that fuch a Catalogue would have been willingly purchafed by thofe who understood its Ufe. But, when a few Sheets

bad

had been printed, it was difcovered, that the Scheme was impracticable, without more Hands than could be procured, or more Time than the Neceffity of a speedy Sale would allow, the Catalogue was therefore continued without Notes, at least in the greatest Part; and, though it was ftill performed better than thofe which are daily offered to the Public, fell much below the criginal Defign.

་

IT was then no longer proper to infift upon a Price; and therefore, though Money was demanded upon Delivery of the Catalogue, it was only taken as a Pledge, that the Catalogue was not, as is very frequent, wantonly called for, by those who ne ver intended to perufe it, and I therefore promised that it should be taken again in Exchange for any Book rated at the fame Value.

IT may be fill faid, that other Bookfellers give away their Catalogues without any fuch Precaution, and that I ought not to make any new or extraordinary Demands. But, I hope, it will be confidered, at how much greater Expence my Catalogue was draum up; and be remembered, that when other Bookfellers give their Catalogues, they give only what will be of no Use when their Books are fold, and what, if it remained in their Hands, they muft throw away; whereas, I hope, that this Catalogue will retain its Ufe, and, confequently, its Value, and be fold with the Catalogues of the Barberinian and Marckian Libraries.

HOWEVER, to comply with the utmoft Expectations of the World, I have now pullifhed the fecond Part of my Catalogue, upon Conditions fill more commodious for the Purchafer, as I intend, that all thofe, who are pleafed to receive them at the fame Price of froe Shillings a Volume, fhall be allowed at any Time, within three Months after the Day of Sale, either to return them in Exchange for Books, or to fend them back, and receive their Money.

SINCE, therefore, I have abfolutely debarred myfelf from receiving any Advantage from the Sale of the Catalogue, it will De realonable to impute it rather to Neceffity than Choice, that Ifball continue it to two Volumes more, which the Number of the Jingle Tracts, which have been difcovered, make indifpenfably requifite. I need not tell those who are acquainted with Affairs of this Kind, how much Pamphlets fivell a Catalogue, Since the Title of the least Book may be as long as that of the greatest.

PAMPH