Page:The history of Tom Jones (1749 Volume 1).pdf/160

 Thee are indeed to be conidered as Blanks in the grand Lottery of Time. We therefore who are the Regiters of that Lottery, hall imitate thoe agacious Perons who deal in that which is drawn at Guild-Hall, and who never trouble the Public with the many Blanks they dipoe of; but when a great Prize happens to be drawn, the News-Papers are preently filled with it, and the World is ure to be informed at whoe Office it was old: Indeed, commonly two or three different Offices lay claim to the Honour of having dipoed of it; by which I uppoe the Adventurers are given to undertand that certain Brokers are in the Secrets of Fortune, and indeed of her Cabinet-Council.

My Reader then is not to be urpried, if in the Coure of this Work, he hall find ome Chapters very hort, and others altogether as long; ome that contain only the Time of a ingle Day, and others that comprie Years; in a word, if my Hitory ometimes eems to tand ftill, and ometimes to fly. For all which I hall not look on myelf as accountable to any Court of Critical Juridiction whatever: For as I am, in reality, the Founder of a new Province of