Young, the Diffident, and the Neglected. The Purpose of this Exhibition is not to enrich the Artifts, but to advance the Art; the Eminent are not flattered with Preference, nor the Obfcure infulted with Contempt, whoever hopes to deserve public Favour, is here invited to display his Merit. count may Of the Price put upon this Exhibition fome Acbe demanded. Whoever fets his Work to be fhewn, naturally defires a Multitude of Spectators; but his Defire defeats its own End, when Spectators affemble in fuch Numbers as to obstruct one another. Though we are far from wifhing to diminish the Pleafures, or depreciate the Sentiments of any Class of the Community, we know, however, what every one knows, that all cannot be Judges or Purchasers of Works of Art: yet we have already found by Experience, that all are defirous to fee an Exhibition. When the Terms of Admiffion were low, our Room was thronged with fuch Multitudes as made Accefs dangerous, and frightenened away those whofe Approbation was moft defired. Yet, because it is feldom believed that Money is got but for the Love of Money, we shall tell the Ufe which we intend to make of our expected Profits. Many Artists of great Abilities are unable to fell their Works for their due Price; to remove this Inconvenience, an annual Sale will be appointed, to which every Man muft fend his Works, and fend them if he will without his Name. Thefe Works will be reviewed by the Committee that conduct the Exhibition. A Price will be fecretly fet on every Piece, and registered by the Secretary. If the Piece expofed is fold for more, the whole Price fhall be the Artist's; but if the Purchaser's Value it at less than the Committee, the Artift fhall be paid the Deficiency from the Profits of the Exhibition. PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE TO THE LONDON CHRONICLE, In which is delineated what a NEWS-PAPER may and ought to be. I T has always been lamented, that of the little Time allotted to Man, much must be spent upon Superfluities. Every Profpect has its Obftructions which we must break to enlarge our View: Every Step of our Progrefs finds Impediments, which however eager to go forward we must stop to remove. Even those who profefs to teach the Way to Happiness, have multiplied our Incumbrances, and the Authour of almost every Book retards his Inftructions by a Preface. The Writers of the Chronicle hope to be eafily forgiven, though they fhould not be free from an Infection that has feized the whole Fraternity, and instead of falling immediately to their Subjects, fhould detain the Reader for a Time with an Account of the Importance of their Design, the Extent of their Plan, and the Accuracy of the Method which they intend to profecute. Such Premonitions, though not always neceffary when the Reader has the Book complete in his Hand, and may find by his own Eyes whatever can be found in it, yet may more easily be allowed to Works published gradually 8 gradually in fucceffive Parts, of which the Scheme can only be fo far known, as the Authour fhall think fit to discover it. The Paper which we now invite the Public to add to the Papers with which it is already rather wearied than fatisfied, confifts of many Parts; fome of which it has in common with other periodical Sheets, and Tome peculiar to itself. The firft Demand made by the Reader of a Journal is, that he should find an accurate Account of foreign Tranfactions and domestic Incidents. This is always expected, but this is very rarely performed. Of those Writers who have taken upon themfelves the Task of Intelligence, fome have given and others have fold their Abilities, whether fmall or great, to one or other of the Parties that divide us; and without a Wish for Truth or Thought of Decency, without Care of any other Reputation than that of a stubborn Adherence to their Abettors, carry on the fame Tenor of Representation through all the Viciffitudes of Right and Wrong, neither depreffed by Detection, nor abafhed by Confutation, proud of the hourly Increase of Infamy, and ready to boast of all the Contumelies that Falfehood and Slander may bring upon them, as new Proofs of their Zeal and Fidelity. With thefe Heroes we have no Ambition to be numbered, we leave to the Confeffors of Faction the Merit of their Sufferings, and are defirous to fhelter ourselves under the Protection of Truth. That all our Facts will be authentic, or all our Remaiks juft, we dare not venture to promife: We can relate but what we hear, we can point out but what we fee: Of remote Tranfactions, the firft Accounts are always confufed, and commonly exaggerated; and in domeftic Affairs, if the Power to conceal is lefs, the Intereft to mifreprefent is often greater; and what is fufficiently vexatious, Truth feems to fly fly from Curiofity, and as many Enquirers produce many Narratives, whatever engages the public Attention is immediately difguifed by the Embellishments of Fiction. We pretend to no peculiar Power of difentangling Contradiction or denuding Forgery, we have no fettled Correfpondence with the Antipodes, nor maintain any Spies in the Cabinets of Princes. But as we shall always be conscious that our Mistakes are involuntary, we fhall watch the gradual Discoveries of Time, and retract what we have hastily and erroneously advanced. ..In the Narratives of the daily Writers every Rea, der perceives fomewhat of Neatness and Purity wanting, which at the first View it seems easy to fupply; but it must be confidered, that thofe Paffages must be written in Hafte, and that there is often no other Choice, but that they must want either Novelty or Accuracy; and that as Life is very uniform, the Affairs of one Week are fo like thofe of another, that by any Attempt after Variety of Expreffion, Invention would foon be wearied, and Language exhaufted. Some Improvements however we hope to make; and for the reft we think that when we commit only common Faults, we shall not be excluded from common Indulgence. The Accounts of Prices of Corn and Stocks are to most of our Readers of more Importance than Narratives of greater Sound, and as Exactnefs is here within the Reach of Diligence, our Readers may justly require it from us. Memorials of a private and perfonal Kind, which relate Deaths, Marriages, and Preferments, muft always be imperfect by Omission, and often erroneous by Mifinformation; but even in these there shall not be wanting Care to avoid Mistakes, or to rectify them whenever they fhall be found. That Part of our Work, by which it is diftinguished from all others, is the literary Journal, or Account Account of the Labours and Productions of the Learned. This was for a long Time among the Deficiencies of English Literature, but as the Caprice of Man is always starting from too little to too much, we have now amongst other Difturbers of human Quiet, a numerous Body of Reviewers and Remarkers. Every Art is improved by the Emulation of Competitors; thofe who make no Advances towards Excellence, may ftand as Warnings against Faults. We fhall endeavour to avoid that Petulance which treats with Contempt whatever has hitherto been reputed facred. We fhall reprefs that Elation of Malignity, which wantons in the Cruelties of Criticifm, and not only murders Reputation, but murders it by Torture. Whenever we feel ourselves ignorant we fhall at least be modeft. Our Intention is not to pre-occupy Judgment by Praise or Cenfure, but to gratify Curiofity by early Intelligence, and to tell rather what our Authours have attempted, than what they have performed. The Titles of Books are neceffarily fhort, and therefore difclofe but imperfectly the Contents; they are fometimes fraudulent and intended to raise falfe Expectations. In our account this Brevity will be extended, and thefe Frauds whenever they are detected will be exposed; for though we write without Intention to injure, we fhall not fuffer ourselves to be made Parties to Deceit. If any Authour fhall tranfmit a Summary of his Work, we fhall willingly receive it; if any literary Anecdote, or curious Obfervation fhall be communicated to us, we fhall carefully infert it. Many Facts are known and forgotten, many Obfervations are made and fuppreffed; and Entertainment and Inftruction are frequently loft, for want of a Re pofitory |