ROBERT POCOCK. 239 



able to judge the actions of our ancestors, whereby we 

 can avoid their vices, reject their follies, and improve 

 our morals ; such documents exhibit excellent lessons 

 by showing the rise and fall of princes, or the revolu- 

 tions of states, all which changes have been chiefly 

 brought about by the pride of man, who too often for- 

 gets himself in good health, and only knows when on 

 a bed of sickness the proper duty he owes to his 

 superior. 



" Since the commencement in forming this volume 

 some doubt has arisen whether it would be proper to 

 notice what Mr. Hasted (thp historian of Kent) has 

 written (his work being already in the hands of the 

 nobility and principal gentlemen of the county), to 

 incorporate it with what we have gleaned ; or to strike 

 out a new plan by giving the whole in the form of a 

 biographical and chronological history. At last the 

 incorporation preponderated, in consequence of the 

 number of years elapsed since Mr. Hasted' s death, 

 the scarcity of his voluminous work, and the many 

 therefore who have it not in their possession : 

 besides, our subscription being one guinea for an 

 octavo, we are unwilling the subscriber shall have any 

 cause of complaint ; but that he shall have enough for 

 his money, we have illustrated the work with several 

 interesting plates, and also introduced (we hope not 

 irrelevantly) some pleasing digressions, extending the 

 volume to above 600 pages, as we promised in our 

 prospectus. 



" Among the various publications extant, few have 

 appeared as a helping rule for topographers and 

 authors; therefore we have inserted our synopsis, 

 which will serve, not only as a partial index, but a 



