THE B A B LE R. CONTAINING A CAREFUL SELECTION FROM THOSE ENTERTAINING and INTERESTING ESSAYS. WHICH HAVE GIVEN the PUBLIC fo much SATISFACTION DURING A COURSE of FOUR YEARS, IN OWEN'S WEEKLY CHRONICLE. VOL. I. LONDON, Printed for J. NEWBERY, in St. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD; And J. HARRISON, oppofite STATIONERS HA LL M DCC LXVII, 012-16-29243 hibu 12-9-29 (iii) PREFACE. THE HERE is no fubject in the world upon which an author fpeaks with a greater degree of latent pride, or a deeper air of outward humility, than his own productions.-He is perfectly fenfible that they are trifles - yet he is bold enough to publish them and while he seems to relinquish every title to the favourable opinion of the world, he returns his warmeft thanks for paft obligations, and indirectly tells us he has obtained it-thus the public are reduced to the agreeable alternative, either of acknowledging his merit, or reflecting upon their own judgment-and the confequence generally is, that through a fear of disparaging the credit of our taste, or perfpicuity, we exalt him at once into a writer of confummate modefty, and uncommon abilities. THE author of the BABLER, however, wishes to fteer between the extremes of an oftentatious parade, and an affected diffidence; he would by no means prefumptuously place his pieces upon a forum with the effays of fome cotemporaries, nor would he meanly fink them to the level of others -a first-rate reputation is no lefs beyond his hopes, than his deserts; yet if in the scale of honourable comparison, he rifes with no capital degree of meA 2 rit, rit, he is fatisfied that he cannot be the loweft in the ballance of contempt.-This declaration he is the more emboldened to make, as during the courfe of his publication, he conftantly had the honour of being re-printed by the greatest number of his literary fellow labourers in the vineyard of the public, and have been often happy enough to go through half a dozen editions, in half the number of days. IN the concluding number of these volumes the author has made fome obfervations on the nature of effay writing in general, and rendered it inconteftibly evident, that there is no walk of genius, which lies under fo many difficulties; yet of all the various effayifts the news-paper drudge, is the moft unfortunately circumftanced; fmall as the boundaries of a SPECTATOR, a RAMBLER, a WORLD, an ADVENTURER, or a CONNOISSEur, may feem, the news-paper writer is under a neceffity of moving in a ftill more contracted circle-the Printer (who on thefe occafions is a very great man) does not fo much confider the importance of a writer's fubject, as the immediate profit of the partners; it is not the improvement of the reader which he confults, but the intereft of the paper, or the topic of the day, and therefore often ftints. the effayift in room, to advertise a parcel of ftolen goods, or to epitomize the trial of fome remark[able murderer. I REMEMBER 1 I REMEMBER when the BABLER was firft undertaken, I fent an effay to the prefs, on which I had employed extraordinary pains; and which I warmly imagined would have procured me at least a fortnight's reputation - the subject of the effay, was the abfurdity of party diftinctions; but unhappily, though I had endeavoured to contract myfelf within the moft moderate limits, I had ftill exceeded the prudential bounds of the Printer; - he accordingly brought me back the manufcript, and declared it could not poffibly be inferted without undergoing fome confiderable amputations - It was in vain I argued with him on the importance of the fubject, the fpirit of the writing, and the credit it would certainly do his paper the rogue was incorregibly dull; and told me if I would have it in, I must strike a pen through the King, cut out lord Bute, and burn the people of England - Thefe conditions were too hard to be complied with- and I rather chofe to leave my admirable effay out entirely, than mangle it to the tafte of an unfeeling blockhead, who appeared fo glaringly callous to the beauties of a masterly production. CIRCUMSCRIBED thus unhappily in my limits, the reader of judgment will not be furprised at finding, many subjects thrown frequently into little hiftories, which otherwife fituated, I fhould have attempted to difcufs, on the methodical principles of a regular argument — As I had not room to enter into elaborate difquifitions, it was my bufinefs |