Familiar Letters between the Principal Characters in David Simple/Preface
PREFACE.
Written by a Friend of the Author.
THE Taste of the Public, with regard to Epistolary Writing, have been much vitiated by some modern Authors, it may not be amiss to premise some short Matter concerning it in this Place, that the Reader may not expect another Kind of Entertainment than he will meet with in the following Papers, nor impute the Author's designed Deviation from the common Road, to any Mistake or Error.
Those Writings which are called Letters, may be divided into four Classes. Under the first Class may be ranged those Letters, as well antient as modern, which have been written by Men, who have filled up the principal Characters on the Stage of Life, upon great and memorable Occasions. These have been always esteemed as the most valuable Parts of History, as they are not only the most authentic Memorials of Facts, but as they serve greatly to illustrate the true Character of the Writer, and do in a manner introduce the Person himself to our Acquaintance.
A Second Kind owe their Merit not to Truth, but to Invention; such are the Letters which contain ingenious Novels, or shorter Tales, either pathetic or humorous; these bear the same Relation to the former, as Romance doth to true History; and, as the former may be called short Histories, so may these be styled short Romances.
In the next Branch may be ranked those Letters, which have past between Men of Eminence in the Republic of Literature. Many of these are in high Estimation in the learned World, in which they are considered as having equal Authority to that, which the political World allows to those of the first Class.
Besides these three Kinds of Letters, which have all their several Merits, there are two more, with which the Moderns have very plentifully supplied the World, tho' I shall not be very profuse in my Encomiums on either: These are Love-Letters, and Letters of Conversation, in which last are contained the private Affairs of Persons of no Consequence to the Public, either in a political or learned Consideration, or indeed in any Consideration whatever.
With these two Kinds of Letters the French Language in particular so vastly abounds, that it would employ most of the leisure Hours of Life to read them all; nay, I believe indeed, they are the principal Study of many of our fine Gentlemen and Ladies, who learn that Language.
And hence such Readers have learnt the critical Phrases of a familiar easy Style, a concise epistolary Style, &c. and these they apply to all Letters whatever.
Now, from some polite modern Performances, written I suppose by this Rule, I much doubt, whether these French Readers have any just and adequate Notion of this epistolary Style, with which they are so enamoured. To say the Truth, I question whether they do not place it entirely in short, abrupt, unconnected Periods; a Style so easy, that any Man may write it, and which, one would imagine, it must be very difficult to procure any Person to read.
To such Critics therefore I would recommend Ovid, who was perhaps the ablest Writer of les Lettres Galantes, that ever lived. In his Arte amandi they will find the following Rule.
—praesens ut videare loqui.
viz. that these Letters should preserve the Style of Conversation; and in his Epistles they will see this excellently illustrated by Example. But if we are to form our Idea of the Conversation of some modern Writers from their Letters, we shall have, I am afraid, a very indifferent Opinion of both.
But in reality, this Style of Conversation is only proper, at least only necessary to these, which I have called Letters of Conversation; and is not at all requisite either to Letters of Business, which in After-ages make a Part of History, or to those on the Subject of Literature and Criticism. Much less is it adapted to the Novel or Story-Writer; for what difference is there, whether a Tale is related this or any other way? And sure no one will contend, that the epistolary Style is in general the most proper to a Novelist, or that it hath been used by the best Writers of this Kind.
It is not my Purpose here to write a large Dissertation on Style in general, nor to assign what is proper to the Historian, what to the Romance, and what to the Novel-writer, nor to observe in what manner all these differ from each other; it is sufficient to have obviated an Objection, which, I foresaw, might be made to these little Volumes by some, who are in truth as incapable of knowing any of the Faults as of reaping any of the Beauties of an Author; and I assure them, there is no Branch of Criticism, in which Learning, as well as Good-sense is more required, than to the forming an accurate Judgment of Style, tho' there is none, I believe, in which every trifling Reader is more ready to give his Decision.
Instead of laying down any Rules for the use of such Tyros in the critical Art, I shall recommend them to one, who is a Master of Style, as of every other Excel-lence. This Gentleman in his Persian Letters, many of which are written on the most important Subjects in Ethics, Politics, and Philosophy, hath condescended to introduce two or three Novels: in these they will find that inimitable Writer very judiciously changing the Style which he uses on other Occasions, where the Subjects of his Letters require the Air and Style of Conversation; to preserve which, in relating Stories that run to any length, would be faulty in the Writer, and tiresome to the Reader.
To conclude this Point, I know not of any essential Difference between this, and any other way of writing Novels, save only, that by making use of Letters, the Writer is freed from the regular Beginnings and Conclusions of Stories, with some other Formalities, in which the Reader of Taste finds no less Ease and Advantage, than the Author himself.
