_When this following 'Paper makes thus bold to be your Addressor, the only Encouragement for the Presumption is, that your borrow'd Name has fill'd up so large a Sheet in our History, as justly entitles You to this Presentation. And truly as a considerable part of it has already furnisht you with no small Jest at your Laughing Hours, we hope the Life of our English_ Guzman, _your late Adopted Name-sake, will be no undiverting Entertainment. His Life, 'tis true, has been little else than a continued Scene of Masquerade; and if to finish his last Act, he had occasion of borrowing a Face and Character of Quality and consequently fixt upon Captain_ Wickham; _alas, you must consider he wanted Worth and Honour, and can you blame him for looking for 'em where they were to be found? You stood fair for him, and the World, however, it may censure his Impudence, at least it cannot but commend his Choice. And the Reason (if you have any) to complain, is, that whereas the World is but a Stage, and_ Life _but a Play, and Captain_ Wickham _was only personated to Cheat a poor Baker of a Fortnights Lodging and Bread. 'Tis pity your Name, that much better deserved, was only drawn in to the filling up of a Farce. But, as great a Thief as he was to steal a Title of Honour, whatever hard Charge the poor suffering Baker has against him, yet considering how little you have lost by him, we hope your excusing Goodness will not load him higher than Petty Larceny. And truly if he can feel it in his Grave, he has sufficiently felt the Lash for it. His Last Will and Testament, I confess, has very bountifully cantoned out your Estate; all the sorrow is, that the Gaping Executors, and the rest of the Inheritors, have no shorter a Walk than into_ Fairy-Land _to receive their Legacies; a longer Journey, 'tis to be feared, than either the Bright Bay, or Dappled Grey, will ever be able to carry 'em._ _And now to do our last Office,_ viz. _to speak a good word of the Dead (for truly he had no Funeral Sermon to do it) they may talk of Monuments and Epitaphs for preserving of Memories; but our_ quondam _Operator of_ Banbury, _tho' with plainer Funeral Ceremonies, has taken care for a lasting Renown, when much finer Dust under Statues and Marble shall sleep forgotten: And whereas there are famous Examples of old, that have perpetuated their Names at no less price than the burning of Temples, his better Husbandry, to his Glory be it recorded, has purchased Immortality much cheaper; where we'll leave him, and beg your Pardon for this Boldness_ _Of_ Your unknown Humble Servant. THE Notorious Impostor: OR THE HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF _William Morrell_ alias _Bowyer_, &c.