tion of weeding out every obnoxious plant, nor have we fpared great pains to effect our purpose. If, after all, the reader fhould find objectionable matter, we hope he will fhew a little candour, and reflect, how imperceptibly we might be led aftray from our original defign of elegant Selection. "Evil communication (he will be pleafed to remember) cor rupteth good manners," and we may truly fay that we have been obliged to keep bad company. Under the neceffity of treading dirty ground, no wonder fome of the foil fhould flick to our feet. Our late compiling fituation may be compared, as to its effects on the mental faculties, with thofe of the chymift, as to fmelling. At the outfet of his business he feels incommoded with the fumes of his fill—a few days pass, and it becomes lefs intolerable-a few more, he hardly is fenfible of inconvenience ;—at last the time arrives, when he endures the oppofite of fweet as well as sweet itself, and is furprized when told by a stranger, that his thop is disagreeable. This may prove to be our cafe. We at first, indignant, threw away. compofition unfit for the public eye, and continued fo to do (in our apprehenfion at least) all through the Work; yet not unlikely the stranger, on vifiting our fhop, will complain that he cannot bear it, and leave us in difguft. Be this as it may, at the moment we write our apology, we are fenfible it is too late to repent; the book is printed, and must now take its chance. We intended not to offend, and fall deeply regret the occafion, if offence, either against Juftice or Delicacy, be attributed to premeditated defign. The errors of the head claim to be forgiven, when depravity at the heart finds not an habitation. In the selection made of the Caricature Prints, regard to Decency has entirely guided us. To those who may cavil at our apparent partiality in giving to the public fuch alone as principally tend to ridicule the opponents of Mr. Fox, and fo few against him, we fhortly reply, that the indelicacy with which the partizans of Hood and Wray conftantly thought proper to display their ideas, render their productions unfit for the public eye, and would difgrace our Work if inferted in it. But yet another objection arifes.-The defigns of the leaft indelicate are univerfally puerile and ridiculous-the fatire intended appears obfcure, or, if found out at all, is flat and inapplicable. We boldly affert this as the truth, and doubt not but the artist at least, if not the public in general, will acquit us of party prejudice in this refpect. Our readers will perceive the jubjects of thofe given are various and pointed; many of them were published pending the Election, and fome previous to that time. All, however, without exception, have relation to occurrences that come within the limits of our hiftory.The paragraphical part part of our mifcellany, in the opinion of fome, may be thought trifling and unneceffary; but as we deemed ourselves engaged to give a complete collection of pointed Electioneering Intelligence, we could not with fatisfaction to our own minds pafs by the daily vehicles of information. Befides the facts related in the newspapers, we met here and there with fome excellent profaical Epigram, well pointed to the fubject in hand. In many places the reader will meet with notes, that ferve either to refute or illuftrate. If, in this management of annotation, we have betrayed a partiality to Mr. Fox, we hope to find credit for our candour in here declaring ourselves firm in his caufe, and ready to defend it upon principle. His conduct merits our approbation, and has our warmest praise. But it is not the Weftminfter Electors alone, who are interested in Mr. Fox's fuccefs; the kingdom throughout have their eyes upon him, and know his confequence to the State. The unprejudiced part of his Majefty's fubjects know and declare how neceffary his abilities are to his country, and hope foon to fee him again in an official capacity. The faction that difsplaced him have not, we dare affirm, the confidence of the nation. If they continue long in power, the authority retaining them must be founded on other views than thofe of popular accommodation. The unfair means by which the prefent Adminiftration Stepped into place, will be remembered with indignation, when the phrenzy of the people is effectually done away. The Minifter already fees his popularity decline, and reads no where his panegyric but in a few newspapers that are paid for the fervice, and libel him with praife. His late taxes are generally odious and oppreffive. The Commutation Tea Duty, made good by the additional Tax on Windows, is a national vexation, and fubmitted to by none but with ferious complaint. It is not in our plan here to go into a minifterial history of Mr. Pitt and bis followers; this fubject we have fully expatiated upon in a feparate quarto pamphlet to be published in a very few days, and intended to bind up with this Work, (to which it has reference,) at the option of the purchafer. The Editors of two Morning Papers will, we doubt not, wince at our remarks on their publications and conduct during the time of the Election; but we are prepared to meet their cenfure, and will defend our principles. The fcandal and abuse they poured forth against the great and amiable Patronefs of Mr. Fox's caufe and party, we hope, for the credit England, has now the execration of a difcerning public. We have retained a few inftances of their illiberality in the volume before us, to keep alive the public attention towards certain characters, who were interested in preventing the operations of friendly generosity, exerted in a popular caufe, by an illuftrious female character, in whofe mind is eminently confpicuous every great and noble fentiment, with all thofe other requifites fo truly fafcinating and valuable in the fex, when united, as in her GRACE OF DEVONSHIRE, with extreme beauty, elevated rank, and fplendid fortune. ERR AT A. IN the course of the work the reader will in places observe a few typographical errors; they are, however, fo obvious, we have thought a particular statement unneceffary, fince the error takes not from the grammatical fenfe, and is generally confined to the mifplacing a fingle letter. In a work of this heterogeneous kind, we hope fuch mistakes will be candidly overlooked, or generously for given. |