Peradventure it may surprize thee, Reader, that an Author of our Dignity and Importance should stoop to the servile employment of introducing to the World the flimsy Production of an anonymous Scribler; unless thou art indeed persuaded that the great Personage above mentioned should have prevailed upon us to recommend his Labours to an Age not extremely partial to poetical Composition. But, whatever Intimacy we may be favoured with in either “Profound,” we are in this Case totally innocent of any Intention to deceive thee; for, we apprehend, did the Genius aforesaid think proper to add the Sin of Rhyme to his other Failings, he has too great a Correspondence and Reputation among Mankind to need our Solicitations in his Favour, were we ever so well disposed to grant them; but, knowing of no due Authority which any man hath to accuse Satan of this Infirmity, we judge it both Cruel and unnecessary to load him with so heavy a Charge, as would in all probability render him more odious to Company in general than any other Accusation he now labours under. We are however aware of this Objection, that, as the Devil is “_ab Origine_” the Author of Evil, so Poetry, as one Species of it, may properly be placed to his Account; but, as our argument principally relates to the Piece before us, we shall waive all general Discourse, and observe only that our Reasoning went no farther than to show (whatever may be his Talent for Poetry,) that we have no right to affix his Name in a particular Manner to any one Publication. The very title of the Work we have thought proper to introduce to our Acquaintance; for, besides that it is an Approved Custom amongst Editors, we did not choose our honest and venerated Name should appear to countenance a Falsity. As pure Compassion is our motive for recommending this little Work to our learned Friends, so would we have its real Author sensible of the Honour we do him, and not, with an Author-like spirit, carp at our Emendations, at the Time we are studiously aiming at his Benefit. Nor could we allow the Title he has chosen to pass at any rate, did he not assure us he can think of no other so likely to take with the humour of the Town. It having occurred to us, that the judicious Authors of a periodical Publication, called “The World,” did, in their first Paper, counsel their Readers against being witty—purely for the Wit’s sake—at their Expence, and more particularly did guard them against such Expressions of pretended Disapprobation as these, “’tis a vile World,” “a sad World,” &c.: so, gentle Friends, we would borrow a Thought from the excellent Mr Fitz-Adam, and advise ye, not to abuse our Author with the Terms “poor Devil,” “dull Devil,” “stupid Devil,” and so forth, notwithstanding we do agree that it shall be imputed unto ye for wit when ye shall say of the ensueing Poem, “it is devilish good,” “devilish clever,” and such-like.