Sayfadaki görseller
PDF
ePub

SIMPLICITY,

A PASTORA L.

(By the AUTHOR of The Cave of MORAR.)

ES here in the Sylvan Retreat,

YES

Where INNOCENCE carelefly ftrays,

SIMPLICITY fixes her Seat,

And numberless Beauties difplays.

How sweet are the Nymphs in her Train,
While Modesty leads them along,
How pleafing the Notes of the Swain
Who warbles her elegant Song.

The Arbours that wave in the Gale,
The Warblers that fing on the Boughs,
The Flow'rets that bloom on the Dale,
The Stream that enchantingly flows,

The Grotto's impervious Glooms,
Where thick-throbbing Terror alarms,
The Rock where the Jeffamine blooms,
Acquire from her Bounty their Charms.

Her Manner is soft and refin'd,

She's free from affected Disguise, She's gentle, fhe's friendly, fhe's kind, And Sympathy beams in her Eyes;

She's

She's deck'd in the Garments of Eafe,
She smiles with an innocent Air,
With Sweetness that always must please,
With Softness becoming the Fair.

Would CHLORIS more lovely appear,
And Beauty's bright Graces improve,
These magical Robes let her wear,
And yield to the Impulse of Love.

Would DAMON to Glory afpire,

And fwell, with true Ardor, the Strain,
Simplicity's Charms must inspire,
And foften the Breaft of the Swain.

PRE

PREFACE

ΤΟ Α

DICTIONARY OF COMMERCE.

N

O Expectation is more fallacious than that which Authors form of the Reception which their Labours will find among Mankind. Scarcely any Man publishes a Book, whatever it be, without believing that he has caught the Moment when the publick Attention is vacant to his Call, and the World is difpofed in a particular Manner to learn the Art which he undertakes to teach.

The Writers of this Volume are not fo far exempt from epidemical Prejudices, but that they likewife please themselves with imagining, that they have referved their Labours to a propitious Conjuncture, and that this is the proper Time for the Publication of a DICTIONARY OF COMMERCE.

The Predictions of an Author are very far from Infallibility; but in Juftification of fome Degree of Confidence it may be properly observed, that there was never from the earliest Ages a time in which Trade fo much engaged the Attention of Mankind, or commercial Gain was fought with fuch general Emulation. Nations which have hitherto cultivated no Art-but that of War, nor conceived any Means of encreafing Riches but by Plunder, are awakened to more inoffenfive Industry. Those whom the Poffeffion of fubterraneous Treasures have long disposed to accommodate themselves by foreign Industry, are

at

at laft convinced that Idleness never will be rich. The Merchant is now invited to every Port, Manufactures are established in all Cities, and Princes, who just can view the Sea from fome fingle Corner of their Dominions, are enlarging Harbours, erecting mercantile Companies, and preparing to traffick in the remoteft Countries.

Nor is the Form of this Work lefs popular than the Subject. It has lately been the Practice of the Learned to range Knowledge by the Alphabet, and publish Dictionaries of every Kind of Literature. This Practice has perhaps been carried too far by the Force of Fashion. Sciences, in themselves fyfte matical and coherent, are not very properly broken into fuch fortuitous Distributions. A Dictionary of Arithmetick or Geometry can ferve only to confound. But Commerce, confidered in its whole Extent, seems to refuse any other Method of Arrangement, as it comprises innumerable Particulars unconnected with each other, among which there is no Reason why any fhould be firft or laft, better than is furnished by the Letters that compofe their Names.

We cannot indeed boast ourselves the Inventors of a Scheme fo commodious and comprehenfive. The French, among innumerable Projects for the Promotion of Traffick, have taken care to fupply their Merchants with a Dictionaire de Commerce, collected with great Industry and Exactness, but too large for common Ufe, and adapted to their own Trade. This Book, as well as others, has been carefully confulted, that our Merchants may not be ignorant of any thing known by their Enemies or Rivals.

Such indeed is the Extent of our Undertaking, that it was neceffary to folicite every Information, to confult the Living and the Dead. The great Qualification of him that attempts a Work thus general, is Diligence of Enquiry. No Man has Opportunity

4

or

or Ability to acquaint himself with all the Subjects of a Commercial Dictionary, fo as to describe from his own Knowledge, or affert on his own Experience. He muft therefore often depend upon the Veracity of others, as every Man depends in common Life, and have no other Skill to boast than that of selecting judiciously, and arranging properly.

But to him who confiders the Extent of our Subject, limited only by the Bounds of Nature and of Art, the Tafk of Selection and Method will appear fufficient to overburthen Industry and distract Attention. Many Branches of Commerce are fubdivided into smaller and smaller Parts, till at laft they become fo minute as not eafily to be noted by Obfervation. Many Interefts are fo woven among each other as not to be difentangled without long Enquiry; many Arts are industrioufly kept fecret, and many Practices neceffary to be known are carried on in Parts too remote for Intelligence.

But the Knowledge of Trade is of fo much Importance to a Maritime Nation, that no Labour can be thought great by which Information may be obtained; and therefore we hope the Reader will not have Reason to complain, that, of what he might justly expect to find, any thing is omitted.

To give a Detail or Analysis of our Work is very difficult; a Volume intended to contain whatever is requifite to be known by every Trader, neceffarily becomes fo mifcellaneous and unconnected as not to be eafily reducible to Heads; yet, fince we pretend in fome Measure to treat of Traffick as a Science, and to make that regular and fyftematical which has hitherto been to a great Degree fortuitous and conjectural, and has often fucceeded by Chance rather than by Conduct, it will be proper to fhew that a Diftribution of Parts has been attempted, which, though rude and inadequate, will at least preserve

fome

« ÖncekiDevam »