I am conscious of my own failings, and that makes me remain incognito, to receive either the disgrace or commendums of these juvinile Writings whilst I lye in obscurity, and amįLora had new begun to spread her flowry-fragrant mantle upon the superficies of the Earth, and to bespangle the verdant grass with her beauteous adornments, thereby inviting troubled Lovers to ease those continual passions, which possess their amorous Souls, with the beholding the variety of her pleasing and delightfull Objects. If they find any thing that may content them, 'twill be inspi∣ration enough for higher, and better conceits, and will be the greatest inducement for the per∣fecting of Eliana but if they pass hard censures upon this, th'le strike dead all desires of proceed∣ing.
#Atlas concorde brave earth how to#
'Tis those Wits who have laid aside that Mordacity, and who know how to distinguish betwixt the good and the bad, which I constitute for my Judges: With those fair and wise ones of the female sex, whose delight I chiefly aim'd at. As I much regard the censure of the one, so I very lit∣tle value the carping of the other. Page most times find fault where there is least need. I confess the judicious may find matter enough to increpate the Author justly, but the Cri∣tick may carp, where there is no cause, for they I was of the same humour, and in reading the works of others, methought the most perfect seem'd sometime lame, either in stile or sto∣ry, but in making tryal of my own invention, I well understand humane frailty, in a continued Series. The best is, whilst I am unknown, I can look over their shoulders, and hear their opprobries without passion and ingaging my self to answer their follies, I would have none to criticize or discant on any work, till themselves have undergone the tryal of writing the like for 'tis far easier to find fault, than to know how to amend it. I con∣fess these will say, I never took a nap upon Par∣nassus, and that my pen was never dipt in the Heliconie fount. Neither do I submit my self to the Censure of those Criti∣cal Fellowes, who would find fault with the Mu∣ses themselves, or the Writings of Apollo. The reason is, it per∣swades more pathetically than they can, a story giving life to the words, and representing it in lively colours, presseth it home upon the under∣standing, where it is scarcely delible. Page will be angry if I tell them, that many have found that in a Romance, which hath induced them to be vertuous, and converted them from the leud actions of vice, which they could never find in their Sermons, though they weekly fre∣quented their Oratory. They know not that Romances are not alwayes farc'd with Love-stories and toyes, though those are intertexted for delight, and that things Oeconomical, Ethethical, Physical, Metaphysical, Philosophycal, Political, and Theological as well as Amatory, may be, not unaptly, nor unfitly exhibited. But surely they are ignorant of the true ground and scope of these kind of Writings which is to depaint vertue and vice in their natural and genuine colours, and to exhibit the fairness of the one, the foulness of the other, and the rewards of both. These I say sha'nt be my Judges, nor shall their bark∣ings discourage my future proceedings, for they will be sure to condemn all, though they never read a word: They will cry out, that they are be∣witching, frothy, and apt to withdraw the mind of the Reader from graver studies. These are not like the ingenious Bee, who sucks honey out of the very weeds nor like the good Chimick, who extracts the good, and leaves the bad They fling all away in a lump, despise the book for the covers-sake, and disregard the mat∣ter, because the title do'nt please them. Mistake me not I yield my self not to the mercy and judgement of those who are prejudiced a∣gainst such writings in general, and count it a part of their Creed to abhor them, and whatever of good that appears under the title of a Romance. I make you my Judges, and by your Votes I shall either proceed, or give off. Page Narcissus-like, fall in love with the shadows of their own brain. This first appears as a Libament to your palate: if liked, it shall induce me to finish the rest if disliked, I have already done too much, and shall desist: For I am none of those who dote upon their own fancies, and This is but the first part of the whole Work, and indeed but a kind of introduction to the rest. By this means you shall neither tyre your self, nor abuse your time, using them for an innocent recreation. My desire is, that thou mayest read them in the same manner as I wrote them, that is, Relaxare animum, being tyred and wearied with more serious studies, or weigh∣ty affairs. THou seest here the fruits of some spare hours: and of those which might justly have been given to sleep. for Peter Dring at the Sun in the Poultrey, next door to the Rose-Tavern.
Aut simul, & jucunda, & idonea dicere vita,
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