The vanity of the creature by the author of The whole duty of man, &c. ; together with a letter prefix'd, sent to the bookseller, relating to the author.

TO THE Bookseller.

Mr. Kidgell,

YOu having Printed that most Excellent piece, Entituled, The Whole Duty of Man, Part II. Wherein the Author of that Book hath discovered much Iudg∣ment, together with a composure of Ele∣gancy of Style and Expression, I having a good opinion of your Conversation by a little acquaintance with you, at the re∣quest of my Kinsman Mr. G. L. I. send you an account of the little Tract you are Printing, called The Vanity of the Crea∣ture; which was, (if my word may pass for it) written by the first Author of The Whole Duty of Man. That he

was a person of great Learning and Piety, I think no man will gain-say; which if he did, he would be sufficiently confuted by that his most Excellent and Divine Trea∣tise. He was also of that Christian-like temper of meekness and modesty, rarely to be found in the best of men of these fla∣gitious times, that out of a perfect enmi∣ty and aversion to vain-glory, he purpose∣ly concealed his name; which hath been the occasion of as many conjectures (al∣most) to know who he was, as there have been scrutinies to find out the head-spring and original source of the River Nile. For my part, I shall not (though I could) break the rules of Decency and good Man∣ners, to satisfie the itching desire of the over-curious, in divulging that which the Author himself was so careful to conceal. —Cum vides velatam, quid inquiris in rem absconditam? This is certain, and I will adventure at the boldness to say, that all those several Discourses which have appeared abroad in the World un∣der

our Authors name, were not written by him; but whoever were the Authors, it cannot be denyed, but that they have written them with the greatest Iudgment, Learning, and Piety imaginable, and that they are only worthy of imitating so great a Divine as our Author.

Yours in all Civil Offices, J. L.