PROPOSALS at large, with an Account of this Undertaking, may be had of all Booksellers both in Town and Country, and of JACOB ROBINSON, Publisher, on Ludgate-Hill, where SUBSCRIPTIONS are taken in.

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PLEFACE.

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AVING prefixed to the former Volumes of my Ca talogue an Account of the prodigious Collection ac cumulated in the Harleian Library, there would have been no Neceffity of any Introduction to the fubfequent Volumes, bad wit fome Censures, which this great Unk aking des drawn on me, made it proper to offer to the Put: an story for m's Conduct...

HE Price, which I have fet upon my Catalogue, has been reefented, by the Booksellers, as an avaricious Innovation; and, in a Paper published in the Champion, they, or their Mercenary, have reasoned so justly, as to allege, that, if I could afford a very large Price for the Library, I might there fore afford to give away the Catalogue.

I SHOULD have imagined, that Accufations, concerted by Juch Heads as these, would have vanished of themselves, without any Answer; but, fince I have the Mortification to find that they bave been in some Degree regarded by Men of more Knowledge than themselves, I shall explain the Motives of my Procedure.

MY original Design was, as I have already explained, to publish a methodical and exalt Catalogue of this Library, upon the Plan which has been laid down, as. I am informed, by feveral Men of the first Rank among the Learned. It was intended by those who undertook the Work, to make a very exakt Disposition of all the Subjects, and to give an Account of the remarkable Differences of the Editions, and other Peculiarities, which make any Book eminently valuable and it was imagined, that Jome Improvements might, by pursuing this Scheme, be made in Literary History.

WITH this View was the Catalogue begun, when the Price was fixed upon it in public Advertisements, and it cannot be denied, that fuch a Catalogue would have been willingly purthased by those who understood its Use. But, when a few Sheets bad had been printed, it was discovered, that the Scheme was impracticable, without more Hands than could be procured, or more Time than the Neceffity of a speedy Sale would allow, the Catalogue was therefore continued without Notes, at least in the greatest Part; and, though it was still performed better than those which are daily offered to the Public, fell much below the criginal Design.

IT was then no longer proper to insist upon a Price, and therefore, though Money was demanded upon Delivery of the Catalogue, it was only taken as a Pledge, that the Catalogue was not, as is very frequent, wantonly called for, by those who never intended to peruse it, and I therefore promised that it should be taken again in Exchange for any Book rated at the same Value.

II may be still faid, that other Booksellers give away their Catalogues without any fuch Precaution, and that I ought not to make any new or extraordinary Demands. But, I hope, it will be confidered, at how much greater Expence my Catalogue was drawmup; and be remembered, that when other Booksellers give their Catalogues, they give only what will be of no Use when their Books are fold, and what, if it remained in their Hands, they must throw away; whereas, I hope, that this Catalogue will retain its Ufe, and, confequently, its Value, and be fold with the Catalogues of the Barberinian and Marckian Librarics..

HOWEVER, to comply with the utmost Expectations of the World, I have now published the second Part of my Catalogue, upon Conditions still more commodious for the Purchaser, as lintend, that all those, who are pleased to receive them at the fame Price of froe Shillings a Volume, shall be allowed at any Time, within three Months after the Day of Sale, either to return them in Exchange for Books, or to send them back, and receive their Money.

SINCE, therefore, I have abfolutely debarred myself from receiving any Advantage from the Sale of the Catalogue, it will be reasonable to impute it rather to Neceffity than Choice, that I shall continue it to two Volumes more, which the Number of the Single Tracts, which have been discovered, make indifpenfably requisite. I need not tell those who are acquainted with Affairs of this Kind, how much Pamphlets fwell a Catalogue, Since the Title of the least Book may be as long as that of the greatest.

PAMPH