Sportive vvit the muses merriment, a new spring of lusty drollery, joviall fancies, and a la mode lamponnes, on some heroic persons of these late times, never before exposed to the publick view / collected for the publick good by a club of sparkling wits, viz. C.J., B.J., L.M., W.T., cum multis alsis----

To the Reader.

Jovial Readers,

BY your leave room for such Wit as your Friends and sparkling Canary pre∣sents you with: you have it from persons who entertained no serious thoughts, or notions at that time. 'Tis sufficient, that this small volume hath been before a lawfull Iudicature: and certainly it cannot but be the better thought of, in regard it hath been too severely dealt withall; for Gold, though it be the richest production of the Sun, is very often expos'd to the Touch-stone. Such a triall have every one of these Copies endur'd. And believe it Reader, it hath passed the Ver∣dict of a Grand Iury: The truth is, there for∣merly came forth a Book intituled Wit and Drollery, which contained so many refined Fancies, that had not this appeared, it might (for things of that nature) have given a full satisfaction to the curious. But since we have made so noble and so large a discovery, I hope, Reader, thou wilt not be angry that we have not been Concealers, and Hoarders of our wealth. For to deale plainly with thee,

Reader, the publishers had no designes be∣yond thy pleasure, their owne reputation, and the continuation of their sprightly Club. Onely be pleased, courteou•• Reader, to under∣stand, that some friends of Sir John Men∣nis, and D. J. S. have already taken notice, how these worthy persons are likely to suffer by Copies, to which their names are shortly to be affixed: Papers onely to be protested against; and indeed those who knew those Gentlemen, can assure the Reader, that hi∣therto they never allowed of the publishing of their Copies, nor will ever descend so much from their own prerogative, as to own those which they never wrote. Neither have we such a dearth of other Wits, there are other ingenuous persons in our little World of Bri∣tain, more youthfull, as familiar and joviall with the Muses as ever they were, and such as when they please to be right Drollers, can be as little in love as they, such as are resol∣ved never to study Romances, or to be guilty of the false praises of women. You may meet with severall Pamphlets, Reader, but consi∣der whether they be not rak'd from the simple collections of Short hand prentices. Of these

surreptitious Editions there is no end; and if such trifles are allowed, we shall see Bal∣lads inserted shortly, to as much dishonour of our English Wit, as if Don's Poems were turned into Dutch. The onely misfortune, as when meere Rimers, and such like pittifull Gleaners of the scraps of Wit, shall, like Marsyas, pretend to play with Apollo. In∣genuous Reader, this volume is exposed to thy cleare censure; onely take notice, if you can finde out a Christian, and Sirname by the letters in the Title, as they are placed, you will do little lesse than devine. These parti∣culars I had order to acquaint you with from the Club of Wits,

Remaining,

Your unfeigned friend in NECTAR.