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And as to morals, "Poetry," in the words of Sir Philip Sydney," doth not "only fhew the way, but giveth so sweet a prospect of the way, as will entice

any man to enter into it; nay, the Poet doth, as if your journey should be "through a fair vineyard, at the very firft give you a cluster of grapes, that, "full of that taste, you may long to pafs farther. He beginneth not with ob"fcure definitions, but he cometh to you with words fet in delightful pro"portion, either accompanied with, or prepared for, the well-enchanting skill of "mufic;-and with a tale ;-he cometh unto you with a tale, which holdeth "children from play, and old men from the chimney corner. Even thofe hard"hearted evil men, who think virtue a fchool-name, and defpife the auftere "admonitions of the philofopher, and feel not the inward reasons they ftand "upon, yet will be contented to be delighted; which is all the good fellow "Poet feems to promife; and fo fteal to fee the form of goodness; which feen they cannot but love, ere themfelves be aware, as if they took a medicine of « cherries.”

Thus Poetry, by the gentle, yet certain method of allurement, leads both to learning and to virtue. I conclude, therefore, that under a few felf-evident restrictions, it is properly addressed to all young minds, in the course of a liberal education.

It must be confeffed, at the fame time, that many fenfible men, both in the world and in the schools of philofophy, have objected to an early study of it. They have thought that a tafte for it interfered with an attention to what they call the MAIN CHANCE. What poet ever fined for sheriff? says Oldham. It is feldom feen that any one discovers mines of gold and filver in Parnassus, fays Mr. Locke. Such ideas have predominated in the exchange and in the warehouse; and, while they continue to be confined to thofe places, may perhaps, in some instances, be advantageous. But they ought not to operate on the mind of the gentleman, or the man of a liberal profeffion; and indeed there is no good reason to be given why the mercantile claffes, at least of the higher order, fhould not amuse their leisure with any pleasures of polite literature.

That fome object to the study of Poetry as a part of education, is not to be wondered at, when it is confidered that many, from want of natural fenfibility, or from long habits of inattention to every thing but fordid interest, are totally unfurnished with faculties for the perception of poetical beauty. But fhall we deny that the cowflip and violet poffefs a vivid colour and fweet fragrance, because the ox who fattens in the meadow tramples over them without perceiving either their hues or their odours? The taste of mankind, from China to Peru, powerfully militates against the opposers of Poetry.

Young

Young minds have commonly a taste for Verfe. Unfeduced by the love of money, and unhacknied in the ways of vice, they are indeed delighted with nature and fact, though unembellished; because all objects with them have the grace of novelty: but they are tranfported with the charms of Poetry, where the funfhine of fancy diffufes over every thing the fine glofs, the rich colouring, of beautiful imagery and language. "Nature" (to cite Sir Philip Sydney again)" never fet forth the earth in fo rich tapestry as diverse poets have done, "neither with so pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, fweet finelling-flowers, nor ❝ whatsoever may make the earth more lovely. The world is a brazen world *the poets only deliver a GOLDEN; which whoever diflike, the fault is in their "judgment, quite out of tafte, and not in the fweet food of SWEETLY-UTTERED "KNOWLEDGE."

It will be readily acknowledged, that ideas and precepts of all kinds, whether of morality or science, make a deeper impreffion when inculcated by the vivacity, the painting, the melody of poetical language. And what is thus deeply impreffed will also long remain; for metre and rhyme naturally catch hold of the memory, as the tendrils of the vine cling round the branches of the elm.

Orpheus and Linus are recorded in fable to have drawn the minds of favage men to knowledge, and to have polifhed human nature, by Poetry. And are not Children in the ftate of nature? And is it not probable that Poetry may be the best inftrument to operate on them, as it was found to be on nations in the favage ftate? Since, according to the mythological wisdom of the ancients, Amphion moved ftones, and Orpheus brutes, by mufic and verse, is it not reasonable to believe, that minds which are dull, and even brutally infenfible, may be penetrated, sharpened, foftened, and irradiated, by the warm influence of fine Poetry?

