то THE RIGHT HONOURABLE JOHN LORD SOMERS. MY LORD, THOUGH the author has written a large dedication, yet that being addreffed to a Prince, whom I am never likely to have the honour of being known to; a perfon, befides, as far as I can obferve, not at all regarded, or thought on by any of our prefent writers ; and being wholly free from that flavery which book fellers ufually lie under to the caprices of authors; I think it a wife piece of prefumption, to infcribe thele papers to your Lordship, and to implore your Lordship's protection of them. God, and your Lordship, know their faults and their merits: for as to my own particular, I am altogether a ftranger to the matter; and though every body else should be equally ignorant, I do not fear the fale of the book at all the worse upon that score. Your Lordship's name on the front, in capital letters, will at any time get off one edition. Neither would I defire any other help to grow an Alderman, than a patent for the fole privilege of dedicating to your Lord. ship. I should now, in right of a dedicator, give your Lordship a lift of your own virtues, and at the same time be very unwilling to offend your modefty; but chiefly I fhould celebrate your liberality towards men of great parts and small fortunes, and give you broad-hints that C 2 I mean I mean myself. And I was just going on in the ufual method, to peruse a hundred or two of dedications, and transcribe an abstract, to be applied to your Lordship; but I was diverted by a certain accident. For, upon the covers of these papers, I cafually observed written in large letters, the two following words, DETUR DIGNISSIMO; which, for ought I knew, might contain fome important meaning. But it unluckily fell out, that none of the authors I employ understood Latin; (though I have them often in pay, to translate out of that language.) I was therefore compelled to have recourse to the curate of our parish, who Englished it thus, "Let it be given to the worthiest." And his comment was that the author meant his work fhould be dedicated to the fublimeft genius of the age, for wit, learning, judgment, eloquence, and wisdom. I called at a poet's chamber (who works for my shop) in an alley hard by, fhewed him the tranflation, and defired his opinion, who it was that the author could mean. He told me, after fome confideration, that vanity was a thing he abhorred; but, by the description, he thought himself to be the perfon aimed at; and at the fame time he very kindly offered his own affiftance gratis, towards penning a dedication to himself. I defired him, however, to give a fecond guess. Why then, said he, it must be I, or my Lord Somers. From thence I went to feveral other wits of my acquaintance, with no small hazard and weariness to my person, from a prodigious number of dark, winding stairs; but found them all in the fame story, both of your Lordship and themselves. Now, your Lordship is to understand, that this proceeding was not of my own invention; for, I have somewhere heard, it is a maxim, That those, to whom every body allows the fecond place, have an undoubted title to the first. This infallibly convinced me, that your Lordship was the perfon intended by the author. But, being very unacquainted in the ftile and form of dedications, I employed those wits aforefaid, to furnish me with hints and materials towards a panegyric upon your Lordship's virtues. In two days they brought me ten fheets of paper, filled up on every fide. They swore to me, that they had ranfacked whatever could be found in the characters of Socrates, Aristides. Epaminondas, Cato, Tully, Atticus, and other hard names which I cannot now recollect. However, I have reafon to believe, they impofed upon my ignorance; becaufe when I came to read over their collections, there was not a fyllable there but what I and every body elfe knew as well as themfelves. Therefore I grievously fuipect a cheat; and that thefe authors of mine stole and transcribed every word from, the univerfal report of mankind. So that I look upon myself as fifty fhillings out of pocket, to no manner of purpole. If by altering the title, I could make the fame materials ferve for another dedication, (as my betters have done), it would help to make up my lofs; but I have made feveral perfons dip here and there in those papers; and before they read three lines, they have all affured me plainly, that they cannot poffibly be applied to any perfon befides your Lordship I expected indeed to have heard of your Lordship's bravery, at the head of an army of your undaunted courage, in mounting a breach, or fcaling a wall; or to have had your pedigree traced in a lineal descent from the house of Auftria; or of your wonderful talent at drefs and dancing; or your profound knowledge in Algebra, Metaphyfics, and the Oriental tongues. But to ply the world with an old beaten story of your wit, and eloquence, and learning, and wisdom, and juftice, and politenefs, and candour, and evenness of temper in all the scenes of life; of that great discernment in dicovering, and readiness in favouring deserving men; with forty other common topics; I confefs I have neither confcience nor countenance to do it: because there is no virtue, either of a public or private life, which fome circumstances of your own have not often produced upon the stage of the world; and those few which, for want of occafions to exert them, might otherwise have passed unseen or unobserved by your friends, your * enemies have at length brought to light. It is true, I should be very loth, the bright example of your Lordship's virtues fhould be lost to after ages, both for their fake and your own; but chiefly, because they will be fo very neceffary to adorn the history of a latet reign: and that is another reason why I would forbear to make a recital of them here; because I have been told by wife men, that as dedications have run for * In 1701 Lord Somers was impeached by the Com mons, who either finding their proofs defective, or for other reafons, delayed coming to a trial, and the Lords thereupon proceeded to the trial without them, and acquitted him. K. William whose memory he defended in the House of Lords against fome invidious reflections of the E. of Nottingham. fome fome years past, a good historian will not be apt to have recourfe thither, in fearch of characters. There is one point wherein I think we dedicators would do well to change our measures; I mean, instead of running on fo far upon the praise of our patron's li berality, to spend a word or two in admiring their patience. I can put no greater compliment on your Lordfhip's, than by giving you fo ample an occafion to exercife it at prefent. Though, perhaps, I fhall not be apt to reckon much merit to your Lordship upon that score, who having been formerly used to tedious harangues,* and sometimes to as little purpofe, will be the readier to pardon this; efpecially, when it is offered by one, who is, with all refpect and veneration, My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient, and most faithful fervant, The Bookfeller. Sir John Somers was Attorney-General; then made Lord Keeper of the Seals, in 1692, and Lord High Chan cellor and Baron of Evesham, in April 1697. |