To the HONOURABLE George Lyttleton, Efq; One of the Lords Commiffioners of SIR, N OTWITHSTANDING your conftant Refufal, when I have afked Leave to prefix your Name to this Dedication, I muft ftill infift on my Right to defire your Protection of this Work. To you, Sir, it is owing that this History was ever began. It was by your Defire that I first thought of fuch a Compofition. So many Years have fince paft, that you may have, perhaps, forgotten this Circumftance: But your Defires are to me in the Nature of Commands; and the Impreffion of them is never to be erafed from my Memory. Again, Sir, without your Affistance this History had never been completed. Be not A 2 ftartled I do not intend to ftartled at the Affertion. draw on you the Sufpicion of being a Romance Writer. I mean no more than that I partly owe to you my Existance during great Part of the Time which I have employed in compofing it: another Matter which it may be neceffary to remind you of; fince there are certain Actions of which you are apt to be extremely forgetful; but of these I hope I fhall always have a better Memory than yourself. Laftly, it is owing to you that the History appears what it now is. If there be in this Work, as fome have been pleafed to fay, a ftronger Picture of a truly benevolent Mind than is to be found in any other, who that knows you, and a particular Acquaintance of yours, will doubt whence that Benevolence hath been copied? The World will not, I believe, make me the Compliment of thinking I took it from myfelf. I care not: This they fhall own, that the two Perfons from whom I have taken it, that is to fay, two of the best and worthieft Men in the World, are ftrongly and zealously my Friends. I might be contented with this, and yet my Vanity will add a third to the Number; and him one of the greatest and nobleft, not only in his Rank, but in every public and private Virtue. But here whilft my Gratitude for the princely Benefactions of the Duke of Bedford bursts from my Heart, you must forgive my reminding you, that that it was you who first recommended me to the Notice of my Benefactor. And what are your Objections to the Allowance of the Honour which I have folicited? Why, you have commended the Book fo warmly, that you fhould be ashamed of reading your Name before the Dedication. Indeed, Sir, if the Book itself doth not make you afhamed of your Commendations, nothing that I can here write will, or ought. I am not to give up my Right to your Protection and Patronage, because you have commended my Book: For though I acknowledge fo many Obligations to you, I do not add this to the Number; in which Friendship, I am convinced, hath fo little Share: Since that can neither biafs your Judgment, nor pervert your Integrity. An Enemy may at any Time obtain your Commendation by only deferving it; and the utmoft which the Faults of your Friends can hope for is your Silence; or, perhaps, if too feverely accused, your gentle Palliation. 44 In fhort, Sir, I fufpect, that your Dislike of public Praise is your true Objection to "granting my Requeft. I have observed, that you have in common with my two other Friends, an Unwillingness to hear the leaft Mention of your own Virtues; that, as a great Poet fays of one of you, (he might juftly have faid it of all three) you 1 Do Good by fealth, and blush to find it Fame. |