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dented, and which is indeed daily rendered more evident, by a progreffive increase in the number aud extent of your commands; trufting, that fo long as you find my practice invariably correfpondent to those profeffions fo frequently exhibited to your notice (from which to deviate would render me unworthy your protection) you will, in defiance of all malignant oppofition, firmly perfevere in the liberal support of him whose primary ambition it is, and during life shall be, to distin guish himself as,

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2. To that part of the numerous body of BOOKSELLERS of Great Britain and

Ireland, whofe conduct

JUSTLY claims the additional title of RESPECTABLE;

Whofe candour and liberality he has in numerous inftances experienced, and feels a fenfible pleasure in thus publicly acknowledging.

3.

And lastly (though not leaft in Fame)

To thofe fordid and malevolent BOOKSELLERS, whether they refplendent dwell in stately mansions, or in wretched huts of dark and groveling obfcurity;

"I'll give every one a smart lash in my way.”—

To whofe affiduous and unwearied labours to injure his reputation with their brethren and the public, he is in a confiderable degree indebted for the confidence repofed in him, and the fuccefs he has been honoured with, productive of his prefent profperity,

THESE MEMOIRS

are, with all due difcrimination of the refpective merits of each,

Infcribed by

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

"To print or not to print ?-this is the question:
"Whether 'tis better in a trunk to bury

"The quirks and crochets of outrageous fancy,
"Or fend a well-wrote copy to the press,
"And, by difclofing, end them?-

"For who would bear th' impatient thirft of fame,
"The pride of confcious merit, and 'bove all,
"The tedious importunity of friends-

" To groan and sweat under a load of wit?

""Tis Critics that makes cowards of us all.

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JAGO.

USTOM, it has been repeatedly observed

by many of my worthy (and fome perhaps unworthy) predeceffors in authorship, has rendered a preface almoft indifpenfibly neceffary; while others again have as frequently remarked, that "cuftom is the law of fools." Thofe confiderations induced me to hesitate whether I fhould ufher my performance into the world with a preface, and thus

hazard

hazard being claffed with the adherents to that law, or by omitting it, efcape the opprobrium, for" who shall decide when doctors difagree?" Now though I would not take upon me to decide in every point in which doctors difagree, yet after giving the present fubject that mature confideration which fo important a concern required, I thought myfelf fully competent to decide, if not to general fatisfaction, at least fo as fully to fatisfy one particular perfon, for whom I profefs to have a very great regard, though perhaps few are to be found who would be equally condefcending to him; who that perfon is I do not with publicly to declare, as (being a very modeft man) it might offend him, I fhall only fay, the more you read the memoirs contained in the following pages, the better you will become acquainted with him. I ground my decifion on these arguments; I concluded, as moft of my brethren of the quill do of their labours, that my performance poffeffed fo much intrinfic merit, as would occafion it to be univerfally admired by all good judges, as a prodigious

effort

effort of human genius, and that this approbation must naturally excite the envy of fome authors, who had not met with that high applause they deemed themselves entitled to, and incline them to fearch for. imperfections in my work, and though I was perfuaded of the impoffibility of their finding any, yet being thus foiled, they might catch at the want of a preface, and construe that into an omiffion, fo that in order to difarm them, I refolved to have one, efpecially as those who deem prefaces unnecessary may, if they if they choose, decline reading it, whilft those on the other fide of the question, if there was none, might be difappointed, and have caufe for complaint; but to be ferious (if I can).

Almost every author on producing the effufions of his pen (and his brain if he has any) thinks it prudent to introduce himself by a kind of Prologue, as it may be called, ftating his reasons with due precision for intruding himself on his readers (whether true or otherwife, is not always material to enquire)

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