best advantage, before the publication of this Edition (which hath been long prepared) fhould put a stop to the fale.

But it may be proper to be a little more particular concerning the fuperiority of this Edition above all the preceding; fo far as Mr. Pope himself was concerned. What the Editor hath done, the Reader muft collect for himself.

The FIRST Volume, and the original poems in the SECOND, are here printed from a copy corrected throughout by the Author himself, even to the very preface: Which, with feveral additional notes in his own hand, he delivered to the Editor a little before his death. The Juvenile translations, in the other part of the SECOND Volume, it was never his intention to bring into this Edition of his Works, on account of the levity of some, the freedom of others, and the the little importance of any. But thefe being the property of other men, the Editor had it not in his power to follow the Author's in

tention.

The THIRD Volume, all but the Essay on Man (which, together with the Effay

on Criticism, the Author, a little before, his death, had corrected and published in Quarto, as a fpecimen of his projected Edition) was printed by him in his last illnefs (but never publifhed) in the manner it is now given. The difpofition of the Epiftle on the Characters of Men is quite altered: that on the Characters of Women, much enlarged; and the Epifles on Riches and Tafe corrected and improved. To thefe advantages of the THIRD Volume, must be added a great number of fine verfes taken from the Author's Manufcriptcopies of these poems, communicated by him for this purpose to the Editor. Thefe, when he firft publifhed the poems, to which they belong, he thought proper, for various reafons, to omit. Some from the Manufcript-copy of the Essay on Man, which tended to difcredit fate, and to recom mend the moral government of God, had, by the Editor's advice, been reftored to their places in the last Edition of that Poem. The reft, together with others of the like fort from his Manufcript-copy of the other Ethic Epifles, are here inferted

at the bottom of the page, under the title of Variations.

The FOURTH Volume contains the Satires; with their Prologue, the Epifle to Dr. Arbuthnot; and Epilogue, the two poems intitled MDCCXXXVIII. The Prologue and Epilogue are here given with the like advantages as the Ethic Epiftles in the foregoing Volume, that is to fay, with the Variations, or additional verses from the Author's Manufcripts. The Epilogue to the Satires is likewife inriched with many and large notes now first printed from the Author's own Manuscript.

The FIFTH Volume contains a correcter and completer Edition of the Dunciad than hath been hitherto publifhed; of which, at prefent, I have only this further to add, That it was at my request he laid the plan of a fourth Book. I often told him, It was pity fo fine a poem should remain difgraced by the meannefs of its fubject, the most infignificant of all Dunces, bad Rymers and malevolent Cavillers: That he ought to raife and enoble it by pointing his Satire against the most pernicious of all, Minute philofophers and

Free-thinkers. I imagined, too, it was for the interefts of Religion to have it known, that fo great a Genius had a due abhorrence of these pests of Virtue and Society. He came readily into my opinion; but, at the fame time, told me it would create him many Enemies. He was not mistaken. For tho' the terror of his pen kept them for fome time in respect, yet on his death they rofe with unreftrained fury in numerous Coffee-house tales, and Grub-street libels. The plan of this admirable Satire was artfully contrived to fhew, that the follies and defects of a fashionable EDUCATION naturally led to, and neceffarily ended in, FREE-THINKING; with defign to point out the only remedy adequate to fo fatal an evil. was to advance the fame ends of virtue and religion, that the Editor prevailed on him to alter every thing in his moral writings that might be fufpected of having the leaft glance towards Fate or NATURALISM; and to add what was proper to convince the world that he was warmly on the fide of moral Government and a revealed Will. And it would be injuftice

It

to his memory not to declare that he embraced these occafions with the most unfeigned pleasure.

The SIXTH Volume confifts of Mr. Pope's miscellaneous pieces in verse and profe. Amongst the Verse feveral fine poems make now their firft appearance in his Works. And of the Profe, all that is good, and nothing but what is exquifitely fo, will be found in this Edition.

The SEVENTH, EIGHTH, and NINTH Volumes confift entirely of his Letters. The more valuable, as they are the only true models which we, or perhaps any of our neighbours have, of familiar Epiftles. This collection is now made more complete by the addition of feveral new pieces. Yet, excepting a fhort explanatory letter to Col. M. and the Letters to Mr. A. and Mr. W. (the latter of which are given to fhew the Editor's inducements, and the engagements he was under, to intend the care of this Edition) excepting these, I fay, the reft are all here published from the Author's own printed, tho' not published, copies delivered to the Editor.