hose, who could not penetrate into the
ill constitution of its plan, yet grew disgusted at the dryness of
the Conduct, and want of ease in the Catastrophe.

The avoiding these defects gave rise to the _Heroical Romances_ of
the _French_; in which some celebrated Story of antiquity was so
stained and polluted by modern fable and invention, as was just
enough to shew, that the contrivers of them neither knew how to lye,
nor speak truth. In these voluminous extravagances, _Love_ and
_Honour_ supplied the place of _Life_ and _Manners_. But the
over-refinement of Platonic sentiments always sinks into the dross
and feces of that Passion. For in attempting a more natural
representation of it, in the little amatory Novels, which succeeded
these heavier Volumes, tho' the Writers avoided the dryness of the
Spanish Intrigue, and the extravagance of the French Heroism, yet,
by too natural a representation of their Subject, they opened the
door to a worse evil than a corruption of _Taste_; and that was, A
corruption of _Heart_.

At length, this great People (to whom, it must be owned, all Science
has been infinitely indebted) hit upon the true Secret, by which
alone a deviation from strict fact, in the commerce of Man, could be
really entertaining to an improved mind, or useful to promote that
Improvement. And this was by a faithful and chaste copy of real
_Life and Manners_: In which some of their late Writers have greatly
excelled.

It was on this sensible Plan, that the Author of the following
Sheets attempted to please, in an Essay, which had the good fortune
to meet with success: That encouragement engaged him in the present
Design: In which his sole object being _Human Nature_; he thought
himself at liberty to draw a Picture of it in that light which
would shew it with most strength of Expression; tho' at the expense
of what such as read merely for Amusement, may fancy can be
ill-spared, the more artificial composition of a story in one
continued Narrative.

He has therefore told his Tale in a Series of Letters, supposed to
be written by the Parties concerned, as the circumstances related,
passed. For this juncture afforded him the only natural opportunity
that could be had, of representing with any grace those lively and
delicate impressions which _Things present_ are known to make upon
the minds of those affected by them. And he apprehends, that, in the
study of Human Nature, the knowlege of those apprehensions leads u