A quaint Author of the year 1633, in his pithy Proeme to a book, entituled

THE
PHILOSOPHERS BANQVET,

Newly Furnished and decked forth with much variety of many severall dishes,

aptly sayeth

"To the Iuditious Reader,

"Him that will buy this Booke; thus in the commendation and use thereof.

"Good Reader, many things hath beene written by many men, and the over-cloying humor of this age hath so overburdened the world with multiplicity of al kinds, that scarce there is one subject left upon the head whereof a hundred have not trampled over: amongst which impartial handling, it may bee possible that some one corner hath escaped this scrutenous search, and beene raked over with a lighter hand than other."

We feel the justice of this remark as applicable to modern poetry. Much novelty cannot be expected. In submitting the following volume to the public, we attempt neither to prejudice them in its favour, or supplicate them in behalf of its faults.

The signature of Bion distinguishes the pieces of R. Southey;—Moschus, R. Lovell.