could be requir'd to render this Work as perfect in its Kind,
as any thing of this Nature can be expected to be; and that
whatever Defects shall be found in it must be imputed to my
Want of Judgment and Capacity; fince I was abundantly
Supply'd with all the Materials, that were requifite to ac-
complish my Undertaking. And throughout the whole
Work I feldom advance any Thing of my own; but have
collected only the Opinions of others, and left the Reader to
judge and determine concerning them.

In the Text itself I have taken Care to Supply all the
Verfes which Mr. Creech had not tranflated; and that were
never before in any of the former Editions of this English
Lucretius. Thofe that were omitted towards the End of
the fourth Book, where the Poet treats of the Nature of
Love, are taken from Mr. Dryden's Tranflation of that
Part of our Authour. Of all the other Verfes, that are now
first inferted, I bave given an Account in their due Places,
in the Notes upon them: Mean while I have included all
the Verfes, that are thus fupply'd, between Crotchets, as a
Mark of Diftinction to let the Reader know, that they
were not in any of the former Editions. Befides, I have
prefix'd to every Book a feveral Argument, in which may
be seen at one View, not only the feveral Subjects treated
of in each of the fix Books; but likewife the Manner in
which they are handled, the Method of the Poet's Difputa-
tion, and the Connexion of the following Book to that,
which precedes it. And each Book concludes with an Ani-
madverfion, briefly recapitulating the Contents of it, and
condemning or approving the Maxims and Arguments con-
tain'd and afferted in it. This Method our Tranflatour
bimfelf has obferv'd in his Latine Edition of Lucretius;
from whence the Animadverfion, which the Reader will
find at the End of each Book, is chiefly taken. Moreover,
to make this Edition more perfect than any of the former,
where in many Places feveral of the Poet's Arguments and
Propofitions are join'd together, without any Diftinction,
where one ends or the other begins, I have been careful to
diftinguish

diftinguish them from one another, by beginning each Ara gument and Propofition with a Break; fo that the Reader will readily difcern where it begins, and where it ends : and that too the more easily, because each Note begins by expreffing the Number of the Verfes that each Argument or Propofition contains.

As for the Tranflatour's own excellent and learned Notes on Lucretius, which have hitherto been printed at the End of all the former Editions, and all together by themselves, I have now difpofed them into the feveral Places, to which he had directed them, and they properly belong; infomuch that the Reader will now find them, not as before, in a Body by themselves, but intermix'd with my Annotations, without the least Alteration, and in their proper Place. Each Note has a Number prefix'd before it, which di rects to the Number in the Margin of the Text; which last Number, for the greater Eafe of the Reader, marks every fifth Verfe of the Tranflation, and shews how many Verfes are contain'd in each Book.

It will be obferv'd, that in the Notes, that are merely explanatory, I often differ from the Senfe of my Authour, I mean, Mr. Creech: for I exactly follow the Senfe of Lucretius; whofe Meaning that Interpreter has mistaken in many Places of this Tranflation. This I the more confident

affirm, because I have his own Authority to strengthen my Affertion: For, in his Latine Edition of Lucretius, be often gives his Authour an Interpretation far different from, nay, Sometimes quite contrary to, what he makes him fay in this Tranflation. One manifest Instance of this, among many others, may be feen in the Note on the 547th Verse. of the 5th Book, to which I refer the Reader: and will bere only obferve, that our Tranflatour's Miftakes of this Nature bave often forc'd me to the Neceffity of giving the original Text of Lucretius; to the End, that fuch as understand the Latine may be convinc'd, that I have not taken upon me to blame and correct him without Reason. And to exempt my felf from all manner of Imputation upon

that

that Account, 1 bave fcarce, through the whole Courfe of thefe Annotations, ever accus'd this Tranflation of Errour, except only in Paffages to which Mr. Creech himself, in his Latine Edition of our Authour, has given a different Interpretation from what we find in this Tranflation, infomuch that, by pointing out thofe Miftakes to the Reader, I have not only done Justice to Lucretius, but, in fome Measure, even to bis Tranflatour likewife; of whom I may fay, without any Derogation to his Fame, that he bad not fo throughly digefted his Authour when be tranflated him, as be bad done afterwards, when he came to publish his Latine Notes upon him. And here by the Way I can not but wish, that he had not been fo fevere on Du Fay, the Editour of the Lucretius in Ufum Delphini, in lafhing him at the unmerciful Rate be does, in many Places, in those Notes, for Errours of which himself bad once been guilty, and into which they bad both been alike led by Lambine; especially too fince it is most evident, that he is often indebted to that Interpreter, I mean Du Fay, for the true understanding of the Senfe of bis Authour. This will manifeftly appear to any one, who will compare the Notes of thofe two Interpreters together, and reflect on the Difference of Time in which they were publish'd.

But I have not taken upon me to correct our Tranflatour, only where be has palpably mistaken the Sense of his Authour, but in thofe Places likewife, that he has render'd obfcurely or imperfectly. One Inftance of this, among too many others, the Reader may obferve in the Note on the 986th Verfe of the Second Book, where Lucretius, enumerating all the Conjuncts and Events, or Properties and Accidents, of the Epicurean Atoms, has included them all in the following Verfes;

Sic

Sic ipfis in rebus item jam materiaï
Intervalla, via, connexus, pondera, plaga,
Concurfus, motus, ordo, pofitura, figure,
Cum permutantur, mutari res quoque debent.

lib. 2. v. 1021.

To tranflate all which Mr. Creech imploys only these twe Verfes and a half;

In Bodies fo,

As their Seeds Order, Figure, Motion do,
The Things themselves must change, and vary too.

}

Now how lamely and imperfectly the full Senfe and Meaning of the above Paffage of Lucretius is exprefs'd in this Tranflation of it, appears at first Sight to all that are acquainted with the Epicurean Philofophy, and is fully made appear in the Note on thofe Verfes, to which I refer the Reader; and in this Place will only take Notice that I might justly have been blam'd for discharging but ill the Province I had undertaken, to explain Lucretius's Syftem of the Epicurean Philofophy, bad I not fupply'd what I found wanting in this Place, in Order to attain the perfect Understanding of the Senfe of the Original, which I found thus wretchedly mangled in the Tranflation. I have obferv'd the like Method throughout this whole Work, having us'd my utmost Diligence in comparing the Tranflation with the Original, and shewing all along in what it differs from it: infomuch that the following Annotations, in which is contain'd a compleat System of the Epicurean Philofophy, are rather Notes on the original Poem of Lucretius, than on Mr. Creech's Tranflation of it.

To conclude: Tho' I have fwell'd this Work to two Volumes, yet I bave made my Notes and Animadverfions as fhort as I could, without omitting any thing, that I thought might conduce to the Explication of the Senfe and

Meaning

Meaning of the Poet, to the right Understanding of the few biftorical and fabulous Paffages contain'd in him, to the explaining of the feveral Terms and Expreffions that are not known to the Generality of Readers; to the Intelligence of any Thing that feem'd difficult to understand, or in a Word, to the Illuftration of the Whole.