(ii) EPIGRAMS. Written in a LADY's Table Book LYCE: Or, a Bawd's Advice. Love and JEALOUSY.. CLOE. CORNUS 41 Ibid. 42 Ibid. Ibid. 43 THRASO and GRIPE, and SHIFTER. Ibid. On JEALOUSY. The CURE of JEALOUSY. DEATH. A Sonnet. The ANTIDOTE. Upon a FAVOUR offered. 44 48 49 50 51 DIALOGUE between a LOVER and his FRIEND. 52 The FAIR Mourner. To his MISTRESS against MARRIAGE. 54 55 To CELIA, upon fome ALTERATIONS in her FACE. The RETIREMENT. FOUR Paftoral Eclogues. First, DAPHNE and DAMON. Fourth, The GOLDEN AGE Reftor❜d. 58 Ibid. 61 64 67 71 76 A PREFACE T has been fo ufual among modern Authors to write Prefaces, that a Man is thought rude to his Reader, who does not give him. fome Account before hand of what he is to expect in the Book. That which may make fomewhat of this kind more neceffary in my Cafe, than others is, That a great part of this Collection confifts of Familiar Letters, which fort of Writing fome Learned Perfons among us have thought unfit to be publifhed. It must be confeffed indeed, that a great Beauty of Letters does often confift in little Paffages of private Converfation, and References to particular Matters, that can be understood by none but those to whom they are written: But to draw a general Conclufion from thence, That familiar Letters can please none, but thofe very Perfons, is to conclude against the common Experience of all the World; fince befides the great Applaufes have been giv en the Letters of Cicero and Pliny among the Romans, we fee no Book has been better received among the Spaniards, than the Letters of Guevare; or, among the French, than thofe of Voiture and Balfac: Not to mention the Italians, among whom there has been hardly any confiderable Man, who has not publifhed. Letters with good Succefs. What may have cóntributed very much to the kind Reception these things have met, is, that there is no fort of Writing fo neceffary for People to understand as this: A Man may have a great deal of Wit, without being able to write Verses, or make Harangues; and may live in very good Repute, without having occafion of doing either. But a Man can hardly live in the World, without being able to write Letters. There is no State of Life in which a Faculty of that kind is not requifite; and there are few Days pafs, in which a Man has not occafion to make ufe of it. The Stile of Letters ought to be free, eafy and natural: As near approaching to Familiar Conversation as poffible. The two beft Qualities in Converfation, are good Humour and good Breeding; thofe Letters are therefore certainly the best that shew the most of those two Qualities. There are fome Men fo furly, fo ill-natured, and fo ill-bred, that tho' we can hardly deny them to have Wit, yet we can say, at least, that we are forry they have it. And indeed, as their Wit is troublesome to other People, fo I can hardly imagine of what great Use it can be to themselves. For if the End of Wit be not to render one's felf agreeable, I shall scarce envy them any other Ufe they can make of it. The |