He faid; but his last words were scarcely heard:
For Bruce and Longvil had a trap prepar'd,
And down they fent the yet declaiming bard.
Sinking he left his drugget robe behind,
Born upwards by a fubterranean wind.
The mantle fell to the young prophet's part,
With double portion of his father's art.

}

TO THE

REA DE R.

'T'

IS not my intention to make an apology for my Poem: Some will think it needs no excufe, and others will receive none. The defign, I am fure, is honeft; but he, who draws his pen for one party, muft expect to make enemies of the other. For Wit and Fool are confequents of Whig and Tory; and every man is a knave or an afs to the contrary fide. There is a treasury of merits in the Fanatic Church, as well as in the Popish; and a pennyworth to be had of fathip, honefty, and poetry, for the lewd, the faćtious, and the blockheads: But the longest chapter in Deuteronomy has not curfes enough for an AntiBromingham. My comfort is, their manifest prejudice to my cause will render their judgment of lefs authority against me. Yet if a poem have a genius, it will force its own reception in the world. For there's a fweetnefs in good verfe, which tickles even while it burts: And no man can be heartily angry with him, who pleases him against his will. The commendation of adverfaries is the greatest triumph of a writer, becaufe it never comes unlefs extorted. But I can be fatisfied on more easy terms: If I happen to please the more moderate fort, I fhall be fure of an honest party, and, in all probability, of the best judges: For the leaft

concern'd are commonly the least corrupt. And I' confefs I have laid in for those, by rebating the fatire (where juftice would allow it) from carrying too fharp an edge. They, who can criticise so weakly, as to imagine I have done my worst, may be convinced at their own coft, that I can write feverely, with more ease than I can gently. I have but laugh'd at fome mens follies, when I could have declaim'd against their vices: and other mens virtues I have commended, as freely as I have tax'd their crimes. And now, if you are a malicious reader, I expect you should return upon me, that I affect to be thought more impartial than I am. But if men are not to be judged by their profeffions, God forgive you commonwealth's-men for profeffing fo plaufibly for the government. You cannot be fo unconfcionable as to charge me for not fubfcribing of my name; for that would reflect too grofsly upon your own party, who never dare, though they have the advantage of a jury to fecure them. If you like not my poem, the fault may poffibly be in my writing; though 'tis hard for an authour to judge against himself. But more probably 'tis in your morals, which cannot bear the truth of it. The violent, on both fides, will condemn the character of Abfalom, as either too favourably, or too hardly drawn. But they are not the violent, whom I defire to pleafe. The fault, on the right hand, is to extenuate, palliate, and indulge; and, to confess freely, I have endeavoured to commit it. Befides the refpect which I owe his birth, I have a greater for his heroic virtues; and David himself could not be more tender of the young man's life, than I would be of his reputation. But fince the most excellent natures are always