Want of time, the inferiority of our language, the
inconvenience of rhyme, and all the other excuses I have made, may
alleviate my fault, but cannot justify the boldness of my
undertaking. What avails it me to acknowledge freely that I have
not been able to do him right in any line? For even my own
confession makes against me; and it will always be returned upon me,
"Why, then, did you attempt it?" To which no other answer can be
made, than that I have done him less injury than any of his former
libellers.
What they called his picture had been drawn at length so many times
by the daubers of almost all nations, and still so unlike him, that
I snatched up the pencil with disdain, being satisfied beforehand
that I could make some small resemblance of him, though I must be
content with a worse likeness. A sixth Pastoral, a Pharmaceutria, a
single Orpheus, and some other features have been exactly taken.
But those holiday authors writ for pleasure, and only showed us what
they could have done if they would have taken pains to perform the
whole.
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