The Epiftle to the R E A 1) E R.

Time not ill jpent, even when he cannot much boa]? If any great
flcquifition.

THIS, Reader, i: the Entertainment cfthfi who let loofie their
own Thoughm, and follow thiem in writing; which thou oughtefl not
to emy them, fince they imford thee an Opportunity of the like Di-
verfion,  thou wilt make ufie of thy own Thought: in reading. ’Ti:
to them, they are thy own, that I refer myfelfl But they are ta-
ken upon T rufl from other:, ’ ti: no great flIatter what they are, they
not following Truth, hut jome meaner Confideration: And ’ti: not
worthwhile to he concern’d, what he jity: or thin/a, who fay: or
think: only a: he i: directed by anotlser. If thou judge/I for thy-

 I know thou "wilt judge candidly; and then I [hall not be harm-
ed 0r ofiended, whatever be thy Cenfiire. For tho’ it be certain,
that there i: nothing in thi: Treatife, of the Truth zuhereoj‘ I am not
fully perfuaded; yet I conjider myfelf a: liable to flIi/fakw, a: I can
think thee; and know, that thi: Book mu/lflarzd or fall zvith thee,
not by any Opinion I have it, but by thy own. If thou finite/t little
in it new, or in/lruétive to thee, thou art not to blame me for it.
It wa: not meant for tho/e that had already maflered thi: Subjeéi,
and made a thorough Alcguaintance with their own Umler/Iantling;
but for my own Information, and the Sativfaéiion of a few Friend:,
who acknowledged thengfclve: not to have fiiflicieiztly confider’d it.
Were it fit to trouble thee with the HI/fory ofthi: Efihy, I fltozdd tell
thee, that five or fix Friend: meeting at my Chanzber, and zlifcoztif-
ing on a Subject very renzote from thi:, found themfelve: quickly
at a Stand, by the Dificziltie: that rofe on every Side. After we
had a while puzzled ourfilztm, without coming any nearer a R401”-
tion of thfi Doubt: which perplexed u:, it came into my Thougrhn,
that we took a wrong Courfe; and that before we fet our/elve: upon
Enquirie: of that Nature, it "ma: neceflivry to examine our own AI-
ltilitier, and fie what Object: our Llniler/Iarzilingt: were, or were
not fitted to zleal with. Thni: I props/ed to the Company, zvho all
readily aj/entezl; and thereupon it 1on1: tzgtreed, that tlnir/hould he
our iifl Enquiry. .S‘onze hiafly and uniligeftezl Thoughw, on a Sub-
ject I [tad nevw before confiilered, "ushicl; 1ft»: down again/I our
next fhleetiig, gave the fir/t Entrance into thi: Difcourje; which
having been thi:: begun by Clsazzce, wa: continued by Intreaty;
‘w/"lllfil hy incoherent Pierce/f; and, tiftei‘ long Interval: of Neglefl,
refiimed