I Am, by Profession, no Poet, Yet, having a Son, of my own, at this Time, of no small Hope, in one of our famous Universities; I cannot, therefore, be suppos'd to want Reverence for those Seminaries of the Muses: Upon this Account partly (for, of Itself, I have no great Opinion of Poetry) but, perceiving, at the Head of the Manuscript, that it had been written by a Fellow of All-Souls; and chiefly, invited by some encour­aging Expressions, in the Beginning, alluding to a Chariot, that could carry a Man up to the Stars, I bestow'd a serious Perusal on the Ver­ses, which I, herewith, publish; and which I found one rainy Day, at the Bottom of a [Page vi] Hackney-Coach; where, I suppose, they might have been dropt, by Somebody, who had been in Possession of that Coach, before me.

But, I confess, the oftner I perus'd the Ma­nuscript, the less I was able to comprehend of its Meaning; I had not, indeed, labour'd far in the Matter, before I discovered, that the Au­thor, notwithstanding he has been pleased to make free with the Stars, is a Novice in our Science;— so that what he writes, con­cerning the Thinness of Heaven's Purlieus;—surmounting the Stars in a Chariot of Air, and such like promising Conceptions, ought not (I believe) to be taken in the strict Sense of the Phrase, but only for a Joke, or a Fancy;—However, some of my Profession, to whom I shew'd it, agreed, that it was a dark Piece of Work, had more in it, than Satire; and, for any thing They, or I, knew to the contrary, might be Matter of Danger to the Government, and ought to be carried to the Secretary's Office.

By a Mind, laudably filled with a Zeal for his Country's Safety, every Hint, that infers its Danger, should be thought of the utmost Importance; To the Secretary's Office, therefore, I went with it, and put it into the Hands of one, who appear'd to think Himself more consi­derable, than any Body, I cou'd see about him; I begg'd the Favour, that he would look it over, and give me his Opinion, whether it was a treasonable Libel: I would not, willingly, do [Page vii] Injustice to the Characters of Persons, above my Station, (tho' it is well known, Physick, and Astrology, are consider'd with Respect, among Liberal Sciences.) But, truly, be seem'd to me, to peruse it, with less Seriousness, than, I suppose, with all due Reverence to his Office, became the Trust, that was lodg'd in him: For he laugh'd out, once, or twice; and, lifting his Eyes from the Paper, took upon him, to remark me, with a Countenance, which I thought too merry for the Occasion: He was pleas'd, when he came to the following Lines, to read them aloud, to a Young Spark, in Red, and ask'd him, what He thought of the Mat­ter?—I confess, I was almost in a Passion, when this Feather-Brain made answer, that it was the liveliest Satire in the World, upon a Bawdy-House, of his Acquaintance, by the Bank Side, over the Water!—I cite the very Verses, for the Reader's more effectual Amazement, at the Unaccountableness of the Young Fellows of this forward Generation!

I could not forbear telling this Story, with due Gravity, and Resentment, to a certain [Page viii] Lawyer, of my Acquaintance, whom I met, just landed, at White-Hall Stairs: we walk'd together, a few Turns, in the Privy-Garden, and he open'd the Manuscript, where it speaks of Shapeless Bodies,

He read it, once and again, and was clear in his Opinion it meant the Masquerade, in the Hay-market: He own'd, indeed, that, under proper Hands, it might be explain'd into something more considerable—But we wave it, cry'd he, after reading it a little farther, we will wave the Point of Treason, in Exchange for Scandalum Magnatum! It follows here, as clear, as Sunshine, upon a Minister of State, and a Privy-Counsellor: Then he read to me this slanderous Inuendo, of People, who coming within Reach of a dark, bustling, Power, obscurely seen,

He ask'd me, whether I did not plainly discern, what great Man, in a certain Assem­bly, was pointed at, under this Image of a dark, bustling, Power, obscurely seen; upon which, recollecting myself, as became me, and pondering the Words, to the best of my Capa­city, I reply'd, I thought it was the Devil.— He shook his Head, and inform'd me, civilly, that I was, a little, mistaken; but perceiving me, in some measure abash'd, he assur'd me, it was so natural an Error, that any Body might have fallen into it, as well as I: Then proceeded to convince me, that shining Sand was a Cant-Word for Mo­ney Bags; that by the Boats said to be distri­buted, at Random, by the Bounty of the blind Power, that was so busy in Darkness, was to be understood, those Gratifications, impudently call'd Pensions, by Persons disaffected to the Ministry; That, for Example, the largest of such pretended Pensions were represented, under the Similitude of Boats which had Sails, and Oars, together:— Middling Pensions, were Boats with many Oars:— Smaller still, were One-Oar'd Barks:— The least of all, were Pole-men:— And as for the naked Waders, it was, by this Time, become [Page x] clear to my own unassisted Capacity, that they could mean nothing, but those poor Souls, who were neglected by the black Bustler, and had no Pensions at all to take Boat with.

My ingenious Friend the Lawyer, advis'd me to write a Letter, to the Great Man, who had made so light of a good Subject's Informa­tion, and put him in Mind of the Fate of Philotas.— He added, that the Fears of Statesmen would be more awake, for their Masters, if less watchful for Themselves: He was sorry, he was, then, in Haste, but invi­ted me next Morning to his Chambers, where he assured me, no Assistance, in his Power, should be wanting, to make something of the Matter, we had been conferring on.

How admirable is the Penetration of some Men's Spirits! and how powerful the good Influence of their Example!—I, who, before I had received this Light, could see no Tendency to such seditious Purpose, in the Ma­nuscript, so providentially decypher'd, could, now, in every Page of it, discover the clearest, and most visible, Disaffection: Nay, I have, since that Time, upon frequent Revisal of the Libel, under Help of better Eyes, than my own, found Popery in it, as well as Jacobitism. Not to mention, that the Pope's Name, Itself, in great Letters, stands audaciously written at the End of it.

I sent a Copy, with a Recital of all the foregoing Particulars, to my Boy, before-men­tion'd, [Page xi] who is, now, of three Years standing, at the College; where, I fear, his Political Principles have been new-modell'd, since I saw him; for he seems a little Malepert, in a Let­ter, he return'd me, for Answer: which, however, in Justice to the good Parts of the Youth, I take Pleasure in Publishing; not sup­posing, the Childish Mistake, it turns upon, capable of making any Impression, upon Readers, who know the World, and are acquainted with Men and Business.