PREFACE 



TO 



THE PHILOSOPHICAL LETTERS, 



By Dk. DERHAM. 



To THE Reader, 



After the death of the late justly famed Mr. Ray, 

 his papers were intrusted with me, that if I thought any 

 of them might be of use to the learned world, I might 

 publish them , Wlien I undertook the labom- of perusing 

 and putting them in order, I confess I thought there 

 might have been some tracts designed and fitted up for 

 the public by an author so considerable as Mr. Ray was, 

 who had published so many good things as he had done ; 

 but all that I met with was his ' Observations of Insects' 

 (which he lived not to perfect, and which are already 

 printed), and the Diaries of his Travels about Great Britain 

 and in foreign parts, and his Letters to and from learned 

 men. His ' Foreign Travels' he published himself; but 

 for brevity, I find he hath omitted many very good 

 observations that well deserve to see the light. And as 

 for his ' Travels about England, Scotland, and Wales,' I 

 have fitted them up for the press, with an intent to 

 have pubhshed them with his ' Life,' which I began to 

 write at the instance of my late much honoured and 

 right reverend diocesan Henry, Lord Bishop of London, 

 and some other very considerable friends, whose impor- 



