TO THE UNHAPPY SUFFERERS BY THE Great National Calamity O F SOUTH-SE A, The TRANSLATOR This NEW VERSION of the Imitation of CHRIST, BY THOMAS à KEMPIS: Together with his THREE TABERNACLES of POVERTY, HUMILITY, and PATIENCE, Wishing them Increase of Grace and Comfort in the perufal of the Holieft and Wifeft of Books, One only excepted, and to which of all buman Compofures it is moft like: Be ing plain and fimple in ftyle; quick and lively, and of marvellous fecret force to pierce the heart, and draw it unto GoD: Yielding a prefent comfortable remedy of every Grief or Difeafe, every Wound or Sickness incident to the Soul of Man: Finally, containing a truly Apoftolical, and even Divine Weight of Doctrine; and therefore ever new, tho' never fo often read. THE The TRANSLATOR to the T READER. HE design and endeavour of this Tranflation, was to prefent to the purely English Reader, in its native fimplicity, as rare and accomplish'd a piece of Devotion as ever fell from a human Pen; and to bring my Copy as near the Original, as the change and propriety of Language would permit, without adding any new Ornamentals of my own on the one hand, or embafing and depraving my Author on the other. But might not the Reverend Dr. Stanhope, Dean of Canterbury, well have fav'd me this pains? I think not: For my Attempt is a meer Tranflation; His, a Paraphrase; which tho' every way excellent, and worthy the great Man, yet is it fomething as different from a Tranflation, as it is fuperior (in point of ability) to the beft poffible performance of that kind. Notwithstanding, as the variety of Books of Devotion is of admirable use, in order to fuit the various tempers, tastes and appetites of the Soul: So of one and the fame Treatise, or Help to Devotion, this Man A 3 may may relish better a clofe Tranflation, another a more enlarg'd and flowing Paraphrafe. Befides, what the Criticks obferve of fome of the choiceft Writings of Antiquity, is, I am perfuaded, equally true of this Author; That nothing can be taken from, or added to him, without detriment, even by the moft skilful and masterly Hand. I might add, that this Book containing in it the Sum and Quintessence of Devotion, and furnishing the Soul with proper Weapons in all imaginable Attacks of the World, the Flesh and the Devil, ought, if poffible, to be committed entirely to memory; and for that purpose, the fhorter the better. The Paraphrafe I confulted carefully all along, and am as much beholding to it, as in my way of Tranflating I could be. And thus I take leave of that and its Author, a Man adorn'd (for Praise is the just due, and too often the fole reward of Merit) with all accomplishments requifite for the moft fublime Station in the Church. The Practical Method of the Book (which if not altogether intended, is however very ingenious) was drawn up by Jacob Horftius, who has publish'd a curious Edition of the Select Pieces of our heavenly Author: Concerning whom I fhall conclude |