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of the early ones are difcarded, and the whole is made up of favourite airs from the fashionable comic operas of the winter, and the fummer warblings at Vauxhall, Ranelagh and Spring Gardens; fo that in a year's time they are as much out of date as an almanack. From this account it will be perceived, that after making ufe of one of the best old collettions as a ftandard, all the rest were little more than mere repetitions; and that the very modern ones were entirely useless.

After all, I would not prefume to say that I bave culled every valuable production which this branch of poetry affords. Difference of tafte will always prevent uniformity of judgment, even where the faculties of judging are equal; and I have been much less folicitous to give a collection to which nothing could be added, than one from which nothing could reasonably be rejected. In fong-writing, as well as in every other production of art, there

is a large clafs of the mediocres, which are of fuch dubious merit as would allow the reader to befitate in his approbation of them. I have felt very little fcruple in rejecting a number of thefe. It is not enough that poetry does not difguft, it ought to give raptures. A much more difagreeable piece of severity was the rejection of feveral pieces, marked with a rich vein of genuine poetry, but not fufficiently guarded from offending that charming delicacy of the fex, which every man must admire, and ought to respect. These were the luxuriances of an age, when the men of pleafure lavished wit and genius, as well as health and fortune, upon their diverfions. Had they lived at a time when tafte was more refined, and manners were lefs licentious, their natural gallantry would have reftrained them from offering an outrage to thofe, whom they most wifhed for readers and admirers.

I hope I have now faid enough to intimate for what clafs of readers this work is calcu

lated

lated. The foft warbler, who fills up a vacancy of thought with a tune, in which the fucceffion of words gives no idea but that of a fucceffion of founds, will here be much difappointed in meeting with the names of Prior, Congreve and Landfdown, instead of Arne, Brent and Tenducci. The midnight roarer of coarse jeft and obfcenity will be still farther out of his element. But to those who are enamoured with that facred art, which beyond every other elevates andrefines the foul, to whom the fprightly lyre of Horace and Anacreon, and the melting mufic of Sappho still found, though ages have paffed fince they vibrated on the ear, I will venture to promife a fource of enjoyment, from the works of those great mafters whofe names adorn this collection, which I hope they will not think too dearly purchased by the perufal of fuch introductory matter as is fubmitted to their candid exa

mination.

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