Gentleman's Magazine :

AND

Hiftorical Chronicle.

VOLUME VIII.

For the YEAR M.DCC.XXXVIII.

CONTAINING,

T. Proceedings and Debates in the | IV. Select Pieces of POETRY.

SENATE of Lilliput.

II. ESSAYS, Controverfial,

Humourous and Satirical; Re

V. A Chronicle of the most re-
markable Tranfactions Foreign
and Domestic.

ligious, Moral and Political: VI. Births, Marriages, Deaths,

Collected in Part from the
Publick Papers.

III. Differtations and Letters from
Correfpondents.

and Promotions.

VII. The Prices of Stocks, Bill
of Mortality, and Register of
Books.

To the
the READER.

HE ufual Defign of Addreffes of this Sort is to im-
plore the Candour of the Public; we have always
had the more pleafing Province of returning Thanks,
and making our Acknowledgments for the kind Ac-
ceptance which our Monthly Collections have
met with.

This, it feems, did not fufficiently appear from the numerous Sale and repeated Impreffions of our Books, which have at once exceeded

our Merit and our Expectation; but has been ftill more plainly attefted by the Clamours, Rage, and Calumnies of our Competitors, of whom we have feldom taken any Notice, not only because it is Cruelty to infult the depreffed, and Folly to engage with Defperation, but becaufe we confider all their Outcries, Menaces and Boafts, as nothing more than Advertisements in our Favour, being evidently drawn up with the Bitterness of baffled Malice and disappointed Hope; and almost discovering, in plain Terms, that the unhappy Authors have SEVENTY THOUSAND London Magazines mouldering in their Warehouses, returned from all Parts of the Kingdom, unfold, unread, and difregarded.

*

Our Obligations for the Encouragement we have fo long continued to receive, are fo much the greater, as no Artifices have been omitted to fupplant 25. Our Adverfaries cannot be denied the Praise of Industry; how far they can be celebrated for an honeft Industry we leave to the Decifion of the Public, and even of their Brethren the Bookfellers, not including thofe whofe Advertisements they obliterated to paste their Invectives in our Book. The Succefs of the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, has given Rife to almost twenty Imitations of it, which are either all dead, or very little regarded by the World. Before we had published fixteen Months, we met with fuch a general Approbation, that a Knot of enterprifing Geniules, and fagacious Inventors, affembled from all Parts of the Town, agreed with an Unanimity natural to Understandings of the fame Size to feize upon our whole Plan, without changing even the Title. Some weak Objections were indeed made by one of them against the Defign, as having an Air of Servility, Difhonesty and Piracy; but it was concluded that all thefe Imputations might be avoided by giving the Picture of St Paul's inftead of St John's Gate; it was however thought indifpenfibly necessary to add, printed in St John's Street, tho' there was then no Printing-Houje in that Place.

That thefe Plagiaries fhould after having thus ftolen their whole Defign from us, charge us with Robbery, on any Occafion, is a Degree of Impu20644

dence

The Weekly Magazine, the Gentleman's Magazine and Oracle, the Univerfal Magazine, the General Magazine,, the Oxford Magazine, the Distillers Magazine, the Country Magazine, the Manchester Magazine, the Leeds Magazine. the

dence fearcely to be matched, and certainly entitles them to the first Rank among falfe Heroes. We have therefore inferted their Names at length in our February Magazine, p. 61, being defirous that every Man fhould enjoy the Reputation he deserves.

Another Attack has been made upon us by the Author of Common Senfe, an Adverfary equally malicious as the former, and equally defpicable. What were his Views, or what his Provocations, we know not, nor have thought him confiderable enough to enquire. To make him any further Anfwer, would be to defcend too low; but as he is one of thofe happy Writers, who are beft expofed by quoting their own Words, we have given his elegant Remarks iu our Magazine for December at the Foot of p. 640, where the Reader may entertain himself at his Leifure with an agreeable Mixture of Scurrility and falfe Grammar.

For the future we shall rarely offend him by adopting any of his Performances, being unwilling to prolong the Life of Juch Pieces as deferve no other Fate than to be hiffed, torn, and forgotten. However, that the Curiofity of our Readers may not be diifappointed, we shall, whenever we find him a little excelling himself, perhaps print his Diflertations upon our blue Covers, that they may be looked over, and ftripp'd off, without disgracing our Collection, or fwelling our Volumes.

We are forry that by inferting fome of his Effays, we have filled the Head of this petty Writer with idle Chimeras of Applaufe, Laurels and Immortality; this Injury we did not intend, nor fufpected the bad Effect of our Regard for him, till we faw in the Poftfcript to one of his Papers a wild * Prediction of the Honours to be paid him by future Ages. Should any Mention be made of him or his Writings by Pofterity, it will probably be in Words like thefe: In the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE are still preferved "fome Effys under the fpecious and inviting Title of Common Senfe. "How Papers of fo little Value came to be rescued from the common Lot of "Dulness, we are at this Distance of Time unable to conceive, but ima"gine that perfonal Friendship prevailed with URBAN to admit them "in Oppofition to his Judgment. If this was the Reason, he met after"wards with the Treatment which all deferve who patronife Stupidity; "for the Writer, instead of acknowledging his Favours, complains of Injuftice, Robbery, and Mutilation; but complains in a Stile fo barbarous "and indecent, as fufficiently confutes his own Calumnies.”

In this Manner must this Author expect to be mentioned. ------ But of him, and our other Adverfaries, we beg the Reader's Pardon for having faid fo much. We hope it will be remembered in our Favour, that it is fometimes neceffary to chaftife Infolence, and that there is a Sort of Men who cannot diftinguish between Forbearance and Cowardice.

64

Common Serfe Journal printed by Purfer of White-Friers, March 11, 1738. I make no doubt but after fome grave Hiftorian, 3 or 400 Years hence, has defcribed the Corruption, the Bafenels, and the Flattery which Men run into in thele Times, he will make the following Observation: In the Year 1737 a certain unknown Author published a Writing under the Title of Common Senje: This Writing came out weekly in little detach'd Effays, fome of which are polititical, fome moral, and others humourous. By the beft Judgment that can be ་ .L. Canle and I anmidge of which is become so obfolete, that

Defakow

Kimburn