the obligation! Their generofity has overwhelmed me! I am overpaid, and remain their debtor!

"A truce with jefting; what I here impart
"Is the warm overflowings of a grateful heart;
"Come good, come bad, while life or mem'ry laft,
"My mind shall treasure up your favours paft."

But, left I fhould be over vain, I must at the fame time declare, that I have received fcurrilous and abufive letters from feveral of Mr. Wefley's people, merely because I have expofed their ridiculous principles,. and abfurd practices; but more particularly, for having pulled off the hypocritical veil from fome of thofe fanctified deceivers which are amongst them.

The numerous letters of approbation which I have received from rational intelligent gentlemen, convinces me that I have not wronged the cause of manly and rational Christianity, nor was it ever my inten tion fo to do:

But your philofophers will fay,

Beft things grow worfe when they decay.
If Phoebus' ray too fiercely burn,
The richest wines to foureft turn.

E. LLOYD

I here alfo prefent my compliments and fincere thanks to my impartial friends, under the fecond clafs of my dedication, for the friendly difpofition they have fhewn, in freely diftributing my. Memoirs among their customers, and, they may be affured, that I will not let flip any opportunity of making them proper returns for all their favours.

I cannot conclude this preface without faying fome. thing about this edition.

When I put the first edition to the prefs, I really intended to print but a fmall number; fo that when I was prevailed on, by fome of my friends, to print a very large impreffion, I had not the leaft idea of ever being able to fell the whole; and of course had not any intention of printing other cditions. But the rapid fale of the work, and the many letters which I am continually receiving from gentlemen, in various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, who are pleased:

to honour me with their approbation and thanks, encouraged me to read the whole over with more atten. tion, to correct fuch typographical errors as had efcaped my obfervation, and to improve the language in numberless places, and yet many errors ftill remain.

In executing this plan, I perceived that I had. omitted to introduce many things which would have been an improvement to the work; and while inferting them, others occurred to my memory, fo that moft parts of the work is now very much enlarged. But although these additions have increased the ex-. pences of printing and paper, to near double, yet I have added but Sixpence to the price. Had profit been my motive, I could have divided the work into. two volumes, and I may add that each volume would have been larger than fome fix fhilling ones lately published. *

To fuch as afk why thefe additions were not printed feparately, to the end that fuch as purchased the first edition, might have had them without purchasing the whole work over again? I answer, had that been practicable, I would have done it; but thofe additions being fo many, and fo various, rendered that method impoffible, as every one who will take the trouble to compare the various editions, must readily acknowledge; nor can the purchafers of even the first edition complain with refpect to the price, it being equal in fize to most new publications which are fold at Six Shillings. And although fome may think that the prefixed head is of no value, I can af fure them, that I am of a very different opinion, at leaf of the original; and I have the pleasure to add, that a very great number of my customers have been highly pleafed to have fo ftriking a likeness of their old bookfeller. Nor am I the first of the fraternity who has publiflred his head; Mr. Nicholfon (commonly called Maps) bookfeller at Cambridge, two years fince, had his head finely engraved; it is a good likeness, and is fold at 10s. 6d. Francis Kirk

This is only meant of the octavo edition...

man, partner with Richard Head (last century) prefixed his portrait to a book, entitled "The Wits, or Sport upon Sport." This Francis Kirkman alfo published Memoirs of his own Life, and probably led the way to John Dunton. See Granger's Biographical History of England, vol. iv.

I could make many other apologies

But why should I distrust,

My judges are as merciful as just;

I know them well, have oft their friendship try'd,
And their pretection is my boast-my pride.

CUNNINGHAM,

VERSE S,

Occafioned by reading

'The LIFE of Mr. JAMES LACKINGTON.

SINCE

Addreffed to the ingenious AUTHOR,

By an UNKNOWN FRIEND.

INCE your pen, Friend Unkown, fuch improvement

conveys,

'Tis but juftice to you that this Tribute repays;
For when in the Bofom mild Gratitude burns,
'Tis a pleasing relief which the Feeling returns:
For as dear as the Light to the thoughts of the Blind,
Is the Pen, or the Voice that enlightens the Mind;
And the more, as from Nature and Genius untaught
Your various adventures and humour are brought,
Which difplay all the farce of the Methodist Plan,
The fhame of Religion, of Reason, and Man;
While no Libertine Motives their Secrets difpenfe,
But Propriety joins hand-in-hand with good Senfe,
Oh! with thee, could the Crowd view each fanctified fcene,
Where the Hypocrite oft wears Simplicity's mien ;.
Where youth, fecond-childhood, and weakness of Sex,
Are objects they ever prefer to perplex;

Like thee, they'd contemn, or indignantly leave,
Whom Folly, and Knav'ry, combine to deceive;
And whofe Newgate Converfions blafphemously paint
The wretch most deprav'd, the most excellent Saint.
Go on; and discover each latent defign,

And your rivals expofe, who 'gainft Learning combine:.
O'er fuch craft fhall fair conduct, like thine, still prevail,.
And an envy'd fuccefs lay them low in the Scale.
But as Time is too fhort all your. fteps to retrace,

Let your LIFE fpeak the reft, and fucceed in their place :
How Books mend the manners; and now fo abound,
Where Rudeness and Ignorance lately were found.`
But plain Truth, for itfelf, it must still be confest,
Is the faithfulleft advocate-therefore the best :.

So I rife from the Feast with a fatisfied mind,

That the fame every Tafte, and each Temper, may find.
Still to drop all compariton, Mental's the fare,
That needs only good taste to invite us to fhare;
Entertainment and Knowledge, the objects in view;
Then receive, as the Donor, the Praife that is due.
BURY ST. EDMUND'S.

C. HS

THE

LIFE

O F

7. LACKINGTON,

BOOKSELLER.

LETTER 1.

Others with wishful eyes on Glory look,
When they have got their picture tow'rd a book,
Or pompous title, like a gaudy Sign

Meant to betray dull fots to wretched wine.
If at his title L had dropt his quill,
Lmight have paft for a great genius ftill:
But L, alas ! (excufe him if you can)
Is now a Scribbler, who was once a man.

DEAR FRIEND,

You

YOUNG's Love of Fame.

have often requested me to devote what few leifure moments I could fpare, in minuting down fome of the principal occurrences of my life, with a view, fooner or later, of exhibiting the account to the public eye; who, as you were pleafed to fay, could not but be fomewhat curious to learn fome well-authenticated particulars of a man, well known to have rifen from an obfcure origin tò a degree of notice, and to a participation of the favor of the Public, in a particular line of bufinefs, I may without vanity fay, hitherto unprecedented. This will appear more confpicuous if you confider, that I was not only extremely poor, but laboured under every other disadvantage; being a stranger in London, and without friends, &c.