felicities of life, affords a strong incitement to the imitation of
the same excellencies; and cannot fail of contributing to the more
extensive prevalence of that moral conduct on which the welfare of
society so greatly depends.

That your Majesty may possess every felicity in your royal Person and
Family, and enjoy a long and prosperous reign, over an enlightened, a
free, and a happy people, is the sincere and ardent prayer of,

SIR,
Your Majesty's most faithful,
and most obedient,
subject and servant,

ANDREW KIPPIS.
London, _June_ 31, 1788.




PREFACE.


Although I have often appeared before the public as a writer, I never
did it with so much diffidence and anxiety as on the present occasion.
This arises from the peculiar nature of the work in which I have now
engaged. A Narrative of the Life and Actions of Captain Cook must
principally consist of the voyages and discoveries he made, and the
difficulties and dangers to which he was exposed. The private
incidents concerning him, though collected with the utmost diligence,