11 ADVERTISEMENT. 



licitation, from fome of the Literati^ to afpire after 

 the honours of a Folio, when an amiable Lady 

 propofed to me, very ferioufly, to give an Edition 

 in i8vo. " on purpofe," faid flie, with inimitable 

 grace, '* that I may never go without it in my 

 " pocket.'* 



I feel myfelf fo highly honoured by the good 

 opinion of the Ladies, that I know not whether my 

 vanity would not be more agreeably flattered with 

 being in their pockets in the fize of a i8vo. than 

 in that of a huge atlas, in the library of the 

 Louvre. This (pecies of incognito has, belides, an 

 inexpreflible fomewhat in it which is fingularly 

 grateful to me. In the agreeable perplexity to 

 which I am reduced, and under an impoffibility of 

 giving four new Editions at once, to gratify the 

 tafte of all my Readers, a thought ftruck me, of 

 inviting thofe of them who diflike the izmo. fize, 

 to fend their inftruftions, free of pofti^e, to my 

 Bookfellers, containing fimply their addrefs, and 

 the form which they prefer. 1 (liall then be de- 

 termined by the plurality of fuffrages ; and as 

 foon as 1 fliall have five hundred of them in favour 

 of an O(ftavo or a Quarto, I fliall publiQi it by 

 fubfcription, on a fine paper, with new plates 

 drawn and engraved by Artifl:s of the firft ability. 

 But if there be only two hundred and fifty voices 

 in favour of the Decimo-odavo, I will give the 



preference 



