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WORTLEY MONTAGUE, MRS. BARBER, and MISS MARY JONES, will be kind enough to communicate them to the publisher, in order that the selections from those poets may be duly arranged: and even the births of SIR JOHN HARINGTON, DUKE, SIR SAMUEL GARTH, FENTON, BROOME, and SOMERVILE, may be made use of in a future edition, should the collection be found to deserve it. One should indeed have naturally concluded that these important facts, for such the birth and death of a man of merit or eminence undoubtedly are, would be found in the lives that have been written of almost all the perfons just named; but, in short, many of these lives, even in the excellent biographical prefaces of Dr. Johnson, may be carefully perused without betraying even the century in which the author made so diftinguished a figure.-Any fuggeftion, at the same time, for the improvement of the work, in matter, method, accuracy, or elegance, will be gratefully received, and properly attended to.

It were, perhaps, to be wished, that the collection could have commenced at an earlyer period; but the editor is sufficiently familiar with the poetical productions of preceding centuries to pronounce with confidence, that no compofition of a moderate length is to be found, prior to the year 1500, which would be thought to deserve a place in these volumes; the nicety of the present age being ill disposed to make the necessary allowances for the uncouth diction and homely sentiments of former times. Nor will any person be forward to rescue such things from oblivion, while the attempt exposes him to the malignant and ruffian-like attacks of some hackney scribbler or personal enemy, through the medium of one or other of two periodical publications, in which the most illiberal abuse is vented under colour of impartial criticism, and both the literary and moral character of every man who wishes to make his peculiar studies contribute to the information or amusement of society are at the mercy of a conceited pedant, or dark and cowardly affaffin. The editor, at the same time, by no means flatters himself, that either the omission of what is obscure and unintelligible, or the insertion of every thing elegant and refined, will be sufficient to protect these volumes from the rancorous malice and envenomed slander of the reviewing critic. He appeals, however, from the partial censures of a mercenary and malevolent individual, to the judgement and candour of a generous and discerning public, whose approbation is proposed as the fole reward of his disinterested labours.

It ought to be mentioned, in justice to the present compilation, that it was made many years ago: nor should it, perhaps, if it could, be concealed that the idea originated from a fight of the elegant French fong-book, intitled L'ANTHOLOGIE FRANÇOISE.

On his mistress, the queen of Bohemia. By Sir Henry

Wotton, kt. From "Reliquiæ Wottoniana," 1685 18

Upon the death of Sir Albert Mortons wife. By
the fame. From the fame authority

-

The bait. By John Donne, D. D. dean of St.
Pauls. From his "Poems," 1635
Epitaphs. By Benjamin Jonfon, poet laureat. The
first, On the countess of Pembroke, fister to fir
Philip Sidney, from the authors “Works," 1756;
the second, On Michael Drayton, esq. from his
monument in Westminster-abbey

To his fon, Vincent Corbet. By Richard Corbet,
bishop of Norwich. From his "Poems," 1672

Songs. By Thomas Carew, esq. From his “ Poems,"
1651

The farewell. By Henry King, bishop of Chi-

chefter. From his "Poems," 1657

The Aory of Phœbus and Daphne applied. By
Edmund Waller, esq. From bis "Poems," 1645,
compared with the editions of 1664, 1682, and
$730

31

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