mount; his breast heav'd, his hair stood on end, his eyes star'd_, _and the whole man was disorder'd; and truly when he had done, any body at first reading would conclude that at the time he made them he was possess'd with an evil Spirit. Another that seem'd like_ Nostradamus _(when the Whim took him in the head to Prophesie,) he sate upon his_ Divining Tripos, _his elbow on his knee, his Lamp by his side, all the avenues of light stopp'd, full of expectation when the_ little faint flames _should steal in through a crevice of the Shutters; This Gentleman indeed writ extreme_ Melancholy Madrigals. _I have had the happiness to hear of a Third too, whose whole life was_ Poetical, _he was a_ Walking Poem, _and his way was this; finding that the fall of the Leaf was already upon him, and prudently foreseeing that in the Winter of his old Age he might possibly want Fodder, he carry'd always about him one of_ Raimund Lully's Repositories, _a piece of_ Mathematical Paper, _and in what Company soever he came, the_ Spoon _was always ready for the_ Civet-Cat, _nothing scap'd him that_ fell from a Wit: _At night his custom was to digest all that he had pirated that Day, under proper Heads; This was his_ Arsenal, _his inexhaustible_ Magazine; _so that upon occasion he had no more to do, than to give a snap, or two to his Nails; a rub or two upon the sutures of his Head, to turn over his_ Hint-Book, _and the Matter was at hand, his business (after that piece of_ Legerdemain) _was only_ Tacking, _and_ Tagging: _I never saw but One of this Author's Compositions, and really It troubled me, because It put me in mind, how much time I had mispent in Coffee-Houses, for there was nothing in It, but what I could find a Father for There; Nay, (with a little recollection,) a man might name most of the Birds from whence he had pluckt his Feathers. Some there are that Beseech, Others that Hector their_ Muses: _Some that Diet their_ Pegasus, _give him his Heats and Ayrings for the Course; Others that endeavour to slop up his broken wind with Medicinal Ale and Bisquet; But these for the most part are men of_ Industry; _Rhiming is their proper Business, they are fain to labour hard, and use much Artifice for a poor Livelihood, I wish 'em good Trading. I profess I never had design to be incorporated into the Society; my utmost End was merely for Diversion of my self and a few Friends whom I very well love; and if the question should be ask'd why these Productions are expos'd, I may truly say, I could not help it; One unlucky Copy, like a Bell-weather, stole from me in to the Common, and the rest of the Flock took their opportunity to leave the Enclosure. If I might be proud of any thing, it should be the first Copy of the Book, but therein I had the greatest advantage given me that any Noble Subject could afford. And so much for_ Preface _and_ Poetry, _till some very powerful Star shall over-rule my present Resolution._