to the Consideration of the many Eloquent and Judicious Authors, with whom our Nation is now more abundantly furnish'd than ever. But if neither the Necessity nor Usefulness of the Subject, nor the Benefit of their native Land will prevail with them to set upon it; it is my purpose to excite them by another way, which will indeed be hazardous to my own Reputation, yet perhaps may take effect. I will try the same Stratagem which I have often seen unskilful Singers use, to make those who have excellent Voices shew their Art: for as they by ill Singing some excellent Tune are wont to provoke the others to sing, when no Persuasions could move them; so do I intend at my first Leisure, by ill handling of this noble Subject, to stir up Men of greater Abilities to employ their Skill and their Judgment about it.
Having thus taken this Task on myself, it will not be needful here to insist long upon it before hand: I will only in a few Words declare, that it is the true Concernment of England to secure itself from the Dominion of Strangers, both Ecclesiastical and Temporal; to advance its Industry in peaceful Arts; to increase its People; to improve its own Manufactures, to introduce the foreign, of which our Soil is capable, to make use of the two Kingdoms that are joined with it under the same Monarch, for those Productions which grow not at Home; to obtain a Union of Mind, both in Civil and Spiritual Matters; and to preserve the antient form of Government.
Of all these I will only touch upon those Parts of our Interest which have reference to the Design of the Royal Society.
The first thing that ought to be improv'd in the English Nation, is their Industry. This, it is true, has
