could be requir'd to render this Work as perfect in its Kind, as any thing of this Nature can be expected to be; and that whatever Defects shall be found in it must be imputed to my Want of Judgment and Capacity; fince I was abundantly Supply'd with all the Materials, that were requifite to accomplish my Undertaking. And throughout the whole Work I feldom advance any Thing of my own; but have collected only the Opinions of others, and left the Reader to judge and determine concerning them.

In the Text itself I have taken Care to Supply all the Verfes which Mr. Creech had not tranflated; and that were never before in any of the former Editions of this English Lucretius. Thofe that were omitted towards the End of the fourth Book, where the Poet treats of the Nature of Love, are taken from Mr. Dryden's Tranflation of that Part of our Authour. Of all the other Verfes, that are now first inferted, I have given an Account in their due Places, in the Notes upon them: Mean while I bave included all the Verfes, that are thus fupply'd, between Crotchets, as a Mark of Diftinction to let the Reader know, that they were not in any of the former Editions. Befides, I have prefix'd to every Book a feveral Argument, in which may be feen at one View, not only the feveral Subjects treated of in each of the fix Books; but likewife the Manner in which they are handled, the Method of the Poet's Difputation, and the Connexion of the following Book to that which precedes it. And each Book concludes with an Animadverfion, briefly recapitulating the Contents of it, and condemning or approving the Maxims and Arguments contain'd and afferted in it. This Method our Tranflatour bimfelf has obferv'd in his Latine Edition of Lucretius; from whence the Animadverfion, which the Reader will find at the End of each Book, is chiefly taken. Moreover, to make this Edition more perfect than any of the former, where in many Places feveral of the Poet's Arguments and Propofitions are join'd together, without any Diftinction, where one ends or the other begins, I have been careful to

diftinguish

diftinguish them from one another, by beginning each Ara gument and Propofition with a Break; fo that the Reader will readily difcern where it begins, and where it ends: and that too the more easily, because each Note begins by expressing the Number of the Verses that each Argument or Propofition contains.

As for the Tranflatour's own excellent and learned Notes on Lucretius, which have hitherto been printed at the End of all the former Editions, and all together by themselves, I have now difpofed them into the feveral Places, to which be bad directed them, and they properly belong infomuch that the Reader will now find them, not as before, in a Body by themselves, but intermix'd with my Annotations, without the least Alteration, and in their proper Place.

Each Note has a Number prefix'd before it, which directs to the Number in the Margin of the Text; which last Number, for the greater Eafe of the Reader, marks every fifth Verfe of the Tranflation, and fhews how many Verfes are contain❜d in each Book.

It will be obferv'd, that in the Notes, that are merely explanatory, I often differ from the Senfe of my Authour, I mean, Mr. Creech: for I exactly follow the Senfe of Lucretius; whofe Meaning that Interpreter has mistaken in many Places of this Tranflation. This I the more confidently affirm, because I have his own Authority to strengthen my Affertion: For, in his Latine Edition of Lucretius, be often gives his Authour an Interpretation far different from, nay, fometimes quite contrary to, what he makes him fay in this Tranflation. One manifeft Instance of this, among many others, may be feen in the Note on the 547th Verse of the 5th Book, to which I refer the Reader: and will bere only obferve, that our Tranflatour's Miftakes of this Nature have often forc'd me to the Neceffity of giving the original Text of Lucretius; to the End, that fuch as underftand the Latine may be convinc'd, that I have not taken upon me to blame and correct him without Reafon. And to exempt my felf from all manner of Imputation upon

that

that Account, I have fcarce, through the whole Course of thefe Annotations, ever accus'd this Tranflation of Errour, except only in Paffages to which Mr. Creech himself, in bis Latine Edition of our Authour, has given a different Interpretation from what we find in this Tranflation, infomuch that, by pointing out thofe Miftakes to the Reader, I have not only done Justice to Lucretius, but, in Some Measure, even to bis Tranflatour likewife; of whom I may fay, without any Derogation to his Fame, that he had not fo throughly digefted his Authour when be translated him, as be bad done afterwards, when he came to publish bis Latine Notes upon him. And here by the Way I can not but wish, that he had not been fo fevere on Du Fay, the Editour of the Lucretius in Ufum Delphini, in lafhing him at the unmerciful Rate be does, in many Places, in those Notes, for Errours of which himself bad once been guilty, and into which they had both been alike led by Lambine efpecially too fince it is most evident, that he is often indebted to that Interpreter, I mean Du Fay, for the true understanding of the Sense of his Authour. This will manifeftly appear to any one, who will compare the Notes of thofe two Interpreters together, and reflect on the Difference of Time in which they were publish'd.

But I have not taken upon me to correct our Tranflatour, only where he has palpably mistaken the Senfe of his Authour, but in thofe Places likewife, that he has render'd obfcurely or imperfectly. One Inftance of this, among too many others, the Reader may obferve in the Note on the 986th Verfe of the fecond Book, where Lucretius, enumerating all the Conjuncts and Events, or Properties and Ac◄ cidents, of the Epicurean Atoms, has included them all in the following Verfes;

Sic

Sic ipfis in rebus item jam materiai
Intervalla, via, connexus, pondera, plaga,
Concurfus, motus, ordo, pofitura, figura,
Cum permutantur, mutari res quoque debent.

lib. 2. v. 1021.

To tranflate all which Mr. Creech imploys only these two Verfes and a half;

In Bodies fo,

As their Seeds Order, Figure, Motion do,
The Things themselves must change, and vary too.

}

Now bow lamely and imperfectly the full Senfe and Meaning of the above Paffage of Lucretius is exprefs'd in this Tranflation of it, appears at first Sight to all that are acquainted with the Epicurean Philofophy, and is fully made appear in the Note on thofe Verfes, to which I refer the Reader; and in this Place will only take Notice that I might justly have been blam'd for discharging but ill the Province I had undertaken, to explain Lucretius's Syftem of the Epicurean Philofophy, bad I not fupply'd what I found wanting in this Place, in Order to attain the perfect Understanding of the Senfe of the Original, which I found thus wretchedly mangled in the Translation. I bave obferv'd the like Method throughout this whole Work, having us'd my utmost Diligence in comparing the Tranflation with the Original, and fhewing all along in what it differs from it: infomuch that the following Annotations, in which is contain'd a compleat System of the Epicurean Philofophy, are rather Notes on the original Poem of Lucretius, than on Mr. Creech's Tranflation of it.

To conclude: Tho' I have fwell'd this Work to two Volumes, yet I have made my Notes and Animadverfions as short as I could, without omitting any thing, that I thought might conduce to the Explication of the Senfe and

Meaning

Meaning of the Poet, to the right Understanding of the few biftorical and fabulous Paffages contain'd in him, to the explaining of the feveral Terms and Expreffions that are not known to the Generality of Readers; to the Intelligence of any Thing that feem'd difficult to understand, or in a Word, to the Illuftration of the Whole.