Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/233

Rh it. This was meant as a lash for me, who had the honour then and since to serve His Majesty in that office. I must own 'twas very well resolved of them, to make the preface, and the book, all of a piece; for they have acted in this calumny both the injustice of the tyrant, and the forgery of the sophist. For my own part, I should never have honoured it with a refutation in print, but have given it that neglect that is due to weak detraction, had I not been engaged to my friend to write a censure upon Phalaris; where to omit to take notice of that slander, would be tacitly to own it. The true story is thus: a bookseller came to me, in the name of the Editors, to beg the use of the manuscript. It was not then in my custody, but as soon as I had the power of it, I went voluntarily and offered it him, bidding him tell the collator not to lose any time; for I was shortly to go out of town for two months. 'Twas delivered, used, and returned. Not a word said by the bearer, nor the least suspicion in me, that they had not finished the collation; for, I speak from experiment, they had more days to compare it in, than they needed to have hours. 'Tis a very little book, and the writing