"This Day [20th Feb. 1753] is published,
"In Twelves (Price Six pence),
"NUMBER III. of
"The LIVES of the POETS, of Great-Britain and Ireland, to the
present Time.
"Compiled from ample Materials scattered in a Variety of Books,
and especially from the MS. Notes of the late ingenious Mr.
COXETER, and others, collected for this Design.
"By Mr. CIBBER.
"Printed for R. Griffiths, at the Dunciad, in St. Paul's
Church-yard.
"Where may be had, No. I. and II.
"This Work is published on the following Terms,
"I. That it shall consist of Four neat Pocket Volumes, handsomely
printed.
"II. That it shall be published in Numbers, at Six-pence each,
every Number containing Three Sheets, or Seventy-Two Pages; the
Numbers to be printed every Saturday without Intermission, till
the Whole is finished.
"III. That Five Numbers shall make a Volume; so that the whole
Work will not exceed the Price of Ten Shillings unbound.
"To the Public.
"The Professors of no Art have conferred more Honour on our Nation
than the Poets. All Countries have been diligent in preserving the
Memoirs of those who have, either by their Actions or Writings,
drawn the Attention of the World upon them: it is a Tribute due to
the illustrious Dead; and has a Tendency to awaken, in the Minds
of the Living, the laudable Principle of Emulation. As there is no
Reading at once so entertaining and instructive, as that of
Biography, so none ought to have the Preference to it: It yields
the most striking Pictures of Life, and shews us the many
Vicissitudes to which we are exposed in the Course of that
important Journey. It has happened that the Lives of the Literati
have been less attended to than those of Men of Action, whether in
the Field or Senate; possibly because Accounts of them are more
difficult to be attained, as they move in a retired Sphere, and
may therefore be thought incapable of exciting so much Curiosity,
or affecting the Mind with equal Force; but certain it is, that
familiar Life, the Knowledge of which is of the highest
Importance, might often be strikingly exhibited, were its various
Scenes but sufficiently known, and properly illustrated. Of this,
the most affecting Instances will be found in the Lives of the
Poets, whose Indigence has so often subjected them to experience
Variety of Fortune, and whose Parts and Genius have been so much
concerned in furnishing Entertainment to the Public. As the Poets
generally converse more at large, than other men, their Lives must
naturally be productive of such Incidents as cannot but please
those who deem the Study of Human Nature, and Lessons of Life, the
most important.
"The Lives of the Poets have been less perfectly given to the
World, than the Figure they have made in it, and the Share they
have in our Admiration, naturally demand. The Dramatic Authors
indeed have had some Writers who have transmitted Accounts of
their works to Posterity: Of these Langbain is by far the most
considerable. He was a Man of extensive Reading, and has taken a
great deal of Pains to trace the Sources from which our Poets have
derived their Plots; he has given a Catalogue of their Plays, and,
as far as his Reading served him, very accurately: He has much
improved upon Winstanley and Philips, and his Account of the Poets
is certainly the best now extant. Jacob's Performance is a most
contemptible one; he has given himself no Trouble to gain
Intelligence, and has scarcely transcribed Langbain with Accuracy.
Mrs. Cooper, Author of _The Muses Library_, has been industrious
in collecting the Works and some Memoirs of the Poets who preceded
Spenser: But her Plan did not admit of enlarging, and she has
furnished but little Intelligence concerning them.
"The general Error into which Langbain, Mrs. Cooper, and all the
other Biographers have fallen, is this: They have considered the
Poets merely as such, without tracing their Connexions in civil
Life, the various Circumstances they have been in, their
Patronage, their Employments, and in short, the Figure they made
as Members of the Community; which Omission has rendered their
Accounts less interesting; and while they have shewn us the Poet,
they have quite neglected the Man. Many of the Poets, besides
their Excellency in that Profession, were held in Esteem by Men in
Power, and filled civil Employments with Honour and Reputation;
various Particulars of their Lives are to be found in the Annals
of the Age in which they lived, and which were connected with
those of their Patron.
"But these Particulars lie scattered in a Variety of Books, and
the collecting them together and properly arranging them, is as
yet unattempted, and is no easy task to accomplish. This however,
we have endeavoured to do, and if we are able to execute our Plan,
their Lives will prove entertaining, and many Articles of
Intelligence, omitted by others, will be brought to Light. Another
Advantage we imagine our Plan has over those who have gone before
us in the same Attempt is, that we have not confined ourselves to
Dramatic Writers only, but have taken in all who have had any Name
as Poets, of whatsoever Class: and have besides given some Account
of their other Writings: So that if they had any Excellence
independant of Poetry, it will appear in full View to the Reader.
We have likewise considered the Poets, not as they rise
Alphabetically, but Chronologically, from Chaucer, the Morning
Star of English Poetry, to the present Times: And we promise in
the Course of this work, to make short Quotations by Way of
Specimen from every Author, so that the Readers will be able to
discern the Progress of Poetry from its Origin in Chaucer to its
Consummation in Dryden. He will discover the gradual Improvements
made in Versification, its Rise and Fall; and in a Word, the
compleat History of Poetry will appear before him. In the Reign of
Queen Elizabeth for Instance, Numbers and Harmony were carried to
a great Perfection by the Earl of Surry, Spenser, and Fairfax; in
the Reign of James and Charles the First, they grew harsher; at
the Restoration, when Taste end Politeness began again to revive,
Waller restored them to the Smoothness they had lost: Dryden
reached the highest Excellence of Numbers, and compleated the
Power of Poetry.
"In the Course of this Work we shall be particular in quoting
Authorities for every Fact advanced, as it is fit the Reader
should not be left at an Uncertainty; and where we find judicious
Criticisms on the Works of our Authors, we shall take care to
insert them, and shall seldom give our Opinion in the Decision of
what Degree of Merit is due to them. We may venture, however, in
order to enliven the Narration as much as possible, sometimes to
throw in a Reflection, and in Facts that are disputed, to sum up
the Evidence on both Sides. But though the Poets were often
involved in Parties, and engaged in the vicissitudes of State, we
shall endeavour to illustrate their Conduct, without any satirical
Remarks, or favourable Colouring; never detracting from the Merit
of one, or raising the Reputation of another, on Account of
political Principles."