ADVERTISEMENT.

ON presenting to the world a new edition of Sir John. Suckling's Works, it may not be improper to state the considerations which have led to its production. They are, briefly, these a desire to revive the beauties of a neglected author, and to develope, more fully than has heretofore been done, the incidents of his literary and domestic life-attempts which, it is believed, will appear neither superfluous nor useless.

For the neglect which the writings of Suckling have of late years experienced, his earlier editors are responsible it has arisen solely from their inconsideration. The avidity with which the first appearance of his works was received, induced in them a hasty and eager search for further productions of his pen; and much matter, which discrimination would have consigned to the flames, was injudiciously committed to the press. Succeeding editors but imitated their precursors; and, neglecting to strip their idol of its tinsel investments, reduced its appreciation to a standard below its intrinsic value: thus, while the public taste was rapidly advancing in delicacy

and refinement, the clouded merits of Suckling became gradually consigned to the obscurer shelves of the library.

It has been the first object of the present editor to restore his author to his merited position in the ranks of literature, by a careful revisal of his pages, and by excluding those passages which the delicacy of the present age would justly reject. On this point, however, the editor thinks it proper to observe, that the charge of occasional grossness, thus admitted, cannot be preferred against Suckling exclusively, as scarcely any of our older poets would bear an entire revival. Nor are we, in this case, so much to tax the morality of the individuals, as to blame the influence of fashion, which, in their days, falsely connected a degree of licentiousness with loyalty and generosity, and ascribed severity of manners to hypocrisy and meanness.

With regard to the memoirs of Suckling's life, it must be obvious that the meagre and imperfect notices, hitherto prefixed to former editions of his works, are far from sufficient to satisfy biographical thirst; and that, while their numerous inaccuracies mislead the reader, they bring him but little acquainted with the habits and sentiments of one who mixed much in the active scenes of his day, and was celebrated for the keenness of his wit and the playful raillery of his satire. In the endeavours which have been used to obviate this defect, the channels of authentic information have been found choked to an unexpected degree, and in seeking the

remote sources of intelligence, nearly one hundred authorities have been consulted, whose scattered notices of Suckling and his genius, furnish, in combination, a narrative still brief and imperfect. A few private MSS. however, have augmented the streams of public information, and it is believed that nearly all which can be now collected of Suckling's history, is appended to the present volume.

That these MSS. are not more numerous or important will cease to surprize, when it is remembered that, as the attainder of Suckling was sudden and unforeseen, it led, most probably, to the voluntary and indiscriminate destruction of the greater part of his miscellaneous papers.

The present impression has been limited to a few hundred copies: it had, possibly, acquired a wider circulation through the influence of an amiable nobleman, under whose patronage its appearance was first announced, but whose spirit has been summoned, during the progress of the work, to a better state. His name is, therefore, no longer connected with this undertaking; but his friendly and generous disposition, his rectitude and singleness of heart, the editor takes occasion thus publicly to record; and while he regrets the stroke which has deprived his labours of a patron, he more deeply mourns the calamity which has bereaved him of a friend.

Memoirs

OF THE

LIFE OF SIR JOHN SUCKLING,

&c.

It has been observed by an author, who has surpassed all others in the path of biography, that, to write the life of a literary man with success, his biographer should not confine himself to the common incidents of life; but relate with minuteness, his studies- his mode of livingthe means by which he attained to excellence—and his opinion of his own works.

But it is a circumstance unfavourable to him who lives in a period remote from the object of his enquiry, that sources of information like these enumerated, are obtained with difficulty, and must be received with caution.

To place those already discovered in the most judicious order to ascertain their authenticity—and to weigh the respective value of conflicting testimonies-seems the chief employment of him who ventures to record the history of a man, over whose ashes nearly two centuries have rolled.

John Suckling was born in his father's house at Whitton, in the parish of Twickenham, and county of

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