Merit, our Author found that Verfe in JUVENAL to be exactly verified in himself: Haud facile emergunt, quorum virtutibus obftat And being endued with that innate Modefty, which rarely finds Promotion in Princes Courts; he became Secretary to RICHARD Earl of Carbury, Lord Prefident of the Principality of Wales, who made him Steward of Ludlow-Caftle, when the Court there was revived. About this Time he married one Mrs. HERBERT, a Gentlewoman of a very good Family, but no Widow, as our Oxford Antiquary has reported: She had a competent Fortune, but it was most of it unfortunately loft, by being put out on ill Securities, fo that it was little Advantage to him. He is reported by our Antiquary to have been Secretary to his Grace GEORGE Duke of Buckingham, when he was Chancellor to the Univerfity of Cambridge; but whether that be true or no, it is certain, the Duke had a great Kindness for him, and was often a Benefactor to him. But no Man was a more generous Friend to him, than that MECENAS of all learned and witty Men, CHARLES Lord Buckhurft, the late Earl of Dorfet and Middlefex, who, being himself an excellent Poet, knew how to fet a juft Value upon the ingenious Performances of others, and has often taken care privately to relieve and fupply the Neceffities of thofe, whofe Modefty would endeavour to conceal them; of which our Author was a fignal Inftance, as feveral others have been, who are now living. In fine, the Integrity of his Life, the Acuteness of his Wit, and Eafinefs of his Conversation, had rendered him most acceptable to all Men; yet he prudently avoided Multiplicity of Acquaintance, and wifely chose fuch fuch only whom his difcerning Judgment could diftinguish (as Mr. COWLEY expreffeth it) From the great Vulgar or the small. And having thus lived to a good old Age, admired by all, though perfonally known to few, he departed this Life in the Year 1680, and was buried at the Charge of his good Friend Mr. LONGUEVIL of the Temple, in the Yard belonging to the Church of St. PAUL'S Covent-Garden, at the Weft End of the faid Yard, on the North Side under the Wall of the faid Church, and under that Wall which parts the Yard from the common Highway. And fince he has no Monument yet fet up for him, give me leave to borrow his Epitaph from that of MICHAEL DRAYTON the Poet, as the Author of Mr. CoWLEY'S has partly done before me: And tho' no Monument can claim The Characters of this Poem are for the most part obvious, even to the meaneft Pretenders to Learning or Hiftory; nor can fcarce any one be fo ignorant, as not to know that the chief Defign thereof is a Satyr against those Incendiaries of Church and State, who in the late Rebellion, under Pretence of Religion, murdered the best of Kings, to introduce the worst of Governments; destroyed the best of Churches, that Hypocrify, Novelty, and Nonfenfe might be predominant amongst us; and overthrew our wholfome Laws and Conftitutions, to make Way for their bleffed Anarchy and Confufion, which at B 4 laft laft ended in Tyranny. But fince, acording to the Proverb, None are fo blind as they that will not see; fo those who are not refolved to be invincibly ignorant, I refer, for their farther Satisfaction, to the Hiftories of Mr. FowLIS of Prefbytery, and Mr. WALKER of Independency; but more efpecially to that incomparable Hiftory lately publifhed, wrote by EDWARD Earl of Clarendon; which are fufficient to fatisfy any unbiaffed Perfon, that his general Characters are not fictitious: and I could heartily with these Times were fo reformed, that they were not applicable to fome even now living, However, there being feveral particular Perfons reflected on, which are not commonly known, and fome old Stories and uncouth Words, which want Explication, we have thought fit to do that Right to their Memories, and, for the better Information of the less learned Readers, to explain them in fome additional Annotations at the End of this Edition. How often the Imitation of this Poem has been attempted, and with how little Succefs, I leave the Readers to judge: In the Year 1663, there came out a spurious Book, called, The Second Part of HUDIBRAS; which is reflected upon by our Author, under the Character of WHACUM, towards the latter End of his Second Part: Afterwards came out the DUTCH and SCOTCH HUDIBRAS, BUTLER'S Ghoft, the Occafional HYPOCRITE, and fome others of the fame Nature, which compared with this (VIRGIL TRAVESTY excepted) deserve only to be condemned Ad Ficum & Piperem; or, if you please, to more bafe and fervile Offices. Some Some vain Attempts have been likewise made to tranflate some Parts of it into LATIN, but how far they fall fhort of that Spirit of the ENGLISH Wit, I leave the meaneft Capacity, that underftands them, to judge. The following Similes I have heard were done by the learned Dr. HARMER, once GREEK Profeffor at Oxon. So learned TALIACOTIUS from, &c. Sic adfcititios nafos de clune torofi Vectoris, docta fecuit TALICOTIUS arte: So Wind in th' HYPOCONDRES pent, &c.. Sic HYPOCONDRIACIS inclufa meatibus aura Definet in crepitum, fi fertur prona per alvum ; Sed fi fumma petat, montifque invaferit arcem, Divinus furor eft, & confcia flamma futuri.. So Lawyers, left the Bear Defendant, &c.. Sic legum myftæ, ne forfan pax foret, urfam There are some Verfes, which, for Reasons of State, eafy to be gueffed at, were thought fit to be omitted in the firft Impreffion, as thefe which follow : Did not the learned GLYN and MAYNARD, And now I heartily wish I could gratify your farther Curiofity with fome of those golden Remains, which are in the Cuftody of Mr. L-VIL; but not having the Happiness to be very well acquainted with him, nor Intereft to procure them, I defire you will be content with the following Copy, which the ingenious Mr. AUBREY affures he had from the Author himself: NO JESUIT e'er took in hand To plant a Church in barren Land; NO SPANIARD twice had landed on their Shore. The OXFORD Antiquary afcribes to our Author two Pamphlets, fuppofed falfly, as he fays, to be WILLIAM PRYN's: The one intituled, Mola Afinaria: or, |