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Show **.' The Preface. much of that perfection it might elfe have had having broke off tiie Tranflation of Horace before it was finilh'd, much lefs review d, and hindred the reft from being more exaclJy corrected, and put into the order they were written in, as flie pofhbly her felf would have done, had me contented to a fecond E-dition. Tis probable fhe would alio have left out fome of thofe pieces th»t were, written with lefs care and, upon occaiions, lefs fit to be made publick, and fhe might alfo have added more : but all klduftry has been us'd to make this Collection as full and as perfcft as might be, by the addition of many that were not m the former impreffion, and by divers Tranflations, whereof the firft has the Original in the oppoiite Page; that they who have a mind to com pare them, may, by that pattern, find h o w inft fhe has been in all the reft to both the Languages, exactly rendnng the full fence of the one, without tying hei felf ftr.% to the words, and clearly evincing6 the capaaoulnefs of the other, by comprising it fuJJy j n the fame number of lines, thouth in the Plays half the \ erfes of the French are of thirteen fyJIables and the reft of twelve, whereas the Engliih have nJ more but ten In fliorfc though fome of her Pieces may perhaps be loft, and others in hands that have not produc d them j yet none that upon good grounds could be known to be hers, are left out for many of the lefs considerable ones were publimli » the other j but thofe, or others that flail be judged fo, may be excufed by the politenefs of the reft which have more of her true fpirit, and of her diligence Some of them would be no difgrace to the name of any M a n that amongft us is naoft efteemed fo" nis ex cellency in tins kind, and there are none that may S't paft with favor, when it is remembred that S fe! haftily ftom the pen but of a W o m a n . W e m i g h 7 w have ,alId her the Engli(h Sappho, fhe of all * K f c Poets of former Age,, being for her Verfesand h t Virtues The Preface. i Virtues both, the moft highly to be valued 5 but flie has call'd her felf 0 Kl N D A, a name that deferves to be added to the number of the 'Mules, and * -to live with honor as long as they* W e r e our language as generally known to the world as the Greek and Latine were anciently, or as the French is now , her Verfes could not be confin'd within the narrow limits of out tflartds, but would fprcad themfelves as far a$ the Continent has Inhabitants, or as the Seas have any fhore. . A n d for her Virtues, they as much furpafs'd trrofe of Saf>fho as' the Theological do the Moral, (wherein yet Orinda was not her inferior) or as the fading immortality of an earthly Laurel, which the juftice of men cannot deny to her excellent Poetry, is tranfeended by that incorruptible and eternal Crown of Glory , wherewith the Mercy of G o d hath undoubtedly rewarded her more eminent Piety. Her merit fhould have had a Statue of Porphiry wrought by fome great Ar-tift, equal in skill to Michael Angelo, that might have transferr'd to pofterity the lafting Image of fo rare a Perfon : but here is only a poor paper-fhadow of a Statue made after a Picture not very like her, to accompany that (he has drawn of her felf in thefe Poems, and which reprefents the beauties of her mind with a far truer refemblance, than that does the lineaments of her Face. They had fooner performed this Right to her memory, if that raging Peftilence which, not long after her, fwept away fo many thou-fands here and in other places of this Kingdom ; that devouring Fire, which fince deftroy'd this famous City 5 and the harlh founds of War, which with the thfpderings of Cannon, deafn'd all ears to the gentle and tender ftrains of Friendship, had not made the Publication of them hitherto unfeafonable. But they have out-liv'd all thefe difmal things to fee the Welling of Peace, a conjuncture more fuitable to their Nature, all compos'd of kindnefs 5 fo that I hope |