But it is really fuperfluous to expatiate either on the delight or the utility of Poetry. The fubject has been exhausted; and, whatever a few men of little tafte and feeling, or of minds entirely fordid and fecular, may object, fuch are the charms of the Goddess, fuch her powerful influence over the heart of man, that she will never want voluntary votaries at her fhrine. The Author of Nature has kindly implanted in man a love of Poetry, to folace him under the labours and ferrows of life. A great part of the Scriptures is poetry and verse. The wife fon of Sirach enumerates, among the moft honourable of mankind, SUCH AS FOUND OUT MUSICAL TUNES, AND RECITED VERSES IN WRITING.

With respect to this Compilation, the principal fubject of this Preface (but from which I have been feduced into a digreffion, by giving my fuffrage in favour of the art I love)-if I fhould be afked what are its pretenfions, I must freely

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freely answer, that it profeffes nothing more than (what is evident at firft fight) to be a larger Collection of English Verfe, FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS, than has ever yet been published IN ONE VOLUME. The original intention was to.comprife in it a great number and variety of fuch pieces as were already in ufe in fchools, or which feemed proper for the use of them; fuch a number and vari-. ety as might furnish fomething fatisfactory to every tafte, and ferve as a little Poetical Library for fchool-boys, precluding the inconvenience and expence of a multitude of volumes,"

Such was the defign of the Publication, The Editor can claim no praise be- › yond that of the defign. The praise of ingenuity is all due to the Poets whofe works have fupplied the materials. What merit can there be in directing a famous and popular paffage to be inferted from Shakspeare, Milton, Pope, Gray, and many others of lefs fame, indeed, but in great efteem, and of allowed genius? Their own luftre pointed them out, like ftars of the first magnitude. in the heavens. There was no occafion for fingular acuteness of vision, or for optical glaffes, to difcover a brightnefs which obtruded iffelf on the eye; The best pieces are ufually the most popular. They are loudly recommended by the voice of Fame; and her eulogy, when long continued, becomes an infallible guidance.

Utility and innocent entertainment are the fole defigns of the Editor; and if they are accomplished, he is fatisfied, and cheerfully falls back into the fhade of obfcurity. He is confident that the Book cannot but be useful and entertaining; but he is at the fame time fo little inclined to boast of his work, that he is ready to confefs, that almost any man willing to incur a confiderable expence, and undergo a little trouble, might have furnished as good a collection.

As tafte will for ever differ, fome may wish to have feen in it paffages from fome favourite, yet obfcure poet, and fome alfo from, their own works; but it was the bufinefs of the Editor of a school-book like this, not to infert fearce and curious works, fuch as pleafe virtuofo readers, chicfly from their rarity, but to collect fuch as were publicly known and univerfally celebrated. The more known, the more celebrated, the better they were adapted to this Collection; which is not defigned, like the leffons of fome dancing-mafters, for grown gentlemen, but for young learners only; and it will readily occur to every one, that what is old to men and women, may be, and for the most part must be, NE W to boys and girls receiving their education. Private judgment, in a work like this, muft often give way to public. Some things are inferted in this Volume, entirely in fubmiffive deference to public opinion; which, when general and long continued,

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is the leaft fallible teft of merit in the fine arts, and particularly in Poetry. Whatever was found in previous collections, which experience had pronounced proper for fchools, has been freely taken and admitted: the ftamp of experience gave it currency. The freedom of borrowing, it is hoped, will be pardoned, as the collectors, with whom it has been used, first set the example of it.

