THE

EPISTLE DEDICATORY

TO THE

EARL BATHURST.

MY LORD,

If I were not fully apprized of Your Lordship's contempt for that fervile and adulatory style, in which patrons of eminent rank are too frequently addreffed, yet my own habits and fentiments would fufficiently fecure You from the uneafinefs, which panegyrick moft fenfibly gives to those who most highly deserve it; nor should I indeed have been ambitious of obtaining any protection for the following work, which must fucceed or fail by its own worth or demerit, and cannot be supported by the splendour of a name, if the obligations, which Your Lordship has conferred on me, were not of such a kind, as to call aloud for the moft open and the warmeft acknowledgement.

On fuch an occafion, it might perhaps be pardonable to deviate a little from my former

principles, and to delineate Your Lordship's character in juft, yet glowing, colours; especially as my own certain and perfonal knowledge of it has given me the power of drawing it to the life; and, if one of two groundless imputations must neceffarily be incurred, I should prefer the fufpicion of being a flatterer to the charge of being ungrateful; but I must not forget that it is Yourself, whom I am addreffing, and I could not write to You with pleasure what I knew You would read with pain.

I check myself, therefore, my Lord, with reluctance, and abftain from those topicks, to which the overflowing of my zeal would naturally impel me; but I cannot let flip this opportunity of informing the publick, who have hitherto indulgently approved and encouraged my labours, that, although I have received many fignal marks of friendship from a number of illuftrious perfons, to whose favours I can never proportion my thanks, yet Your Lordship has been my greateft, my only, Benefactor; that, without any folicitation, or even requeft on my part, You gave me a substantial and permanent token of regard, which You rendered still more valuable by Your obliging manner of giving it, and which has been literally the fole fruit that I have gathered from an inceffant courfe of very painful toil; that Your kind intentions extended

to a larger field; and that You had even determined to reward me in a manner the most agreeable both to my inclinations and to the nature of my studies, if an event, which, as it procured an acceffion to Your happiness, could not but conduce to mine, had not prevented the full effects of Your kindness.

It might here become me to fuppress, what I cannot however perfuade myself to conceal, that Your Lordship was pleased to affign the most flattering reafons for Your intention, and to declare that You defired my promotion both for my own fake, and for that of the publick; the firft of which motives I afcribe to Your candour and the goodness of Your heart; the second, which I am wholly unconscious of deferving, I can impute only to Your fingular benignity and indulgence.

As a benefit intended is the fame in my opinion with a benefit conferred, my obligation to Your Lordship is perfectly equal; and this fentiment, I entreat You to believe, no change of fituation can alter, no length of time can obliterate. I had a friend, my Lord, who knew my gratitude for the former instance of Your kindnefs; and He indeed was entitled to fome share of it, as it was He, who procured me the honour of being known to Your Lordship: with Your late favours, unhappily for me, and un

happily for all who were connected with him, he did not live to be acquainted.

Your Lordship perceives that I fpeak of Sir JAMES PORTER; whom You also called your friend, and by whom You were most truly efteemed and refpected. He was a man, whose focial virtues were fo tranfcendent, that his life was spent in perpetual exertions of them, and not a day of it elapfed without fome intention fincerely expreffed, or some act zealously performed, for the pleasure or advantage of another; nor were his talents inferiour to his benevolence; for, during his embaffy at CONSTANTINOPLE, where he gained a perfect acquaintance with the manners of the extraordinary people among whom he refided, his address and activity were fo properly exerted, that the interefts of our mercantile body were never better secured, nor the honour of our nation better fupported. Of ufeful, as well as ornamental, knowledge, both in literature and science, he had confiderably a greater portion than is ufually poffeffed by men of the world; and, while he was effectually serving his country as a minifter, he juftly acquired the reputation of a scholar. One part of his character was no lefs amiable than uncommon: fo totally free was he from envy, the vice of little fouls, that he' was always eager to encourage the appear