PREFACE.

_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