PREFACE. THE very many editions that have al ready paffed the prefs, of the "Beauties of Sterne," fufficiently evince the fentiments of the public at large upon the propriety of fuch a work, and remove those objections which at firft might have been fupposed to exist-it therefore only remains to point out the amendments the world has a right to look for in the prefent edition. It has been a matter of much general complaint, that the selections hitherto made were of rather too confined a caft,-and that, contrary to the original, the utile and the dulce were not fufficiently blended, or in equal quantities. That as the work was intended both for the recreation of our riper years, and the improvement of the more juvenile mind, it dragg'd on rather too ferious a fyftem of grave morality, unmix'd with thofe fprightlier fallies of fancy, which A 3 which the great Original knew fo judicioufly and equally to scatter in our way. It has been likewife obferved, that the dread of offending the ear of Chaftity, fo laudable in itself, has, in the present case, been carried to an excefs, thereby depriving us of many moft laughable scenes, though in themselves totally free from any objections on the score of indelicacy-and that, upon the whole, the paft compilers of Sterne, keeping their eye rather upon his morality, than his bumour-upon his judgment, than his wit, had liken'd the work to his Cane Chair, deprived of the one of its knobs-incomplete and ununiform.-Giving us rather thofe plants which may be found in all climates and in every foil, than those which are more estimable, because more rare, and which have been brought to perfection in but a very few indeed fuch fkilful hands as his. To obviate in some measure those founded objections, has been the object of the present edition, in which, the reader, whether of a grave or gay complection, will find find an equal attention paid him-the fprightly reader will find, now for the first time,, several scenes of fuch exquifite fancy -fuch true Shandean colouring, that he will be astonish'd, they could be overlook'd by any who profeffed to enumerate the Beauties of Sterne."-Such are, Mr. Shandy's Beds of Juftice-Dr. Slop and Sufannah-Parfon Yorick's Horfe-and many other pictures of the fame tint. The heart of Senfibility will receive a melancholy pleasure in the contemplation of Yorick's untimely fate;-and the mind, in fearch of those duties we owe to God and MAN, will receive fresh incentives to perfevere in well-doing, from that most excellent discourse upon Charity" The Cafe of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath confidered."A few of his moft admired Letters are also now added, and the whole embellish'd, at a great expence, with capital engravings from original drawings, executed for this particular purpose. Thus will the reader perceive, that as the mine whence, this gem is extracted is by far the richeft this country has ever To promote the interefts of Virtue by CONTENTS. |
