The idylliums of Theocritus with Rapin's discourse of pastorals / done into English.

To His Honoured Friend ARTHƲR CHARLET A.M. Fellow of Trinity College in OXON.

SIR,

THis in its several parts being ad∣dress'd to my Intimate Acquain∣tance, desires a Patron of the same rank; and hath pitch'd on You as the most able to endure, and most ready to oblige by accepting a greater trouble than the rest: It is the defence of the Whole that you must be engag'd in, whilst the others singly are charged only with a Part: and in this I have fol∣lowed the example of the Antients, who tho they had one of the Lares to

preside over every little room, yet the whole house was dedicated to some Com∣mon Guardian: This Distinction pro∣ceeded either from a real inequality of Power in the Protectors, or from the difference of those benefits which They were suppos'd to have actually bestow∣ed: As to the former consideration, every one that knows my Friends will easily allow that each singly is sufficient for the whole, tho, by reason of my im∣perfections, a great task: But the lat∣ter, Sir, gives You the preference, and Gratitude forceth me to believe his po∣wer to be greatest, who hath most often, and most signally exprest it: Innume∣rable private Favours I must acknow∣ledge the same way they were bestow'd, and spare your Modesty and my own: for otherwise it w••uld seem that I

thought there was some thing in my felf worth your notice; or else I must pub∣lickly proclaim, that You (which tho 'tis really your Case, yet very few can boast) are kind and generous without any prospect of return: But those which properly relate to the present oc∣casion I must beg leave to mention, since Pliny, and all agree, hath severely noted as the greatest Ingratitude not to acknowledge to whom we owe what we have attain'd; and it would argue stu∣pidity to run wilfully on that Censure, which hath been so justly pass'd, and so much applauded.

You may remember Sir how often, when the publick Cares of your well-managed Office would permit you to retreat, we have retir'd to a Grove, where Quiet spreads all around, and a

springing verdure, and chequer'd va∣riety to raise the Thoughts and recre∣ate the Fancy; whilst soft breezes mur∣mur'd thro the Trees, which, like our Affections, serv'd only to intermix, but never to shatter or disturb: There I have enjoy'd whatever the Poets could imagine, a free innocent, and instructive discourse, such as reform'd my Errors, and incourag'd those Essays which you was pleas'd to think endea∣vors after vertue; till then I envied the happiness of the described Swains, and lookt on Virgil and Theocritus as disturbers of Man kind, who elaborately describ'd the most perfect and surprizing Beautys, but gave us no Hopes either to see or to enjoy. The Golden age was their scene, and 'twas necessary to look beyond Jupiter him∣self

to find any thing innocent or pleas∣ing; and how tedious such a search must be; every one may imagine, who consi∣ders that 'tis very hard to take so large a prospect, especially when there is no∣thing but a bare Contemplation to ex∣cite, and reward his Diligence. The time Sir, I found brought back a∣gain by your conversation, and all those difficulties (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) which were so even to a Proverb, practically explain'd: so that what∣ever in this performance is drawn soft, innocent, and pleasing; is but a Copy from You the Original: This is the happiness that attends polite Learn∣ing, it smooths all the natural Asperi∣ties of Humor and Passion, and spreads an obligeing tenderness thro the whole Man, And where the Cause

is in so eminent a degree, and the Ef∣fect too necessary, what can hinder the Production? These are the reasons that have determin'd my acknowledge∣ments for former, and given me en∣couragement to beg a new Obligation, To accept this, and pardon its defects will be a very considerable one to

Sir, Your most Humble Servant THOMAS CREECH.

All-Souls Coll. July 12. 1684.