To the Reader
he levels more fecurely, wounds more inoffene
fively, and leaves room for a ſafer Retreat;
ban if be fell too bluntly on, and made an
open Aflault infeed of an ambufcading
Surprize. And indeed the Palate of each
Maws Judgment being the fame with that
of his Tafe, is cloggd and naufeated with
whats {weet and luſcious, and repaired only
by the whetting Particles of fharp and corro¬
ding, jet again a too biting, Reproof, without
fome Intermixture of Wheedle, ſeldom mak-¬
ing Converts of tbofe it is applied to: Sub¬
f this Nature ave certainly then beff
“hand'ed, when the Perfons to be refleZ@ed on
are in the fame Periods laugh'd out-of their
Miftakes, and yct Hattered into Amendment.
By tbis Artifice, in. the following Trad, all
be Scandals, Gorruprions, groffer. Abfurdities,
or more trivial Failures of a crazy World,
are expoſed with as equal a Doſe of Infinua¬
tion as varcaſm, as eitber the Oylinels of a
Sycophant could on the one Hand. ſuggeſt,
sr the Gall of a Poet on. the other exprefs.
As he {pared no one Degree of Age, Sex or
fo, to be moſt Corroſive, where the Sore was
moft Cankrous, he ir leſs niggard'y of his
Taunts and Stridures, upon the Botches and
Excrefcences of the Roman Church, whofe
Marts of Indulgence, Trinkets of Superftition,
Blindneſs of the Laity, Impoffures of the
> Prieft,