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LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER,

CONSISTING OF

ORIGINAL PIECES,

and

SELECTIONS FROM PERFORMANCES OF MERIT,
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC,

A Work calculated to diffeminate useful Knowledge among all ranks
of people at a small expence.

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A

anderson
2-16-25

11516

18001.

ADVERTISEMENT.

WHILE the Editor contemplated this undertaking at a distance, he perceived difficulties; but they were difficulties of fuch a fort, as only tended to roufe the mind, and make it act with greater energy and vigour : As the time of publication drew nearer, however, difficulties of another fort occurred, which have only excited anxiety and perplexing doubts, that tend to enervate and to freeze the mental faculties. The many obliging letters he has received from perfons of diftinguished eminence in all quarters, while they claim his moft grateful acknowledgments to their refpective writers, have made a deep and melancholy impreffion on his mind, which it will be dif ficult to efface: for though he is willing to afcribe no fmall fhare of the obliging things that there occur, to that complimentary politenefs every one thinks it neceffary to affume on occafions of this fort; yet their general tenor is fo ftrong and fo uniform, as to leave him no room to doubt that the public hath, in general, formed an estimate of his abilities infinitely more favourable than they deserve. Confcious as he himself is, that the only claim he can justly lay

hold of for obtaining the public favour, is the fincerity of his intentions, he cannot but feel an anxious difquietude of mind, at the thoughts of making his appearance before that public which he is convinced hath formed expectations altogether difproportioned to his deferts. He would fain wifh to remove, if poffible, the dif agreeable effects of that unjust prepoffeffion; but how to do it, he knows not. Impreffed with thefe ideas, he offers this his firft number to the public, with doubt and hesitation. These very thoughts have depreffed his fpirits to fuch a degree, as to render his mind, feeble at the best, incapable on this occafion of even its ordinary exertions. Embarraffed too, with a number of cares respecting the executive department of a new undertaking, these perplexities have been ftill farther augmented on this occafion, in an extraordinary degree, fo as to divert him in a great measure, at the present time, from being able to attend, as he ought to do, to the more congenial task, to him, of supervising the literary department. In thefe circumftances, he feels himself under the neceffity of fupplicating the indulgence of his readers for the defects and imperfections of this number. Should the public be difpofed to receive this feeble effort with indulgence, as fome of these embarrassments must

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