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"us more important duties, and to fettle opinions in philofophy or politics; but an arbiter

elegantiarum, a judge of propriety, was yet "wanting, who fhould furvey the track of daily "converfation, and free it from thorns and "prickles, which teaze the paffer, though they "do not wound him. For this purpose no"thing is fo proper as the frequent publication " of fhort papers, which we read not as study "but amufement. If the fubject be flight, the treatise likewife is fhort. The bufy may find "time, and the idle may find patience.

"It is faid by ADDISON, in a fubfequent "work, that they had a perceptible influence 66 upon the converfation of that time, and "taught the frolic and gay to unite merriment "with decency; an effect which they can never

wholly lofe, while they continue to be among "the first books, by which both fexes are ini"tiated in the elegancies of knowledge.

The TATLER and SPECTATOR reduced, like CASA, the unfettled practice of daily in"tercourfe to propriety and politenefs; and, "like LA BRUYERE, exhibited the 'Characters and Manners of the Age.'

"But to fay that they united the plans of two "or three eminent writers, is to give them but "a fmall part of their due praife; they fuper"added literature and criticifin, and fometimes "towered far above their predeceffors, and

"taught, with great juftness of argument and "dignity of language, the most important du-"ties and fublime truths.

"All these topics are happily varied with "elegant fictions and refined allegories, and il"luminated with different changes of ftyle, and "felicities of invention *."

The prefent edition of the firft published part of these valuable Papers, is formed from an accurate collation of the original folio with STEELE'S octavo; not without attention to what was faulty either in orthography or punctuation. This may feem a trifling labour; but the neglect of it is the fource of much of the obfcurity and confufion which is found in bad editions of good authors.

Tranflations are annexed to all the mottoes, and fome of them are tranflated anew; it having now and then been found neceffary to adapt them more peculiarly to the subjects of the Papers to which they were prefixed, the whole application depending upon fome nice turn of the original phrafe, which does not hold even in the beft of the received verfions. On this head. there is ftill room for improvement; and the ingenious are requested to amufe themselves in lending their affiftance.

"The perfonages introduced in thefe Papers, "were not merely ideal; they were then known, JOHNSON'S "Life of ADDISON," paffim

£5

" and

"and confpicuous in various ftations. Of the "TATLER, this is told by STEELE in his last

Paper. Of these portraits, which may be fuppofed to be fometimes embellished, and "fometimes aggravated, the originals are partly "known, and partly forgotten *."

Concerning them, there is much certain information, and there are many conjectures, generally not very improbable, in the course of this. work; but if in fome inftances of the most flagrant delinquents, their names, though pretty well known, have not yet been communicated to the public; the reafons for concealment, are eafily conceivable, and fufficiently forcible to constrain, and to justify the filence of the Anno

tator.

In all cafes where the writers could be ascertained, their names are mentioned, and memoirs of them are now in preparation, which will either be published in a feparate work, or interwoven with the illuftrations of the SPECTATOR and GUARDIAN, almoft ready for publication, and principally with-held, in hopes of their being benefited, and enlarged, by expected communications from aged, and literary people, friends to this undertaking, who are earnestly requested to give notice of any thing inftructive, or enter. taining, relative to these writers, or writings, through the channel of the GENTLEMAN's Ma*JOHNSON, ut fupra, a 3

GAZINE,

GAZINE, or rather by letters, poft-paid, directed to J. NICHOLS, Red-Lion-paffage, Fleet street.

Confidering that there are no fignatures in the TATLER, to facilitate the difcoveries of the writers, and that their names were chiefly to be learnt from information, or from a minute atten- ' tion to little circumftances in the Papers themfelves; the intelligence of this fort, in the prefent collection, is rather more ample than there was any juft reafon to expect. Meanwhile, the line that divides conjecture from certainty, has feldom, if ever, been tranfgreffed; and in every doubtful cafe, the Paper is always afcribed to STEELE, the only oftenfible author.

This rule has been obferved even in inftances, where there is more than ground to fufpect, that STEELE was not the writer; but this may be eafily rectified, as obliging information, or fortunate future discovery, fhall have made, what is but conjectural now, more certain hereafter.

There is a debt upon this work, far from inconfiderable, which shall be faithfully discharged, though kept at prefent, an account current, till the permiffion of the creditors can be ob tained, to ftate it more particularly. It is hoped, however, and requested, that the intelligent will ftill fend their communications, and benefactors continue their favours, till this matter comes to be finally adjusted, with regular propriety. Even at this early period, it cannot be much amifs, to acknowledge

acknowledge with thankfulness, that the work is under great obligations, to a late very learned and much refpected Prelate, who was himself, latterly, no inferior writer, in the GUARDIAN, and SPECTATOR. His very valuable communications, fufficiently diftinguishable of themfelves, by fuperiority in point of importance, needed not to have been marked, as they all are, by fuitable modes of expreffion in their in-, troductions, that sufficiently appropriate them to their worthy author.

For fimilar reafons, the precaution, it may be, was greatly unneceffary, to point out, as has always been done, the favours of other contribu tors by particular fignatures, which the Editor, with permiffion of parties, or when it is underflood that it would not give offence, will with pleasure embrace, or contrive a convenient way of explaining to the public.

He cannot, however, conceal his obligations to a worthy Coadjutor, who, though he felt himfelf fuperior to the employment, with a laudable attachment to the undertaking, has "given for "years, most of his days and much of his "nights" to every laborious research that but feemed to tend to elucidation; having frequently, with great perfeverance, laboured through a dry bulky volume, to extract materials for, a fingle note. Of the truth of this, his patient perufal of old almanacs, for the account of PARTRITGE,

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