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 the two great Supporters of Impoture, gave Authority; and thus, many Rules for good Writing have been etablihed, which have not the leat Foundation in Truth or Nature; and which commonly erve for no other Purpoe than to curbe and retrain Genius, in the ame Manner; as it would have retrained the Dancing-mater, had the many excellent Treaties on that Art, laid it down as an eential Rules, that every Man mut dance in Chains.

To,To [sic] avoid, therefore, all Imputation of laying down a Rule for Poterity, founded only on the Authority of ipe dixit; for which, to ay the Truth, we have not the profoundet Veneration; we hall here wave the Privilege above contended for, and proceed to lay before the Reader, the Reaons which have induced us, to interpere thee everal digreive Eays, in the Coure of the Work.

And here we hall of Neceity be led to open a new Vein of Knowledge, which, if it hath been dicovered, hath not, to our Remembrance, been wrought on by any antient or modern Writer. This Vein is no other than that of Contrat, which runs through all the Works of the