ADVERTISEMENT. S none of the liberal fciences can afford a nobler entertainment to the human mind than poetry, fo it is presumed, that a judicious collection of agreeable and inftructive poems can never be unfeasonable. Mufic ravishes the ear, and affects the foul; but its sweet enchantment is of short duration: A fine piece of painting, if carefully preferved, will mellow into perfection, and perhaps continue the admiration of mankind for fome centuries; but the works of THE POET live for ever. We muft, however, except those pieces, which, though intrinsically of the highest merit, yet, being published in a loose, careless, or inelegant manner, muft, of courfe, in a hort time, perish in the wreck of oblivion. To preferve fome of thefe fpirited productions, which have been thus unfortunately neglected, is one part of the defign of this publication. But it will be proper briefly to inform the reader of the nature of our plan. First then, we propofe once a month (for one year only) to publish a small volume of poems, printed in an elegant manner; each of which will take its title from the month at the conclufion of which it is published, and be introduced with fome original poems, particularly defcriptive of its proper month: month afterwards will be added variety of pieces that are either amufing or inftructive (and at the fame time not immoral), which, though of real merit, have paffed through the world unnoticed: Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And wafte its fweetnefs on the defert air. Though it must be confeffed, that our plan is of an extenfive nature, yet we do not in the leaft defpair of bringing it to a confiderable degree of perfection; as we have laid in a very large fund of fcarce and valuable poems, are poffeffed of many original pieces, and have the promise of affistance from gentlemen of the most celebrated names, the moft acknowledged tafte, and the moft diftinguifhed genius. CONTENTS. 17 18 |