British Parnaffus: Or, A Compleat Common-Place-Book O F ENGLISH POETRY: CONTAINING The most genuine, instructive, diverting and fublime THOUGHT S. VIZ. Allegories, Comparifons, Similitudes, Aphorilms moral and political, Characters and Defcriptions of Perfons, Paffions, Places and Things, that are in the WORKS of our most celebrated POETS. ALPHABETICALLY digefted, and brought down to the present Time. To which is prefix'd, A DICTIONARY of RHYMES; more copious than any hitherto extant. In TWO VOLUME S. By EDW. BYSSHE Gent. Floriferis ut apes in faltibus omnia libant; Printed by J. Nutt in the SAVOY: And Sold by J. Pemberton at the Golden Buck and Sum against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetftreet, and J. Morphew near Stationers-Hall, MDČCXIV. THE PREFACE. T HE univerfal Applaufe with which Books of this Nature have been receiv'd by the Publick, in all Countries, and in all Languages, is a convincing Argument of the Usefulnefs of them, and renders it needlefs for me to detain my Reader with a long Preamble to befpeak his Favour in Behalf of this Undertaking: The Title Page of the Book tells what it contains, and is alone fufficient to recommend it, at least, if the Performance have answer'd the Defign; but, of this Particular it is not mine to determine. However, that none may think themselves impos'd upon by a new Title to an old Book, and take this Collection to be the fame with one I publifh'd fome Years ago in The Art of Englih Poetry, it may not be improper Lo inform them, how far this is, and how far it is not, the fame. First then: It is fo far the fame, that it contains almost all the Heads of that former Collection. but with the additional Advantage of feveral Hun dreds of new ones. It is collected likewife from the Works of the fame Authors, but of feveral others al fo, whom I had not then perus'd, as well as of fome that have written fince that Time, and confequently can not be there cited. This will appear from the Catalogue I have given of the Author's Names, ont of whofe Works I have gather'd the following Sheets, and which the Reader will find immediately after the Dictionary of Rhymes. Again: It is fo far the fame, that, as a confiderable Part of that former Collection confifts of Paf Sages, tranflated chiefly by Mr. Dryden, from the antient Poets; as Homer, Virgil, Horace, &c. fo this in like manner contains moft of the very fame Paffages as they are tranflated by other Hands, par ticularly by the prefent Duke of Buckingham, the late Earls of Rofcommon and Lauderdale, Mr. Addifon, Mr. Pope, and Jveral others: Between whofe Tranflations and those of the late Mr. Dryden, I mean only thofe Pallages of them that I have cited in the former and this Collection, I leave the Reader to make the Comparison, but for my own Part fhall determine the Preference to, neither. In the laft Place; I can not deny but that both of them are exactly alike in the Method of Compofi tion: They being both in effect but Dictionaries, which neceffarily implies an Alphabetical Order. Having thus acquainted the Publick in what they are the fame, or like one another, I come in the next Place to inform them in what they are not the fame, but intirely different. And this Article I fhall dif patch in a few Words. I declare therefore in general, that I have carefully avoided to infert any fingle Line, much less any whole Paffage, in this Collection, that was in the for mer mer. If any fuch have flip'd in, it was merely throug Inadvertency, and contrary to my Intention and Knowledge Some there may be in a Work of this Length: But I dare boldly affirm, that through out these two Volumes, there will not be found a fuffi cient Number of fuch Lines to compofe one fingle Page: Except only one Paffage of Mr. Prior's for I know but of one) which he alter'd in the last Edition of his Poems; and therefore cannot strictly be faid to be the fame; and two or three out of my Lord Lauderdale's Virgil, which;among many others, the late Mr. Dryden, to whom that Tearned Nobleman had fent his Tranflation of that Poet, has with fome fmall Alterations tranfcrib'd into his. In doing this, I have in fome Measure done Juftice to the Memory of that noble Lord, who in the Tear 1692, first propos'd to me the making a Collection of this Nature; which I then begun; but his Death prevented me from going on with it. Thus I have given the best Account I can, how far this Collection is, and is not, the fame with the former. This Work is a Repofitory, where may be seen at one View the Gold and Jewels of our Poets, without raking in the Filth and Rubbish; with which fome of them too frequently abound. In regard to the Dictionary of Rhymes, it is not only much more copious than, but likewife much different from, any yet extant: For those we have hitherto feen, contain only fome Words that rhyme perfectly to one another; and confequently teach us in Effect, only what Rhyme in general,and in ftrictness, is: "And no Poem, tho' but of a moderate Length, was ever yet compos'd of fuch perfect Rhymes; nor will the Genius of our Language admit of it: But this fhews in particular the Rhymes that are allowable in the English |