DUOBUS, VEL NEMINI,*

ITS FEW AND GENTLE READERS,

MATERIAL AND IMMATERIAL,

(FOR THE LATTER, NEMO APPEARS "TO BE, OR NOT TO BE,"

Be it remembered, that my order for a table of contents, or bill of particulars, I hereby reverse. As to the list of errata, or errors on the record, sub judice lis est; or cur. adv. vult.

ERRATA, OR NO ERRATA?

Why need I (virtually) obliterate a superfluous asterisk, or supply the want of one? In a country which is said to be the land of jobbing, cannot the reader do both of these little jobs, quietly and gently, for himself? For example, in the text of page 26, introduce a + at the word amicé,—and strike his pen across a * before the last line (in a note) of page 67? Again, why turn Brobdignag into Brobdingnag, when the former, albeit wrongly spelled, sounds to my ear the more gigantic and less pronounceable of the two? Brobdingnag runs, with a too Lilliputian facility, off the tongue. In short, when of my-or rather of Mr. Milliken's pages-it may be said, that

If to their share, some venial errors fall,

Look on their face, and you'll forget them all;

why should I awaken this indulgent forgetfulness, by a startling flapper-list of errata? Ought not

the last item of the enumeration to be my own erratum, in furnishing such a list ?

At the same time, I must say to myself, gare! Pygmalion fell in love with his own handiwork; and Narcissus (which was very unkind to Echo) with himself. I must take care not to become enamoured of the joint manufacture of my publishers and myself. They gave the form, while I but supplied the bit of mind; which, I am told, is by some considered as a perfectly immaterial addition. But to certain-surely not worse than typical-D-s, I am bound, or at least warranted, to repeat my thanks. Then

"Elves and Demons, hear,"

while I reiterate acknowledgments, which are justly due; and which, though laughingly given, are not the less sincere.

*Rape of the Lock,

PREFACE.

AMONGST the following pages, I am told that there are some, which touch, and even conflict with, certain arguments of Lord Brougham. Though induced by its interesting title, and the lustre of the Author's name, I mean to read his Lordship's Discourse with suitable attention, I have not as yet seen a sentence of that work, beyond those extracts which are contained in Mr. Wallace's Observations; and not having finished my perusal of this latter Tract, I even may not have seen all the extracts which it gives. With those which I have seen, I am not aware of having come into collision. If the case were otherwise, I might borrow that selfconsolation, to which the too fluent* Achelous resorted, when, having presumed to contend with. Hercules, he found himself (as he might have expected to be) overcome. His words, if I re

collect them, were,

nec tam

Turpe fuit vinci, quam contendisse decorum est.

* Perhaps, in this respect, like myself.