To the Reader. 



that the Right Honorable the Earl of Berkftiire, Lord Lovelace, 

 &c. are defignedly left out, in regard that though they have Eftates 

 and Seats in this County, yet their chiefeft, and places of moft com- 

 mon refidence being elfewhere, I have chofen rather to omit them here, 

 and to place them in thofe that feem their more defirable Counties. 



Concerning the Hiftory it/elf lean advife little more, but that I 

 undertook, it at firil for my own pleafure, the fuhjeel of it being fo 

 pleafant, and of fo great variety, that it furprifed me to think, how 

 many Learned Ages hadpaji (careful and laborious enough in compi- 

 ling the Civil and Geographical Hi/lories of England) without fo 

 much as ever attemting that o/Nature or Arts .* itfeeming to be a de- 

 fign (had the Undertaker beenfuitable) more highly deferving of the 

 publicktoo, than either of the former, as tending not only t o the ad- 

 vancement of a fort of Learning fo much negletled in England, hut 

 of Trade alfo, which I hope in fome meafure is made to appear in the 

 following Treatife, 



Which though fujfeient to juftifie my choice of this fubjeft, yet I 

 ventured not upon it without the joint approbation of the moft knowing 

 in thefe matters, fuch as the Honorable Robert Boyle Efq; Dr. Willis, 

 Dr. Wallis, Dr. Bathurft, &c. wheje celebrated names ferving to 

 remove the groundlefs fufpitions many had of the attcmt^ I proceeded 

 to give this Specimen of it : Wherein the Readers only defired to 

 take notice, that moft of the Curiofities, whether of Art, Nature, 

 or Antiquities engraven in the Cuts, are fo certain truths, that as 

 many as were portable, or could he procured, are in the hands of the 

 Author. But for fuch things as are infep arable from their places, they 

 remain to hefeen as in the Hislory directed, there being nothing here 

 mention' d, hut what either the Author has feen himfelf or has recei- 

 ved unauefticnable teftimony /or it, which for the moft part, if not 

 alwaies, the Reader will find cited. 



/// Philofophical/w/, / have chiefly embraced the Principles 

 of Dr. Willis, as the moft univerfally known and received, and there* 

 fore moft likely (in this inquifitive Age) to he the trueft ; which if I 

 have any where mif applied (as 'tis manifold odds fome where or other 

 I may) yet I doubt not but the Learned and fob er Reader will can- 

 didly accept of thehonefty of my endeavor in excufe of my Error. 

 But as for the hot-headed half-witted Cenfurer, who perhaps only looks 

 on the Title of a Chapter,or here and there a Paragraph that makes for 



his 



