extirpating those Seeds of Popery, that may have been unhappily sown, or
may be subtilly instill'd into the Minds of uncautious Persons, under
the specious Shew of Sanctity, will, I presume, easily appear. Tho' the
Things before-mention'd may be Reason sufficient for the turning these
Colloquies of_ Erasmus _into_ English, _that so useful a Treatise may
not be a Book seal'd, either to Persons not at all, or not enough
acquainted with the_ Latin _tongue, as to read them with Edification;
yet I did it from another Motive,_ i.e. _the Benefit of such as having
been initiated, desire a more familiar Acquaintance with the_ Latin
_Tongue (as to the Speaking Part especially, to which_ Erasmus's
_Colloquies are excellently adapted) that by comparing this Version with
the Original, they may be thereby assisted, to more perfectly
understand, and familiarize themselves with those Beauties of the_ Latin
_Language, in which_ Erasmus _in these Colloquies abounds.

And for that End, I have labour'd to give such a Translation of them, as
might in the general, be capable of being compar'd with the Original,
endeavouring to avoid running into a Paraphrase: But keeping as close to
the Original as I could, without Latinizing and deviating from the_
English _Idiom, and so depriving the_ English _Reader of that Pleasure,
that_ Erasmus _so plentifully entertains his Reader with in_ Latin.

_It is true, Sir_ Roger l'Estrange _and Mr._ Tho. Brown, _have formerly
done some select Colloquies, and Mr._ H.M. _many years since has
translated the whole; but the former being rather Paraphrases than
Translations, are not so capable of affording the Assistance
before-mention'd; and as to the latter, besides that his Version is
grown very scarce, the Style is not only antient, but too flat for so
pleasant and facetious an Author as_ Erasmus _is_.