Cardinal Virtues, and deal them with his utmost Liberality to his Hero or his Patron: He may ring, the Changes as far as it will go, and vary his Phrafe till he has ralk'd round; but the Reader quick* Plutarch. ly finds, it is all * Pork, with a little variety of Sawce: For there is no inventing Terms of Art beyond our Idea's; and when Idea's are exhaufted, Terms of Art must be fo too.

BUT, tho' the Matter for Panegyrick were as fruitful as the Topicks of Satyr, yet would it not be hard to find out a fufficient Reason, why the latter will be always better received than the first. For, this being bestowed only upon one or a few Perfons at a time, is fure to raise Envy, and confequently ill words from the reft, who have no fhare in the Blef fing: But Satyr being levelled at all, is never resented for an offence by any, fince every individual Perfon makes bold to understand it of others, and very wifely removes his particular Part of the Burthen upon the fhoulders of the World, which are broad enough, and able to bear it. To this purpose, I have fometimes reflected upon the Difference between A

thens

.

thens and England, with respect to the 2002 Point before us. In the At*Vid, Xenoph. tick? Commonwealth, it was the Privilege and Birth-right of every Citizen and Poet, to rail aloud and in publick, or to expofe upon the Stage by Name, any Person they pleased, tho' of the greatest Figure, whether a Creon, an Hyperbolus, an Alcibiades, or a Demofthenes: But on the other fide, the lealt reflecting word let fall against the People in general, was immediately caught up, and revenged upon the Authors, however confiderable for their Quality or their Merits. Whereas, in England it is just the Reverse of all this. Here, you may fecurely difplay your utmost Rhetorick a gainft Mankind, in the Face of the World; tell them, "That all are gone astray; That there is none that doth good, no not "one; That we live in the very Dregs of. Time; That Knavery and Atheism are "Epidemick as the Pox; That Honesty isfied with Aftrea with any other Common places equally new and eloquent, which are furnished by the Splen dida bilis. And when you have done, the whole Audience, far from being offended, hall return you thanks * Spleen

Hor

as

as a Deliverer of precious and ufeful Truths. Nay farther; It is but to venture your Lungs, and you may preach in Convent-Garden against Foppery and For nication, and something else: Against Pride, and Diffimulation, and Bribery, at White Hall: You may expofe Rapins and Injustice in the Inns of Court Chap pel: And in a City Pulpit be as fierce as you please, againft Avarice, Hypos crifie and Extortion. "Tis but a Ball bandied to and fro, and every Man carries a Racket about Him to ftrike it from himfelf among the rest of the Come pany. But on, the other fide, whoever fhould mistake the Nature of things for far, as to drop but bafingle Hint in publick, How fuch a one, starved I half the Fleet, and half-poison'd the dreft: How fuch a one, from a true Principles of Love and Honour pays no Debts but for Wenches and Play: How fuch a one has got a Clap and runs out of his Estate:: How Paris bribed by Juno and Venus,

* Juno and Venus are Money and a Miftrefs, very powerful Bribes to a Judge, if Scandal fays true. I remember fuch Reflexions were caft about that time, but I cannot fix the Perfon intended here.

loath

loath to offend either Party, flept out the whole Cause on the Bench: Or, how fuch an Orator makes long Speeches in the Senate with much Thought, lit dle Sense, and to no Purpose; whoever, I fay, fhould venture to be thus particular, muft expect to be imprisoned for Scandalum Magnatum: to have Challenges fent him; to be fued for Defamation ¿ and to be brought before the Bar of the House.

BUT I forget that I am expatiating on a Subject, wherein I have no concern, having neither a Talent nor an Inclination for Satyr? On the other fide, I am fo entirely fatisfied with the whole prefent Procedure of human Things, that I have been for fome Years preparing Materials towards A Panegyrick upon the Worlds to which I intended to add a Second Part, entituled, A Modest Defence of the Proceedings of the Rabble in all Ages. Both these I had Thoughts to publish by way of Appendix to the following Treatife but finding my Common-PlaceBook fill much flower than I had reason to expect, I have chofen to defer them to another Occafion. Befides, I have been

been unhappily prevented in that Defign, by a certain Domeftick Misfortune, in the Particulars whereof, tho' it would be very feasonable, and much in the Modern way, to inform the gentle Reader, and would also be of great Affiftance towards extending this Preface into the Size now in Vogue, which by Rule ought to be large in proportion as the subsequent Volume is fmall? Yet I shall now dismiss our impatient Reader from any farther Attendance at the Porch ; and having duly prepared his Mind by a preliminary Difcourfe, fhall gladly introduce him to the fublime Mysteries that enfue.

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