RIGHT HONOURABLE

THOMAS

EARL OF

Pembroke and Montgomery,

Baron Herbert of Cardiff, Lord Rofs of Kendal, Par, Fitzhugh, Marmion, St. Quintin, and Shurland; Lord President of his Majefties moft Honourable Privy-Council, and Lord Lieutenant of the County of Wilts, and of South Wales.

My LORD,

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His Treatife, which is grown up under your Lordship's Eye, and has ventured into the World by your Order, does now, by a natural kind of Right, come to your Lordship for that Protection, which you feveral years fince promised it. 'Tis not that I think any Name, how great foever, fet at the beginning of a Book, will be able to cover the Faults are to be found in it. Things in print must stand and fall by their own Worth, or the Reader's Fancy. But there being nothing more to be defired for Truth, than a fair unprejudiced Hea ring, no body is more likely to procure me that, than your Lordship, who are allowed to have got so intimate an Acquaintance with her, in her more retired receffes. Your Lordfhip is known to have fo far advanced your Speculations in the most abstract and general Knowledge of Things, beyond

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beyond the ordinary reach, or common Methods, that your Allowance, and Approbation of the Defign of this Treatife, will at least preserve it from being condemned without reading; and will prevail to have those Parts à little weighed, which might otherwise, perhaps, be thought to deserve no Confideration, for being somewhat out of the common road. The Imputation of Novelty, is a terrible charge a. mongst thofe, who judge of Men's Heads, as they do of their Perukes, by the Fashion; and can allow none to be right, but the received Doarines. Truth scarce ever yet carried it by Vote any where at its firft appearance: New Opinions are always fufpected, and usually oppofed, without any other Reafon, but because they are not already common. But Truth, like Gold, is not the less fo, for being newly brought out of the Mine. 'Tis Trial and Examination must give it price, and not any antick Fashion: And though it be not yet current by the publick stamp; yet it may, for all that, be as old as Nature, and is certainly not the lefs genuine. Your Lordship can give great and convincing Inftances of this, whenever you please to oblige the Publick with fome of those large and com

prehenfive Discoveries, you have made of Truths, hitherto unknown, unless to some few, to whom your Lordfhip has been pleased not wholly to conceal them. This alone were a fufficient Reason, were there no other, why I fhould Dedicate this Effay to your Lordship; and its having fome little Correfpondence with fome parts of that nobler and vaft System of the Sciences, your Lordship has made, so new,

exact,

exact, and instructive a Draught of, I think it Glory enough, if your Lordship permit me to boast, that here and there I have fallen into fome Thoughts not wholly different from yours. If your Lordship think fit, that, by your encouragement, this fhould appear in the World, I hope it may be a Reason be a Reafon, fome time or other to lead your Lordship farther; and you will allow me to fay, That you here give the World an earnest of something, that, if they can bear with this, will be truly worth their expectation. This, my Lord, fhews what a Prefent I here make to your Lordship; juft fuch as the poor Man does to his Rich and Great Neighbour, by whom the Basket of Flowers, or Fruit, is not ill taken, though he has more plenty of his own growth, and in much greater perfection. Worthlefs Things receive a Value, when they are made the Offerings of Refpect, Efteem, and Gratitude: Thefe you have given me fo mighty and peculiar Reasons to have, in the highest degree, for your Lordship, that if they can add a price to what they go along with, proportionable to their own Greatnefs, I can with Confidence brag, I here make your Lordship the richest Prefent, you ever received. This I am sure, I am under the greatest Obligation to feek all occafions to acknowledge a long Train of Favors, I have received from your Lordship; Favors, though great and important in themselves, yet made much more fo by. the Forwardness, Concern, and Kindness, and other obliging Circum ftances, that never failed to accompany them. To all this you are pleased to add that, which gives

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yet

yet more weight and relifh to all the reft: You vouchfafe to continue me in fome degrees of your Efteem, and allow me a place in your good Thoughts, I had almost said Friendship. This, my Lord, your Words and Actions so constantly fhew on all occafions, even to others when I am absent, that it is not Vanity in me to mention, what every body knows: But it would be want of good Manners not to acknowledge what fo many are Witnesses of, and every day tell me, I am indebted to your Lordship for. I wish they could as easily affift my Gratitude, as they convince me of the great and growing Engagements it has to your Lordship. This I am fure, I should write of the Understanding without having any, if I were not extremely fenfible of them, and did not lay hold on this Opportunity to teftifie to the World, how much I am obliged to be, and how much I am,