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Show me, on the eafy Conditions, that, as I did not myfelfwant to have any Share of the fmall Profits arifiog from the Sale of the Piece (though I had an unqucfiionable Title to all that could !•e made of it) my Friend Mr. Freedhould be a Sharer. upon fuch Terms as he fhould choofe, or mrght be thought by ind ifferent Perfons reafonable. That the o<iginal T itle fhould be reflorcd, except the 'vVords, Youth's friendly Monitor ; which I chofe to leave, though Part of their puffing T;<le that the Piece n1iO"ht be known again to the . .Jblic. I infifled Jikc~•,ife, that an Advertifement fhould be publifhed in the News· papers, to the Ex pence of about twelve or fifteen Shilli11gs, which l thought they, who were to have the Profi ts, might ;eafonably pay, vindicating m~ from the ImputatiOns call: upon me, and fatisfymg the Pubhc, that tt was not my original Intention that the Piece fhou!J be publilhed, and that I. had no hand in the fhamelefs Title, which had been prefixed to it. I Jikewife r<quired, that this Advertifement fhould be printed on the B>ck of the Title Page. If the Gentlemen agreed to thde P;opofals, I promifed to add to the Book the followrog !Ltt!e }liece, intituled 'Iheopbilus, which, I imagined, might render it more acceptable to the P.ublic; and indeed I thought tt wanted fome Addtt ton to recommend it. One would have thought all this would have woo the very Hearts of my Bookfellers. I afkcd nothing of them, but only to do what they could to clear me of the Reflexioos I had been cxrofed to by Mr. Read's, and their Means, whrch all this would not have done; nor is it in their Power to do it, And l even promifed to give them gratis the To the READER. xi the labour of a few evenings, as if they had not got enough out of me before. But what will be the reader's furprize, when I alrurc him, that they would allow my friend only a fixth Q1are, and that they demurred to the reil: oring my own title; the very thing I chiefly inftflcd on, and could the lea!l: difpenfe with. Nor were they content with refufing to comply with my rcafonable demands. They even bullied me, threatniog, that they would advertife againft whatever I f.wuld alrert in the publick Papers relating to the affair. Being, by my friend, informed of all thi•, I immediately refolved to have no more to do with perfons of fuch modcfty; and to tak, · , ,1e publication of the piece into my own hands. But fir!l:, to prevent their havio!i any p retext to alledge, that [ had dealt hardly with them, I dcfi red M r. Freer to make them an offer of taking the edition, they had printed, off their hands, and to pay them, if he thought himfelf fafc in doing to, the copy-money, they faid they had given for it. But this Jikewife they refufed, upon what foot, either of prudence,~r princi ... pie, I own I have no conception. The plain Englifh of fuch conduCl: feems to me to be, " We will do what we plcafe." I afk pardon of the Reader for the trouble of this long narration. I have no defign in it, befides clearing myfelf of unju!l: imput~tions . And furely every man has a nacural right to be thought of as he is. I have purpofcly avoided naming the bookfellers, who have ufcd me in this !l:range manner, though I might, withvut j ufi imputation of ill-nature, as they have publifhcd themfelves. I have affirmed nothing, but what I can prove, If they proceed to farther unprovoked ill B ufage, |