It is unneceffary, and perhaps might be deemed impertinent, to point out the mode of ufing the Collection to the beft advantage. It is evident that it may be used in schools either in recitation, tranfcription, the exercise of the memory, or in imitation. It furnishes an abundance of models, which are the beft means of exciting genius. Such Arts of Poetry as thofe of Gildon, Bysshe, Newbery, and their imitators, effect but little in the dry method of technical precept; and the young Poet, like the Sculptor, will improve moft by working after a model. It is evident that this Collection may be ufefully read at ENGLISH SCHOOLS, in the claffes, juft as the Latin and Greek authors are read at the grammar-Schools, by explaining every thing grammatically, hiftorically, metrically, and critically; and then giving a portion to be learned by memory. The Book, it is hoped, will be particularly agreeable and useful in the private ftudies of the amiable young student, whose first love is the love of the Mufe, and who courts her in his fummer's walk, and in the folitude of his winter retreat, or at the focial domeftic fire-fide.

In the latter part many little pieces are admitted, mere lufus poetici, chiefly for the diverfion of the student. They are, it must be confeffed, no more than flowerets at the bottom of Parnaflus; but it is hoped, that their admiffion will be approved, as they may gradually lead the scholar to afcend higher up the hill, who might have been deterred from approaching it if he had feen nothing in the first profpect, but the fublime, the folemn, and the fombrous.

The reader will have no cause to complain, if instead of Extracts, he often finds whole poems inferted. This has been done whenever it seemed confiftent with the defign, and could be done without injustice. In this matter, the opinion of those who must be fuppofed beft qualified to give it, was afked and followed. The with was to take nothing but what feemed to lie on the common, relinquished or neglected by the lord of the manor.

Though the Book is divided into Four Parts, yet the formality of regular and fyftematical arrangement of the component pieces, has not been ftrictly ob.ferved. Such compilations as these have not unfrequently been called garlands and nofegays: but in a garland or nofegay, who would place the tulips, the lilies, the pinks, and the roles in feparate compartments? In fo artificial à difpofition, their beauty and fragrance would be lefs pleafing than if they were carelessly A 4 mingled

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mingled with all the ease and wildness of natural variety. I hope the analogy
will hold if not, I must throw myself in this, as I do in all other circumstances
of this Publication, upon my Reader's indulgence. I expect not praise; but I
confide in receiving pardon.

Perhaps the Reader will be the more inclined to extend it towards me, if I do
not weary him with apologies. I will then conclude my preface with the ideas
of Montaigne:-" I have here only made a nofegay of culled flowers, and have brought
"nothing of my own but the thread that ties them."

In every fucceeding Edition a great variety of long and valuable Poems have been
added, and the volume is consequently much enlarged.—If some mistakes have insinuated
themfelves, in confequence of the Editor's distance from the press, it is hoped they will
be confidered with candour, as they are certainly but trivial, and may be corrected by
the Reader's own fagacity.

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

IMPROVED EDITION.

To the above general Preface the Editor has only to add, that in this new Im-

preffion he has made very confiderable Improvements and Additions: particularly,
by a new and copious Selection from Young's Night Thoughts, with appropriate Titles
prefixed to each Extract; by the insertion of Poems and Extracts from Churchill, Soame
Jenyns, Langhorne, Akenside, and several recent Authors of distinguished merit; and
by the introduction of many ludicrous and ingenious Pieces of the Lyric and Epigram-
matic kind, defigned to add to the Amusement of the Young Reader, after the Study of
graver, longer, and more finished Compofitions.

The favourable Reception and long continued Approbation of this Collection cannot but
give Satisfaction to the Editor, who, while he fees it placed, as it is, in the hands of
ingenuous Youth, of both Sexes, throughout this extended Empire, has the happiness to
reflect that he has been humbly infìrumental in sowing, in the vernal season, the Seeds
of Tafte, Knowledge and Virtue, wherever the English Language is cultivated.

He hopes alfo that he has contributed to mingle Rofes with the Thorns of Life, and
to fweeten the Bitterness of the Cup, by infufing into it the Sweets of Poefy.

CONTENTS.

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