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Show ' l The Epi:llle to the Reader. ------ not t~ envy them , Jincc tbey afford thee an Opporlflnity of the like 'J)iwrjion, if t!Joil wilt make ttjt of tf,y o))lll ·naughts i11 reading. '11s to thew, if they are thy o'llm, that I refer my {elf : '13ut if tbey arii takw t1po11 Trufi from others, 'tis 110 great Matter •~hat tbey are, they not [ollowin:{ Truth, but fome meaner (:onjideration : ai1d 'ru not 'll!ort/1 'w/Ji/e to be co11Cerned, 111bat he fays or 'thinks, 1Pho foys or thinks on~ as be is dire Bed by anotf,er. If thou judgeft for thy [elf, I knorv thou wilt judge cmzdidly; ami then I' jlwllnot be harmed or offended, rvbatewr be thy Cen{tzre. For tf,ou,gb it be certain, that t!Jere is 11otbing i11 tbu Jreatife of •vi>Oje T>·uth I am not perf~aded ; yet I confider my {elf as liable t~ Mifiakes, as 1 ca11 thhzk thee ; and Kl/01'11 tiMt tl>is '13ook mu[l ftand or fall with tl>1e, 110t b) all) Opinion I !Jaw of it, but tby 'o)J>n. Jj thou findeft little ;,, it ne1l> or inftm£Jive to tlue, thou art not to blame me for it. ]t "'illas 110t memzt for thofe that had already maftered tbis SubjeB, a11d made a tbrougb .Acquaintance Tvith their own Underftandings; but for my OIDII Injormati011, and the Satii(aEliOII of a [rrv frifll(ls, who ~clozol!ledg"ed themfelves not to haw jilfficimtly co11(zd~r.~d it, , lfere it fit t~ tro~blf thee 1•ith cf,e Hifiory of tbu E[. foy, ~I fhou/4 tejiltl;ee that fiw or (r:JC, Frimds theeting at my Chamber, ,a114 difcour{r!IJ 011 {I Subje8 wy remote fre'~l thu, found tlmnjelves q~io/IJy 4t a ftand, by tbe 'Dijfi~ulties that ro;e Ill' every fi~e·. .After lilt }>a4, a "ll>hilt puz..,.Jed Olll" felws, "ll>itb~flt coming mry' 1iearer a !J?.!foltf! ion qf tlfle 1)oub!s Tvhich Eeiplrxet! Hs, it, cmne j11to ~y v,oughts, that .JI'! .too~ " wro1!& cou1[e" i and that before )Pe fef . ?tlr . fel]les upon f.nq~rr~es of tf,a_t.'f{ature, rt .'11>4~ n~cejfary to examme au~ PfDII .d~ilitie1, ~nd fo~. p>./Jat QbJ~Els qur ,U~deffiandin,gs 'l)Jer~, .or rvere 11ot fitted to ~ea~"Jillll/. I 1P_is I propofed to. t/Je Compa11), .. 1Pho a:/ rr<Jdi~ ajfellted i t1''4, tf?e~e,upo11 1t IP~ ~~,gmd" . tba~ tbzs .fboul4 be our jirp Enqtliry, ~071}'-. ~".//Y, <p~d undig~~d no,~g!Jts , Of~ ' II SubjeEl f had lle)ler .befoff.\ ~on(ider~4, lli,l"cb I jet .. do"D>II agamft our , next, Meeting, g4'\'f thf firft fll(~llff mto thzs '.(ll{cqurfe, "DJhicb hal•il(g b~rn thus begull Py CEancc , ;ll(aS .C~IIImuec/ by I11trMy i _"'illrittfll. by il!co/Jermt par• ftls\J, 4nd, after./011$ mterlials of negleff, reju111'd qgain,4s my H111110/IY or Qccafiom permitted; and 4t fail, in. a retlremwr,''•vhC.re ~~~ Atten: dence Of'' my Heal!/, gaw me leifurt:o1 it ••a; brpught i1Jo that order thoa IIOJ!! jeefl it. T1'i.! jifcol!ti;l.~ed. "l1•ay of 1vriting ~~~~;· have occaponed , be (tdes otl,ers, l'lllo co11(rao Fatllts, yiz. il,at ~oo lJttie , a11d ' too mud' tn~y b9 foid in it. 1{ tiJQII (imleft qny tbi1\g "QQ; Jting , I fhall be ,glad, that what .1 bave l>rit, gives t/,ee 411] 'De(l~e that I (hould bave go·Je fartlrf~ : ·II 1t fierm tqo mucl> t~ tiJee tbo11 >1111/f blame' the SubjeE! · fa~ "D>ke,u I Jirft put !feu to Paper, I tbo:.gbt all I jhould baw to Jay o1: tiJJ! M<lftfr, "lp011ld bave bem contained iu orze foeet of Paper; but :be · fart~er The Epifilc to the Reader. ·------- farther I ~vent, tf,e larger Pr~fpeB I h~d : 'N_erv 'Diftoveries ltd me fli/1 ou,aud .fo tt ;~nrv mfenfibly to the bulk Jt noll> appears m. I11>illnot de111y, but po(Sibly 11 1mght be reduced to a narrower compafs thau it is; and that JomePartJ of it migM be contraElecl:the "'illay it has beeu rvrit in,by catches and many l~'IJ: inter'IJals oflntermption,being apt to tm1{e jome (/{_epetition.