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Serving for the conveyance of fome favourite tunes. We were concerned to find that the more modern any collection was, it was remarkably the more deficient in poetical merit; fo that a total decay of all taste for genuine poetry, in this pleafing branch of it, was to be apprebended. This we in great measure attributed to the fashionable rage for mufic, which had encouraged fuch a mushroom growth of comic operas, that, vile mongrel of the drama, where the most enchanting tunes are fuited with the moft flat and wretched combinations of words that ever difgraced the genius of a nation; and where the miferable verfifier only appears as the hired underling of a mufical compofer. We thought therefore, that it would be a meritorious piece of fervice to the caufe of poetry, by uniting into one firm body the most excellent productions in fong-writing, to form a barrier against the modifh infipidity of the age, and to gratify fuch real lovers of genius as yet remain amongst us.

This task I was induced to undertake; and were I to make a boaftful recital of the numerous volumes of fong-collections and mifcellany poems which I have turned over for the purpose, it would show that industry at leaft had not been wanting in accomplishing it. This kind of praise, however, is of so inferiour a nature, that, I confefs, it would Scarcely fatisfy my ambition. During the progress of my researches, I was infenfibly led to make fome remarks on the peculiar character and diverfities of the pieces which paffed in review before me, and to form comparisons between them, and others, the produce of a different age and country. As the subject bad novelty to recommended it, and was fuited to my inclinations, I was incited to pursue it to a length which feemed to render it lawful for me to take the title of an Effayift, instead of a mere compiler. If the attempts which Should fupport this more honourable character have not the fortune to meet with approbation, I must

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I must be contented with my humble endeavours to pleafe by the merits of others; yet I cannot acknowledge any impropriety in the defign, well remembering that Horace promifes his friends not only to prefent them with verfe, but to tell them the worth of his prefent.

It

may perhaps be a matter of furprise, that after fo much labour I have not been able to furnish a larger collection than is here offered; but on confidering the manner in which thefe pieces have been ufbered into the world, the wonder will ceafe. The chief fources of good fongs, are the mifcellany poems and plays from the time of Charles the fecond to the conclufion of Queen Ann's reign. Most of these were given in the earliest collections, mixed however with the traf of the times, and copied from one to another with no farther variation than fubftituting new trash for such as was out of date. In the most modern collections, all the beauties, as well as the infipid pieces

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of the early ones are difcarded, and the whole is made up of favourite airs from the fashionable comic operas of the winter, and the fummer warblings at Vauxhall, Ranelagh and Spring Gardens; fo that in a year's time they are as much out of date as an almanack. From this account it will be perceived, that after making use of one of the best old collections as a ftandard, all the rest were little more than mere repetitions; and that the very modern ones were entirely useless.

After all, I would not prefume to say that I have culled every valuable production which this branch of poetry affords. Difference of tafte will always prevent uniformity of judgment, even where the faculties of judging are equal; and I have been much less folicitous to give a collection to which nothing could be added, than one from which nothing could reasonably be rejected. In fong-writing, as well as in every other production of art, there

is a large clafs of the mediocres, which are of fuch dubious merit as would allow the reader to befitate in his approbation of them. I have felt very little fcruple in rejecting a number of thefe. It is not enough that poetry does not difguft, it ought to give raptures. A much more difagreeable piece of feverity was the rejection of feveral pieces, marked with a rich vein of genuine poetry, but not fufficiently guarded from offending that charming delicacy of the fex, which every man must admire, and ought to respect. These were the luxuriances of an age, when the men of pleafure lavished wit and genius, as well as health and fortune, upon their diverfions. Had they lived at a time when tafte was more refined, and manners were lefs licentious, their natural gallantry would have restrained them from offering an outrage to thofe, whom they most wifhed for readers and admirers.

I hope I have now faid enough to intimate for what clafs of readers this work is calcu

lated

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