tend it a demonftration that there never were any, because they are not then to be found; not to be found! who has mislaid them? are they funk in the abyss of things? it is certain, that in their own nature they were light enough to swim upon the furface for all eternity. Therefore the fault is in him, who tied weights fo heavy to their heels, as to depress them to the center. Is their very effence deftroyed? who has annihilated them? were they drowned by purges, or martyred by pipes? who adminiftered them to the pofteriors of- -? But that it may no longer be a doubt with your highness, who is to be the author of this univerfal ruin; I beseech you to obferve that large and terrible scythe, which your governor affects to bear continually about him. Be pleased to remark the length and ftrength, the sharpness and hardness of his nails and teeth: confider his baneful, abominable breath, enemy to life and matter, infectious and corrupting: and then reflect, whether it be poffible for any mortal ink and paper of this generation to make a fuitable refiftance. Oh! that your high

ness

nefs would one day refolve to disarm this ufurping' maitre du palais, of his furious engines, and bring your empire bors de page.

It were endless to recount the feveral methods of tyranny and deftruction, which your governor is pleased to practise upon this occafion. His inveterate malice is fuch to the writings of our age, that of feveral thousands produced yearly from this renowned city, before the next revolution of the fun there is not one to be heard of: unhappy infants, many of them barbaroufly destroyed, before they have fo much as learnt their mother tongue to beg for pity. Some he ftifles in their cradles, others he frights into convulfions, whereof they fuddenly die: fome he flays alive, others he tears limb from limb. Great numbers are offered to Moloch, and the reft, tainted by his breath, die of a languishing confumption.

Comptroller. The kingdom of France had a race of kings, which they call les roys faineans (from their doing nothing) who lived lazily in their apartments, while the king

dom was administered by the mayor de palais, till Charles Martel the laft mayor put his mafter to death, and took the kingdom into his own hand,

Out of guardianship.

But

But the concern I have most at heart, is for our corporation of poets, from whom I am preparing a petition to your highness, to be fubfcribed with the names of one hundred thirty-fix of the firft rate, but whofe immortal productions are never likely to reach your eyes, though each of them is now an humble and an earnest appellant for the laurel, and has large comely volumes ready to fhew for a fupport to his pretenfions. The never-dying works of these illuftrious perfons your governor, fir, has devoted to unavoidable death; and your highness is to be made believe, that our age has never arrived at the honour to produce one fingle poet.

We confefs immortality to be a great and powerful goddess; but in vain we offer up to her our devotions and our facrifices, if your highness's governor, who has ufurped the priesthood, muft by an unparallel'd ambition and avarice wholly intercept and devour them.

To affirm that our age is altogether unlearned, and devoid of writers in any kind, feems to be an affertion fo bold and fo false, that I have been fometime think

ing, the contrary may almost be proved by uncontroulable demonftration. It is true indeed, that altho' their numbers be vaft, and their productions numerous in propo: tion, yet are they hurried fo haftily off the scene, that they escape our memory, and elude our fight. When I first thought of this address, I had prepared a copious list of titles to present your highness, as an undifputed argument for what Iaffirm. The originals were pofted fresh upon all gates and corners of streets; but, returning in a very few hours to take a review, they were all torn down, and fresh ones in their places: I enquired after them among readers and bookfellers, but I enquired in vain, the memorial of them was loft among men, there place was no more to be found? and I was laughed to fcorn for a clown and a pedant, without all tafte and refinement, little versed in the course of present affaits, and that knew nothing of what had paffed in the best companies of court and town. So that I can only avow in general to your bighness, that we do abound in learning and wit; but to fix upon particulars, is a task too flippery for my flender abilities VOL. I.

K

if

If I should venture in a windy day to affirm to your highness, that there is a large cloud near the horizon in the form of a bear, another in the zenith with the head of an afs, a third to the weftward with claws like a dragon; and your highness fhould in a few minutes think fit to examine the truth, it is certain, they would all be changed in figure and pofition, new ones would arife, and all we could agree upon would be, that clouds there were, but that I was grofly mistaken in the 200graphy and topography of them.

But your governor perhaps may ftill infift, and put the queftion: What is then become of thofe immenfe bales of paper, which must needs have been employed in fuch numbers of books? can thefe alfo be wholly annihilate, and fo of a fudden, as I pretend? What shall I fay in return of so invidious an objection? it ill befits the diftance between your highness and me, to fend you for ocular conviction to a jakes, or an oven; to the windows of a bawdy-houfe, or to a fordid lantbern. Books, like men their authors, have no more than one way of coming into the world,