A

то

ANTHONY HENLEY, ESQ

MAN of

your

character can no more prevent a dedication, than he would encourage one; for merit, like a virgin's blufhes, is ftill most discovered, when it labours most to be concealed.

It is hard, that to think well of you, should be but juftice, and to tell you fo, fhould be an offence: thus, rather than violate your modefty, I must be wanting to your other virtues; and, to gratify one good quality, do wrong to a thousand.

The world generally measures our esteem by the ardour of our pretences; and will fcarce believe that fo much zeal in the heart, can be confiftent with fo much faintnefs in the expreffion; but when they reflect on your readiness to do good, and your industry to hide it; on your paffion to oblige, and your pain to hear it owned; they will conclude that acknowledgements would be ungrateful to a perfon, who even feems to receive the obligations he confers.

But though I fhould perfuade myself to be filent upon all occafions; thofe more polite arts, which, till of late, have languished and decayed, would appear under their prefent advantages, and own you for one of their generous restorers; infomuch, that Sculpture now breathes, Painting fpeaks, Mufic ravifnes; and as you help to refine our tafte, you diftinguish your own.

B 2

Your

Your approbation of this poem, is the only exception to the opinion the world has of your judgement, that ought to relish nothing fo much as what you write yourself but you are refolved to forget to be a critic, To fay more, would

by remembering you are a friend.

be uneafy to you; and to fay lefs, would be unjust in

Your humble Servant.

PRE

SINCE

PRE FAC E.

INCE this following Poem in a manner ftole into the world, I could not be furprized to find it uncorrect though I can no more fay I was a ftranger to its coming abroad, than that I approved of the Publifher's precipitation in doing it execution generally produces a

for a hurry in the leifure in reflexion;

fo when we run the fafteft, we ftumble the ofteneft. However, the errors of the printer have not been greater than the candour of the reader: and if I could but fay the fame of the defects of the author, he would need no juftification against the cavils of fome furious' critics, who, I am fure, would have been better pleased if they had met with more faults.

Their grand objection is, that the Fury Disease is an improper machine to recite characters, and recommend the example of prefent writers: but though I had the authority of fome Greek and Latin Poets, upon parallel inftances, to juftify the defign; yet that I might not introduce any thing that feemed inconfiftent, or hard, I ftarted this objection myself, to a gentleman, very remarkable in this fort of criticifm, who would by no means allow that the contrivance was forced, or the conduct incongruous.

Disease is reprefented a Fury as well as Envy: fhe is imagined to be forced by an incantation from her recefs;