aware of, having put it into the bookfeller's preface, that they apprehended a furreptitious copy which was to be altered, &c. This, though not regarded by readers, was a real truth; only the furreptitious copy was rather that which was printed; and they made all the hate they could, which indeed was needlets; the author not being at all prepared. But he has been told, the bookfeller was in much pain, having given a good fum of money for the copy.

In the author's original copy there were not so many chaims as appear in the book; and why fome of them were left, he knows not. Had the publication been trufed to him, he should have made feveral corrections of paffages against which nothing hath been ever objected. He fhould likewife have altered a few of those that feem with any reason to be excepted against ; but, to deal freely, the greatest number he should have left untouched, as never fufpecting it poffible any wrong interpretations could be made of them.

The author obferves, at the end of the book, there is a difcourfe called, A Fragment; which he more wondered to fee in print than all the reft ; having been a most imperfect sketch, with the addition of a few loofe hints, which he once lent a Gentleman who had designed a discourse of somewhat the fame fubject: he never thought of it afterwards; and it was a fufficient furprife to fee it ¡ pieced

pieced up together, wholly out of the method and fcheme he had intended; for it was the groundwork of a much larger difcourfe, and he was forry to obferve the materials fo foolishly employed.

There is one farther objection made by those who have answered this book, as well as by fome others, that Peter is frequently made to repeat oaths and curfes. Every reader obferves it was neceffary to know that Peter did fwear and curse. The oaths are not printed out, but only fuppofed; and the idea of an oath is not immoral, like the idea of a prophane or immodeft fpeech. A man may laugh at the Popish folly of curfing people to hell, and imagine them fwearing without any crime; but lewd words, or dangerous opinions, though printed by halves, fill the reader's mind with ill ideas; and of thefe the author cannot be accufed. For the judicious reader will find, that the fevereft ftrokes of fatire in his book are levelled against the modern cuftom of employing wit upon those topics; of which there are many remarkable initances in different parts of this work, and perhaps once or twice expreffed in too free a manner, excufable only for the reafons already alledged. Some overtures have been made, by a third hand, to the bookfeller, for the author's altering thofe paffages which he thought might require it. But it feems the bookfeller will not hear

of

of any fuch thing, being apprehenfive it might fpoil the fale of the book.

The author cannot conclude this Apology, without making this one reflexion, That, as wit is the noblest and most useful gift of human nature, so humour is the most agreeable; and where these two enter far into the compofition of any work, they will render it always acceptable to the world. Now, the great part of those who have no share or taste of either, but by their pride, pedantry and ill manners, lay themselves bare to the lafhes of both, think the blow is weak, because they are infenfible; and where wit hath any mixture of raillery, it is but calling it banter, and the work is done. This polite word of theirs was firft borrowed from the bullies in White Fryars, then fell among the footmen, and at last retired to the pedants; by whom it is applied as properly. to the productions of wit, as if I should apply it to Sir Ifaac Newton's mathematics. But if this bantering, as they call it, be fo defpicable a thing, whence comes it to pafs they have fuch a perpetual itch towards it themfelves? To inftance only in the answerer already mentioned; it is grievous tɔ fee him in fome of his writings at every turn going out of his way to be waggish, to tell us of “a cow that pricked up her tail;" and in his anfwer to this discourse, he fays, " it is all a farce and a ladle;" with other paffages equally fhining. One

may

may fay of these impedimenta literarum, that wit owes them a fhame; and they cannot take wiser counsel, than to keep out of harm's way, or at leaft not to come till they are sure they are called.

To conclude with thofe allowances above required this book should be read; after which the author conceives, few things will remain, which may not be excused in a young writer. He wrote only to the men of wit and tafte; and he thinks he is not mistaken in his accounts, when he fays they have been all of his fide, enough to give him the vanity of telling his name; wherein the world, with all its wife conjectures, is yet very much in the dark which circumftance is no difagreeable amusement, either to the public or himself.

The author is informed, that the bookseller has prevailed on feveral gentlemen, to write some explanatory notes *, for the goodness of which he is not to answer; having never seen any of them, nor intends it, till they appear in print; when it is not unlikely he may have the pleasure to find twenty meanings which never entered into his imagination.

June 3, 1709.

N. B. The notes inclofed thus [], were in the edi tions printed before the publication of this apology.

POSTCRIPT.

SINCE the writing of this, which was about a year ago; a prostitute bookseller hath published a foolish paper, under the name of Notes on the Tale of a Tub, with fome account of the author; and with an infolence,. which, I fuppofe is punishable by law, hath prefumed to affign certain names. It will be enough for the author to affure the world, that the writer of that paper is utterly wrong in all his conjectures upon that affair. The author farther afferts, that the whole work is intirely of one hand; which every reader of judgment will easily dif cover. The Gentleman who gave the copy to the bookfeller, being a friend of the author, and using no liberties befides that of expunging certain paffages, where now the chalms appear under the name of Defiderata. But if any person will prove his claim to three lines in the whole book, let him ftep forth, and tell his name and titles ; upon which the bookfeller fhall have orders to prefix them to the next Edition, and the claimant shall from henceforward be acknowledged the undifputed

author.