, need not be in pain of being
overcharged, with so dull and ungrateful a subject. And yet who knows,
but such an occasion may be offered to us, once in a year or two, after
we shall have settled a correspondence round the kingdom.

But after all our boasts of materials, sent us by our several emissaries,
we may probably soon fall short, if the town will not be pleased to lend
us further assistance toward entertaining itself. The world best knows
its own faults and virtues, and whatever is sent shall be faithfully
returned back, only a little embellished according to the custom of
authors. We do therefore demand and expect continual advertisements in
great numbers, to be sent to the printer of this paper, who hath employed
a judicious secretary to collect such as may be most useful for the
public.

And although we do not intend to expose our own persons by mentioning
names, yet we are so far from requiring the same caution in our
correspondents, that on the contrary, we expressly _charge_ and _command_
them, in all the facts they send us, to set down the names, titles, and
places of abode at length; together with a very particular description
of the persons, dresses, and dispositions of the several lords, ladies,
squires, madams, lawyers, gamesters, toupees, sots, wits, rakes, and
informers, whom they shall have occasion to mention; otherwise it will
not be possible for us to adjust our style to the different qualities,
and capacities of the persons concerned, and treat them with the respect
or familiarity, that may be due to their stations and characters, which
we are determined to observe with the utmost strictness, that none may
have cause to complain.

[Footnote 1: In the "Contents" to both the editions of 1729 and 1730,
this is called "Introduction." Each of the numbers has a special title in
this table, as follows:

No. I. Introduction.
II. The Inhospitable Temper of 'Squire Wether.
III. A Vindication of Mr. Gay, and the Beggar's Opera.
IV. The Folly of Gaming.
V. A Description of what the World calls Discretion.
VI. A Representation of the Present Condition of Ireland.
VII. The Character of Corusodes and Eugenio.
VIII. A Dialogue between Mullinix and Timothy.
IX. The foolish Methods of Education among the Nobility.
X. Tim and Gay's Fables.
XI. Proposals in Prose and Verse for, An Universal View of all the
eminent Writers on the Holy Scriptures, &c.
XII. Sir Ralph the Patriot turned Courtier.
XIII. The