<; t]3ut to ronftjs tiJe Truth ,I am1101D too la<je, or too bufie to make it fhorter. .. I am not igno:a11t horv little I herrin confult my o11111 ([(eputatron, whm I kno1)1mgly let 1t go •ozth a Fault,. fo . apt to difguff the moft judicio!ff, who ·are al1vays t/,e niceft ([(eaders. 'But cf,cy wbo /wow SlotiJ is apt to COIItem it felf with any Excuft, ))!ill pardo11 me, if mme bas prev.ril.ed o•l me, tvhere, I tbmk, I have a very good one. I Thill not thm(ore a/ledge iunry 'Defence, th11t the fame l'{otion, having dljfe~ rent 'I\! (peEls, may be couvement or nece!Jary, to prow or iiluftrate jeW• ral Parts of t!Je fame 'Di(courfe; and that fo it bas IMppe•ztd in >hany Pam of tbis: 'But tvaVin_~ that, I Jh.r/1 frankly a'l!olll, tbat 1 bave {ometimes drveltlong npon t/,e fome Argument, mid e:xprejfed it dijjertnt 1'11ays, wttb a qw~e different !f)ejign. I pretmd not to publijh this E8ay for the In(ormattono(}f Mm of large 71Jougbts• a•!d quick. Appreben{to11s ; to (t1ch Ma(lers of .1\!wJvled~e I profejs my fel( a Stbolar, and therefore 11Jarn tbem before•l>mzd not to expe8 any tbi>(g here, but 1vhat being ]p1111 out of nry OJVI~ corzr(e 71m~,g1>ts, is fitttd to Mm of 11ry o•vn Jiz..e, to tvhom, perl,aps, 1t 1'111illzot be Ulwcceptable, that I haw takm fame Pains to make plain and familiar to their ThortgMs fome TrutiJS, ••f,ich eflablifhed Prejudice, o~ the AbfiraElueft of tiJe Ideas themfelves, migh: render difficult. Some ,ObjeEls had ueed Ge tumed 011 every fide-; and "D>~CII the Notion j; 1Je1v, as I confefi fome of theft are to me; or out of tl1e ordinary (/{_oad, as I JilfpeEl t/1ey 'll>lil appear to others, 'tis not one (zmple 'l>iew of it that will gai11 it admittance i11to every UnderJla11din,g, or fix it th?re 1~ith a clear and liljli1zg Imprefoon. 11JCre are fe••, I believe, rvho /;ave not obfer'iJed i11 themfelves or others, 11Jat ll>hat in one •vay of propo{tl(g 111M litiJ obfcure, mzother 1vay of expre{Smg it, hM made Vf!J clear and intel• ligible : Thor'l,h aftenvard the Mind formd little dijfermce in the Phrafes, and- 1~ondered tvby one failed to be tmder ftoed more than tbe other. 'B11t every thil(g does 1Jot hit 4/ike upon eve1y .!Man's Imagination. We have o11r Underflandings no lefs different than 011r Palats; mzd be that tiJinks the fame Truth foal/ be eq11ally relifoed by el>rry one iu the fame dW!{s, may as Joel/ !Jape tQ f eafl eliCIJ one •viti, rhe fame fort of C ookr1y : 17Je Meat may be rhe fome, and the N,otlrijhmeilt good, yet eve'J one 11ot be able t~ receive it '!llir/, that Seafonmg; and it mufl be drejjed a• not her 'll>ay, r( yo11 'lilt!! b,t"\le 1t ,go do lVII ••Jth fame, evm of flrong Confti· tmiom. 'Jl,e Truth is, chafe 1vho advifed me to publijh it, ad'l>ijed me for this !J?.!a{011, to publip> it as it is : and (lnce 1 have been brought t; let it go abroad, I de(tre it fhould be rmderflood by u•hoe1>er gives bim{elf [a] tbe |