CONTENT S. V. The One thing needful. Luke x. 41, 42. VI. Myfteries no real Objections to the Truth of XVIII. Hallowed be thy Name. Mat. vi. 9. XIX. Thy Kingdom come. Mat. vi. 10. XX. On Mat. vi. 10. Continued. An AN Account of the AUTHOR, &c. ROM the kind Reception these pofthumous Discourses of the late Reverend Dr. Littleton have met with, and the approbation of fome judicious Friends, I have been induced, as Proprietor of the Copy, to reprint them: And tho,' after the Reduction to this smaller Volume, nothing more could reasonably be required, I was defirous of adding fomething New, by prefixing an Account of the learned and ingenious Author, which, from the little Information I have been able to get, be pleas'd to accept as follows. VOL. I. a Mr. Mr. EDWARD LITTLETON, was educated upon the Royal Foundation at Eton-School, under the care of that learned and excellent Mafter, Dr. Snape; who never failed, by proper Culture and Encouragement, to give a Genius like our Author's fair Play, and brighten it into all poffible Perfection. And, from fome Inftances pointed out to me of Perfons, now eminent both in Church and State, who were formerly his Class-mates, I cannot but think he owed somewhat to that Emulation, which in fuch great Schools is a conftant Spur to Youth, and the peculiar Advantage of publick Education. Accordingly, I am told that, his School-Exercises were much admir'd; and, when his Turn came, he was tranfplanted to King's Col lege, Cambridge, in the Year 1716, with equal Applaufe. A Talent for Poetry feldom refts unem ploy'd; it will break out, and fhew itfelf upon fome Occafion or other. Our Author had not been long at the University, before he diverted a School-Fellow, whom he had left at Eton, with an humorous Poem, Poem, wherein he describes his Change of Studies, and hints at the Progress he had made in Academical Learning. This was followed by that celebrated one on a Spider. And as both these Poems have furreptitiously crept into Mifcellanies, in a very imperfect Condition; and, tho' undoubtedly (as the Author was very young when he wrote them) fome of the Lines might have been improved, yet, on the contrary, they have fuffer'd in the Attempt, and Names have been introduced altogether unknown to the Author; it was thought proper to give a genuine Copy of them, as tranfcribed by a Gentleman then at Eton School, from the Author's own Writing. To which is added what Remains I could find of a Paftoral Elegy, wrote about the fame time by Mr. Littleton, on the Death of R. Banks, Scholar of the fame College; And I doubt not but with equal Allowance for the Age of the Author, they will be alike acceptable to the Publick. |