Now, from both these faults we have endeavored to steer clear in
the following narrative; which, however the contrary may be
insinuated by ignorant, unlearned, and fresh-water critics, who
have never traveled either in books or ships, I do solemnly
declare doth, in my own impartial opinion, deviate less from
truth than any other voyage extant; my lord Anson's alone being,
perhaps, excepted. Some few embellishments must be allowed to
every historian; for we are not to conceive that the speeches in
Livy, Sallust, or Thucydides, were literally spoken in the very
words in which we now read them. It is sufficient that every
fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the
ease in the ensuing pages; and when it is so, a good critic will
be so far from denying all kind of ornament of style or diction,
or even of circumstance, to his author, that he would be rather
sorry if he omitted it; for he could hence derive no other
advantage than the loss of an additional pleasure in the perusal.

Again, if any merely common incident should appear in this
journal, which will seldom I apprehend be the case, the candid
reader will easily perceive it is not introduced for its own
sake, but for some observations and reflections naturally
resulting from it; and which, if but little to his amusement,
tend directly to the instruction of the reader or to the
information of the public; to whom if I choose to convey such
instruction or information with an air of joke and laughter, none
but the dullest of fellows will, I believe, censure it; but if
they should, I have the authority of more than one passage in
Horace to allege in my defense. Having thus endeavored to
obviate some censures, to which a man without the gift of
foresight, or any fear of the imputation of being a conjurer,