ADVERTISEMENT TO A FORMER EDITION. No publications are more entertaining or useful than local delineations and defcriptions, drawn with fidelity and taste: they enable perfons to form a juft idea of remarkable places to which fortune or fituation denies them accefs; and without fuch aids occafional fpectators, who have not leifure to trace every beauty for themselves, must inevitably lose half the pleasure and fatisfaction to be derived from their ExCURSIONS. Few places poffefs more attractions than BLENHEIM; and yet few places have received lefs justice from the POET or HISTORIAN. WHEATLEY and GILPIN, who had every requifite qualification to do it justice, have only mentioned it in a curfory manner; and LORD LYTTELTON lived too near the æra of the first Duke of MARLBOROUGH's exploits to defcribe a 2 defcribe the place farther than might ferve as a vehicle for the praise of the HERO. The present work is refpectfully offered as an attempt at more appropriate delineation; and the Author is happy to find, that the public has fhewn it that favourable and candid attention, which, in every cafe, ought ultimately to be the reward of him, who, by honest arts, aspires to it's unbiaffed patronage and protection. ADVER 1 ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FOURTH EDITION. THE demand for this little work has been regularly increasing, fince its firft publication in 1787; a pleafing proof to the Author, that it is not deftitute of utility to the vifitors of Blenheim. Animated by this encouragement and àpprobation, he has revised the whole with diligent attention, and made fuch additions and alterations as circumftances feemed to require. He has been the more anxious to do this, because Blenheim has lately attracted the particular notice both of the poet and the critic, and because it is probable, that this will be the last edition which can receive any improvement from his hands. CON |