Heart. But for drawing his Picture to the World; my Penfil is very unfit, and my Colours at prefent too Lifeless.

Two Things I would further Inculcate, though in the Book Infifted on; The Solidity and Gain of this

Art.

As to the First: I have no Reafon to distrust the Faculties God has given me; and therefore will never reject my own Opinion for anothers, without Conviction. On the other hand, I know I am not Infallible, and therefore rejoyce that at laft I have gotten this Piece, this Art, fet upon the Stage of our English World; where as it will meet with Fond Embracers, and Foolish Rejecters, fo will it with Sagacious, Unprejudic'd, Impartial and Skilful Judges, as any in the World. For this End have I been at this unfeasonable Pains; For this End have my Noble Benefactors been at the Charges; that if it be an Impoftor, it may die as a Criminal, and the World be undeceived: But if it be a Light from Heaven, we may not be Fighters against God, and rejetters of our own. Mercy.

Fle that would either Attack it as an Enemy, ar endeavour Satisfaction about it, as a Difciple, muft first and principally enquire, If this be a real Art, or a Fiction, If the ends pretended by thefe Rules, be as really gain'd, as the making Verfe by Profodia, Latine by the Syntax, and Analyfis by Rules of Logick. Now all that I require of thee is, That thou be a good Proficient, a Master of the Art, not a Scholar in it, before thou undertake to Judge. A Boy cannot pierce Corderius by his Grammar; but the defect is in the

Boy,

Boy, not in the Grammar. I had ftill fome Difficulties about this Point, until I found out the Rhetorical Ufe (I mean that ufe of knowing the Author's Intentions, which bears an Emphasis,and so I call it the Rhetorical Ufe) I found fo many Exceptions, but now I know not if there are any. Are ever Words feparated in Senfe, where a Minister joyns? Are ever or to be found in the Logical Ufe, where Propofitions are not diftinguished? Is ever to be found in a Verfe of one Propofition? But when its made two, by repeating the Verb, the very Harmony of Truth, with fulness and fweetnefs, Charms the Reader into an Evenna: As far as my Eyes can yet fee, the Reader muft embrace this for an Art, a Grammar about thirty Points, as the Latine, Hebrew, Greek Grammar about Twenty Two, or Twenty Four Several Letters, but with a Fulness and Exactness beyond them; fo that it feems to comprehend Logick and Rhetorick alfo. But though Grammar, Rhetorick and Logick, are of Affinity, yet diftinct Arts, fo this is diftinct from all the Three, in its Matter, Points, its End, the Senfe and Intention of the Author, its Means or Rules, it fuppofes thy Skill in Grammatical Syntax, and begins with that. Now I am glad it comes on the Stage with perfection of Parts, by which it is fo eafily able to difpell all Mifts of Obfcurity, and Anfwer all Objections against it. One may more reafonably deny all Arts, than own them, and deny this to

be one.

But fome Ignoramus may fay, Did not Capellus, Elias Levita, B. Walton, Voffius, Magna Nomina, deny them to be an Art for this end?

. R, I

R. I wish thou knew what these Men faid, that thou may not be guilty of the Abfurdity I have found in them, whom themfelves, and this City, count great. I thank you Mr. C. fays one, for your Pains against Capellus, be deferves more Satyr. But within a few Days, fays the fame, the Hebrew Bibles differs fo much from one another, that no Rules can agree to them. Capellus would have spit in the Man's face, that durft affront our Sacred Originals, at any fuch

rate.

I am glad, fays a Second, you bring down Voffius a little, he is a proud, fancy Author, on which I fent. one to fee if he would Incourage by Subfcription. No, fays be, the Seventy is my Original. I pray what would Voffius fay to this Man? I never denied, fays be, That the best of the Seventy's bad 20000 Errors in him. Where is now the Perfection of our Rule of Faith? Where is now Scrupulous Nonconformity with thefe Men, if this be their Opinion of their Bibles that they neither are Perfect, nor do agree in Faith, Worship, Life or Government? for the Hebrew does not with the one, and the Greek does not, as all confent, with the other.

R. 2. Thefe great Names never denied that thefe Points contain'd an Art.

( ༤༣ ... R. 3. They never denied that they contain'd this. Art in them, for they dreamt not of it; it was not ftarted to them, or by them. Its like this Profpect had allur'd thefe Magna Nómina to be Patrons. However, Enemies in this Point they never were. Thon must begin, or fome body elfe, for none yet have, to Oppose

it.

But

But though this Edition of this Art appears with greater Maturity, and Adultnefs than others, it is far from a Perfection of Beauty Never did Book more want Apology, never was more Apology to be made: It is fo far from Embellishment, with the Trappings and Phalera's of Rhetorick and Eloquence, that it comes forth with a Stile Difficile, Laconick, Curt, and Abrupt, it wears a Rent, instead of a Girdle, and Baldness for Beauty.

Reader, Though the Art has coft me many Years Studies and Collections, the time of Compofing it, as nom Publifh'd, has been a time of fevere Sickness, all the Time I have kept my Chamber, and most of it my Bed. Soul and Body bear a powerful Sympathy: fo it is a fickly Stile.

Secondly, If it please God to restore Health, Ifhall endeavour to mend it I daily expect Improvement's from Roftoch, Wafmuth Junior of Lipfic, and Mr. Gordon, Profeffor (or to be) of this Art in Aberdeen. But he informed me, the Rhetorical Ufe is entirely unknown to thofe Parts. But it is fit to fee first, what Acceptance thefe Rudiments find.

A

But, Reader, having now made Apology for my Stile, or defect of one, and fet before thee, in clear Light, comparing it with the Book, that it is to deny Demonstration, nay, Matter of Fact, to deny that thefe Points were Contrio'd intentionally, in the Harmonious Conftitution they stand in (every Word bearing its Point, ubofe Figure Indicates the relation it has to the 1 Word only, if a Minifter, or little Lord, to it, and more, if a greater Lord, &c.) to A 4 affift

affift the Reader to know the Senfe of every Verfe, by Indicating the relation of all the Words and Propofitions. And to deny, that thefe Tables and Rules do Indicate thefe Relations, that the Reader may be fecure of the Author's Intention, may as well deny the. Grammatical Harmony of Claffical Authors, or the Rules of Grammar to Indicate them. The next thing is to Enquire who is the Author of this Art, or thefe Points that contain it? This indeed has been contended among great Names, but never fince, or where the Senfe of the Bible was own'd to be the end of the Art. It was no wonder a wife Man fhould dethat to be the Fruit of Divine Wisdom, that thirty feveral Figures fhould be invented to inform us, if the Accent was on the last Syllable, or that before it, when the Pofition of one was fuff cient, but fo high an end as the Author's Intention, through fo barmonious a Chain of Means, might have charm'd them into a Belief of For who can know the Mind of the Lord but bis Spirit? And who can fet Rules to know what be understands not?

it.

+

Secondly, The Difpute has been about the Vowels; thefe great Names when prefs'd with Arguments, have qwn'd that the Accentual were before.

Thirdly, Suppofe that was their Opinion, That the Tyberian Maforites were Authors of all the Points, there is reafon fince thou imbrace it on their Authority, thou should take all their Authority together, and then thou will believe them the best Artists of the World, nay, Divinely Infpired, fays Levita, thou may expect a great Expofition, but yesterdays Authority is too mean; and if thon go beyond them, thou

wilt,