As to the Matter contained in the following Volumes, I am not perhaps at Liberty to declare my Opinion: Relation and Friendship to the Writer may draw upon me the Censure of Partiality, if I should be as warm as I am inclined to be in their Commendation. The Reader will however excuse me, if I advise him not to run them over with too much Haste and Indifference; such Readers will, I promise them, find little to admire in this Book, whose Beauties (if it have any) require the same Attention to discover them, with which the Author herself hath considered that Book of Nature, whence they are taken. In Books, as well as Pictures, where the Excellence lies in the Expression or Colouring only, the first Glance of the Eyes acquaints us with all the Perfection of the Piece; but the nicest and most delicate Touches of Nature are not so soon perceived. In the Works of Cervantes or Hogarth, he is, I believe, a wretched Judge, who discovers no new Beauties on a second, or even a third Perusal.
And here I cannot controll myself from averring, that many Touches of this kind appear to me in these Letters; some of which I cannot help thinking as fine, as I have ever met with in any of the Authors, who have made human Nature their Subject.
As such Observations are generally supposed to be the Effects of long Experience in, and much Acquaintance with Mankind, it may perhaps surprize many, to find them in the Works of a Woman; especially of one, who, to use the common Phrase, hath seen so little of the World: and I should not wonder on this account, that these Letters were ascribed to another Author, if I knew any one capable of writing them.
But in reality the Knowledge of Human Nature is not learnt by living in the Hurry of the World. True Genius, with the help of a little Conversation, will be capable of making a vast Progress in this Learning; and indeed I have observed, there are none who know so little of Men, as those who are placed in the Crouds, either of Business or Pleasure. The Truth of the Assertion, that Pedants in Colleges have seldom any Share of this Knowledge, doth not arise from any Defect in the College, but from a Defect in the Pendant, who would have spent many Years at St. James's to as little Purpose: for daily Experience may convince us, that it is possible for a Blockhead to see much of the World, and know little of it.
The Objection to the Sex of the Author hardly requires an Answer: It will be chiefly advanced by those, who derive their Opinion of Women very unfairly from the fine Ladies of the Age; whereas, if the Behaviour of their Counterparts the Beaus, was to denote the Understanding of Men, I apprehend the Conclusion would be in Favour of the Women, without making a Compliment to that Sex. I can of my own Knowledge, and from my own Acquaintance bear Testimony to the Possibility of those Examples, which History gives of Women eminent for the highest Endowments and Faculties of the Mind. I shall only add an Answer to the same Objection, relating to David Simple, given by a Lady of very high Rank, whose Quality is less an Honour to her than her Understanding. So far, said she, from doubting David Simple to be the Performance of a Woman, I am very well convinced it could not have been written by a Man.
In the Conduct of Women, in that great and important Business of their Lives, the Affair of Love, there are Mysteries, with which Men are perfectly unacquainted: their Education being on this Head in Constraint of, nay in direct Opposition to, Truth and Nature, creates such a constant Struggle between Nature and Habit, Truth and Hypocrisy, as introduce often much Humour into their Characters; especially when drawn by sensible Writers of their own Sex, who are on this Subject much more capable than the ablest of ours.
I Remember it was the Observation of a Lady, for whose Opinion I have a great Veneration, that there is nothing more generally unnatural, than the Characters of Women on the Stage, and that even in our best Plays: If this be fact, as I sincerely believe it is, whence can it proceed, but from the Ignorance in which the artificial Behaviour of Women leaves us, of what really passes in their Minds, and which, like all other Mysteries, is known only to the Initiated?
Many of the foregoing Assertions will, I question not, meet with very little Assent from those great and wise Men, who are not only absolute Masters of some poor Woman's Person, but likewise of her Thoughts. With such Opposition I must rest contented; but what I more dread, is, that I may have unadvisedly drawn the Resentment of her own lovely Sex against the Author of these Volumes, for having betrayed the Secrets of the Society.
To this I shall attempt giving two Answers: First, that these nice Touches will, like the Signs of Masonry, escape the Ob-servation and Detection of all those, who are not already in the Secret.
Secondly, if she should have exposed some of those nicer Female Foibles, which have escaped most other Writers, she hath at the same time nobly displayed the Beauties and Virtues of the more amiable Part, which abundantly overbalances in the Account. By comparing these together, young Ladies may, if they please, receive great Advantages: I will venture to say, no Book extant is so well calculated for their Instruction and Improvement. It is indeed a Glass, by which they may dress out their Minds, and adorn themselves with more becoming, as well as more lasting Graces, than the Dancing-Master, the Manteau-Maker, or the Millener can give them. Here even their Vanity may be rendered useful, as it may make them detest and scorn all base, mean, shuffling Tricks, and admire and cultivate whatever is truly amiable, generous and good: Here they must learn, if they will please to attend, that Consummation of a Woman's Character, is to maintain the Qualities of Goodness, Tenderness, Affection and Sincerity, in the several social Offices and Duties of Life; and not to unite Ambition, Avarice, Luxury, and Wanton-ness in the Person of a Woman of the World, or to affect Folly, Childishness and Levity, under the Appellation of a fine Lady.
To conclude, I hope, for the Sake of my fair Country-Women, that these excellent Pictures of Virtue and Vice, which, to my Knowledge, the Author hath bestowed such Pains in drawing, will not be thrown away on the World, but that much more Advantage may accrue to the Reader, than the Good-nature and Sensibility of the Age have, to their immortal Honour, bestowed on the Author.