And the true fenfe of Mr. Pope's affertion, that Whatever is, is right, and I believe the fenfe in which it was written, is thus explained: A facred and adorable order is established in the government of mankind. These are certain and unvaried truths: he that feeks God, and makes it his happiness to live in obedience to him, fhall obtain what he en'deavours after, in a degree far above his prefent 'comprehenfion. He that turns his back upon his

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Creator, neglects to obey him, and perseveres in his *difobedience, shall obtain no other happiness than ' he can receive from enjoyments of his own procuring; void of fatisfaction, weary of life, wafted by empty cares and remorfes equally haraffing and juft, he will experience the certain confequences ' of his own choice. Thus will justice and goodnefs refume their empire, and that order be 'reftored which men have broken.'

I am afraid of wearying you or your readers with more quotations, but if you fhall inform me that a continuation of my correfpondence will be well received, I fhall defcend to particular paffages, fhow how Mr. Pope gave fometimes occafion tơ mistakes, and how Mr. Croufaz was miffed by his fufpicion of the fyftem of fatality.

I am, SIR, your's, &c.

PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE

TO THE

LONDON CHRONICLE,

JANUARY 1, 1757*.

T has always been lamented, that of the little time

IT

allotted to man, much must be spent upon fuperBuities. Every prospect has its obstructions, which we must break to enlarge our view: every ftep of our progrefs finds impediments, which, however eager to go forward, we must ftop to remove. Even those who profess to teach the way to happiness, have multiplied our incumbrances, and the author of almost every book retards his inftructions by a preface.

The writers of the Chronicle hope to be eafily forgiven, though they should not be free from an infection that has feized the whole fraternity, and inftead of falling immediately to their fubjects, fhould detain the Reader for a time with an account of the importance of their defign, the extent of their plan, and the accuracy of the method which they intend to profecute. Such premonitions, though not always neceffary when the Reader has the book complete in his hand, and may find by his own eyes whatever can be found in it, yet may be more eafily

* Dr. Johnson received the humble reward of a guinea from Mr. Dodley for this compofition.

$ 2

C.

allowed

allowed to works publifhed gradually in fucceffive parts, of which the scheme can only be fo far known as the author fhall think fit to difcover it.

The Paper which we now invite the Publick to add to the Papers with which it is already rather wearied than fatisfied, confifts of many parts; fome of which it has in common with other periodical fheets, and fome peculiar to itself.

The first demand made by the reader of a journal is, that he should find an accurate account of foreign tranfactions and domeftick incidents. This is always expected, but this is very rarely performed. Of thofe writers who have taken upon themfelves the tafk of intelligence, fome have given and others have fold their abilities, whether fmall or great, to one or other of the parties that divide us; and without a wish for truth or thought of decency, without care of any other reputation than that of a stubborn adherence to their abettors, carry on the fame tenor of reprefentation through all the viciffitudes of right and wrong, neither depreffed by detection, nor abathed by confutation, proud of the hourly increase of infamy, and ready to boast of all the contumelies that falfchood and flander may bring upon them, as new proofs of their zeal and fidelity.

With thefe heroes we have no ambition to be numbered, we leave to the confeffors of faction the merit of their fufferings, and are defirous to fhelter ourfelves under the protection of truth. That all our facts will be authentick, or all our remarks juft, we dare not venture to promife: we can relate but what we hear, we can point out but what we fee. Of remote tranfactions, the firft accounts are always con

fufed,

fufed, and commonly exaggerated: and in domeftick affairs, if the power to conceal is lefs, the intereft to mifreprefent is often greater; and what is fufficiently vexatious, truth feems to fly from curiofity, and as many enquirers produce many narratives, whatever. engages the public attention is immediately difguifed by the embellishments of fiction. We pretend to no peculiar power of difentangling contradiction or denuding forgery, we have no fettled correfpondence with the Antipodes, nor maintain any fpies in the cabinets of princes. But as we fhall always be confcious that our mistakes are involuntary, we fhall watch the gradual difcoveries of time, and retract whatever we have haftily and erroneously advanced.

In the narratives of the daily writers every reader perceives fomewhat of neatnefs and purity wanting, which at the firft view it feems eafy to fupply; but it must be confidered, that thofe paffages muft be written in hafte, and that there is often no other choice, but that they muft want either novelty or accuracy; and that as life is very uniform, the affairs of one week are fo like thofe of another, that by any attempt after variety of expreffion, invention would foon be wearied, and language exhausted. Some improvements however we hope to make; and for the reft we think that when we commit only common faults, we fhall not be excluded from common indulgence.

The accounts of prices of corn and ftocks are to moft of our Readers of more importance than narratives of greater found; and as exactness is here within the reach of diligence, our readers may juftly require it from us.

Memorials of a private and perfonal kind, which relate deaths, marriages, and preferments, must always be imperfect by omiffion, and often erroneous by mifinformation; but even in these there fhall not be wanting care to avoid mistakes, or to rectify them whenever they shall be found.

That part of our work, by which it is distinguished from all others, is the literary journal, or account of the labours and productions of the learned. This was for a long time among the deficiencies of English literature; but as the caprice of man is always ftarting from too little to too much, we have now amongst other disturbers of human quiet, a numerous body of reviewers and remarkers.

Every art is improved by the emulation of competitors; those who make no advances towards excellence, may ftand as warnings against faults. We fhall endeavour to avoid that petulance which treats with contempt whatever has hitherto been reputed facred. We fhall reprefs that elation of malignity, which wantons in the cruelties of criticism, and not only murders reputation, but murders it by torture. Whenever we feel ourselves ignorant we fhall at least be modeft. Our intention is not to preoccupy judgment by praife or cenfure, but to gratify curiofity by early intelligence, and to tell rather what our authors have attempted, than what they have performed. The titles of books are ne‐ ceffarily fhort, and therefore difclofe but imperfectly the contents; they are fometimes fraudulent and intended to raise falfe expectations. In our account this brevity will be extended, and thefe frauds whenever they are detected will be expofed; for though we