_We must therefore grant that the Ancients knew many Things, which in process of Time, either thro’ Fire, Inundations, hostile Invasions, or other Accidents and Devastations, have intirely perish’d, and still remain so, as_ Pancirollus _fully shews; or if we have any superficial Knowledge of them, as is somewhat apparent from our Modern Architecture, Sculpture, Painting_, &c. _yet are we even at this present so vastly deficient in the very best of our Imitations, that none have ever hitherto arriv’d to any tolerable Perfection; nevertheless should any one so perfectly apply himself to the Study of one of those_ lost Arts, _as to make a new Discovery therein, I hope you would allow him the same Praise as if he had been the first Inventor; and, for my part, however I should fail in answering your Expectation, of what is seemingly promis’d in the_ Title-Page; _yet, thus far I am pretty sure, that I have given more light into the Matter, than has been done by any of those imperfect Accounts of_ Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, _&c. And tho’ some Things that I say may seem to want Authority, yet for the most part, should I have made all the Quotations I could have brought to prove my Assertions, it would have extended this Volume to a much larger size than I intended; wherefore I have in a great measure designedly omitted them, to the end I might avoid Prolixity as much as possible, and in other places I have us’d their Words expresly as my own, not to detract from them, but to be more concise, and have in several places not mention’d their Names, for the aforesaid Reasons: So I do here, once for all, with submission, Apologize for my self, that the censorious World may not repute me an ungrateful_ Plagiary. _I acknowledge therefore this my Labour, in one respect to be a Collection, in all to be still deficient of that Perfection which so noble an_ Art _deserves; yet in some Things I have improv’d it, and in others apply’d it to those Uses which have scarce before been thought of. But all the Satisfaction I have herein, is to think that I have perform’d my Duty, in exerting my small Talent, with the utmost Care and Diligence, for the Benefit of our_ Company; _and if my Work does not perform what is intended and desir’d, it will nevertheless be Useful, Pleasant, and serve to Divert you, which_ Horace _says is the Perfection and Chief end of all Writing_: Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit Utile Dulci. A List of such Noblemen and Gentlemen as have been pleas’d to Encourage this Work with Sculptures.