_I have not much to say of this Poem, before I leave it to the_ Mercy _of
the Reader. There's no need of looking far into it, to find out that the
direct_ Design _of a great part of it, is to Serve the_ Cause of Religion
_and_ Virtue; _tho' 'twas necessary for that End to dispose the_ whole _in
such a manner as might be agreeable to the_ Tast _of the present Age, and
of those who usually give such sort of Books the_ Reading. _If there be
any Thoughts in it relating to_ Poetry, _that either are not known to_ all
Persons, _or are tolerably_ ranged _and_ expressed, _the Reader is welcome
to 'em for_ Over-weight: _If there are too few of these, I yet hope the
Pardon of all_ candid Judges, _because I've done the best I cou'd on this_
Argument. _I can't be angry with any Person for ranking me amongst the_
Ogylbys; _my Quarrel is with these that rank themselves amongst_ Atheists,
_and impudently defend and propagate that_ ridiculous _Opinion of the_
Eternity of the World, _and a fatal_ invincible Chain of Things, _which,
it seems, is now most commonly made use of to destroy the_ Faith, _as our_
lewd Plays _are to corrupt the_ Morals _of the_ Nation: _An Opinion, big
with more_ Absurdities _than_ Transubstantiation _it self, and of far
more_ fatal Consequence, _if receiv'd and believ'd: For besides its
extremely weakening, if not destroying, the_ Belief _of the_ Being _and_
Providence of God, _it utterly takes away any sort of_ Freedom _in_ Humane
Actions, _reduces Mankind beneath the_ Brute Creation; _perfectly_ excuses
_the greatest_ Villanies _in_ this World, _and entirely vacates all_
Retribution _hereafter. One wou'd wonder with what Face or Conscience such
a_ Sett _of Men shou'd hope to be treated by the Rules of_ Civility, _when
they themselves break through those of_ Society, _and_ common Humanity:
_How they can expect any fairer_ Quarter _than_ Wolves _or_ Tygers; _or
what Reason they can give why a_ Price _should not be sett upon their_
Heads, _as well as on the_ Others; _or at least why they should not be
securely_ hamper'd _and_ muzzled, _and led about for a_ Sight, _like
other_ Monsters. _'Tis the fatal and spreading_ Poyson _of these Mens_
Examples _and_ Principles _which has extorted these_ warm Expressions
_from me; I cannot with_ Patience _see my_ Countrey ruin'd _by the
prodigious increase of_ Infidelity _and_ Immorality, _nor forbear crying
out with some_ Vehemence, _when I am giving Warning to all honest Men to
stand up in the_ Defence _of it, when it is in greater and more eminent
danger than it wou'd have been formerly, if the_ Spanish Armada _had made
a Descent amongst us: I don't speak of these things by distant_ Hear-say,
_or only from our publick_ Prints, _but from my own_ Knowledg _and little_
Acquaintance _in the World, and therefore others must have observ'd much
more, and cannot but fear, that if things go on as they now are, without a
greater_ Check, _and more_ severe Laws _against these wide and contagious_
Mischiefs, _at least without a more general united_ Endeavour _to put
those Laws already made in_ strict Execution, _we are in a fair way to
become a_ Nation of Atheists. _'Tis now no difficult matter to meet with
those who pretend to be_ lewd _upon_ Principles; _They'll talk very_
gravely, _look as if they were in earnest, and come_ sobrii ad perdendam
Rempublicam: _they wou'd be_ Criticks _too, and_ Philosophers: _They
attack_ Religion _in_ Form _and batter it from every_ Quarter; _they wou'd
turn the very_ Scriptures _against themselves, and labour hard to remove
a_ Supreme Being _out of the World; or if they do vouchsafe him any_ room
_in it, 'tis only that they may find_ Fault _with his_ Works, _which they
think, with that_ Blasphemer _of old, might have been much better order'd,
had they themselves stood by and directed the_ Architect. _They'll tell
you the_ Errors _of_ Nature _are every where_ plain _and_ visible, _all_
monstrous, _here_ too much _and there_ too little; _or, as_ one of their
own Poets,
Here she's _too sparing_, there _profusely_ vain.
_What would these Men have, or why can't they be content to sink_ single
_into the_ bottomless Gulph, _without dragging so much Company thither
with 'em? Can they grapple_ Omnipotence, _or are they sure they can be_
too hard _for_ Heaven? _Can they_ Thunder _with a_ Voice like God, _and
cast abroad the_ Rage _of their_ Wrath? _Cou'd they_ annihilate _Hell,
indeed, or did it only consist of such_ painted Flames _as they'd fain
believe it, they might make a shift to be tolerably happy, more quietly
rake through the World, and_ sink _into_ Nothing. _There's too great
reason to apprehend, that this_ Infection _is spred among Persons of
almost all_ Ranks _and_ Qualities; _and that tho' some may think it_
decent _to keep on the_ Masque, _yet if they were search'd to the_ bottom,
_all_ their Religion _wou'd be found that which they most blasphemously
assert of_ Religion _in_ general, _only a_ State Engin _to keep the_ World
in Order. _This is_ Hypocrisie _with a Witness; the_ basest _and_ meanest
_of_ Vices; _and how come Men to fall into these_ damnable Errors _in
Faith, but by_ Lewdness _of Life? The Cowards wou'd not believe a God
because they_ dare _not do it, for Woe be to 'em if there be one, and
consequently any_ Future Punishments. _From such as these, I desire no
Favour, but that of their_ Ill Word, _as their_ Crimes _must expect_ none
_from me, whose_ Character _obliges me to declare an_ eternal War
_against_ Vice _and_ Infidelity, _tho' at the same time heartily to_ pity
_those who are_ infected _with it. If I cou'd be_ ambitious _of a_ Name
_in the World, it shou'd be that I might_ sacrifice _it in so glorious a_
Cause _as that of_ Religion _and_ Virtue: _If none but_ Generals _must
fight in this_ sacred War, _when there are such_ infernal Hosts _on the
other side, they cou'd never prevail without one of the_ antient Miracles:
_If_ little People _can but well discharge the Place of a_ private
Centinel, _'tis all that's expected from us. I hope I shall never let the_
Enemies of God and my Countrey _come on without_ Fireing, _tho' it serve
but to give the_ Alarm, _and if I dye without_ quitting _my_ Post, _I
desire no greater Glory_. _I have endeavour'd to shew that I had no_
Personal Pique _against any whose_ Characters _I may have given in this
Poem, nor think the worse of them for their_ Thoughts _of me. I hope I
have every where done 'em_ Justice, _and as well as I cou'd, have given
'em_ Commendation _where they deserve it; which may also, on the other
side, acquit me of_ Flattery _with all_ Impartial Judges; _for 'tis not
only the_ Great _whose_ Characters _I have here attempted. And if what I
have written may be any ways_ useful, _or_ innocently diverting _to the
virtuous and ingenious_ Readers, _he has his End, who is_