The Preface to the Reader.
story: That there is not seldome the difference of an Age, or more, in Writers, as to their times, of being in the World: But however, this to the Judicious can appear no fault, when Virgil (allow'd to be the Prince of Poets) makes Dido and his Æneas contemporaries, which according to the strictness of Chronology, could not be by some hundreds of years.
For introducing the Roman Consul into my Poem, I suppose there cannot be any ground for exception, there being at that time a Consull called by the name of Ætius, or Ennius, who Commanded both in Gaul and Brittany: And, for my Character of Alvatrix, he may well be allowed to be the Roman Generals Martial associate, since Gaul had not then freed it self from the Tallons of the Roman Eagle, being somewhat later than Brittany discharged from that Bondage, and consequently obliged to bear Armes in their Quarrel; which is so possible to be true, that it cannot prejudice my introducing him here: With like plausible liberty have I framed the Character of Merlinus (in imitation of our famous Merlin, supposed to be living about the age I have taken for my Poem) and the rest: But, I fear I have given the Reader a needless trouble in behalfe of my Characters, since I have little reason to doubt he will not willingly comply with the liberty I have taken.
Having thus given an account of the quality of my Poem, I cannot but give him this short one of theQuantity
