Miscellanies, by Henry Fielding, Esq

Front matter

*-^r?tinriJ t^auqui^ c<+q. MISCELLANIES, B Y Henry Fielding Esq; VOL. II. A JOURNEY from this World to the Next, &c. LONDON: Printed for the AUTHOR: And sold by A. Millar, opposite to Catharine-Street, in the Strand. MDCCXLIII. A JOURNEY FROM THIS World to the next, &c. the Introduction. WH E T H E R the ensuing Pages were really the Dream or Vision of some very pious and holy Person ; or whether they were really written in the other World and sent back to this, which is the Opinion of many, (tho' I think, too much inclining to Superstition ;) or lastly, whether, as infinitely the greatest Part imagine, they were really the Production of some choice Inhabitant of New Bethlehem, is not necessary nor easy to determine. It will be abun- Vol. II. B dantly dantly sufficient, if I give the Reader an Ac count by what means they came into my possession.

Mr. Robert Powney, Stationer, who dwells opposite to Catharine-Street in the Strand, a very honest Man, and of greatGravity of Coun tenance ; who, among other excellent Station ary Commodities, is particularly eminent for his Pens, which I am abundantly bound to ac knowledge, as I owe to their peculiar Good ness that my Manuscripts have by any means been legible : this Gentleman, I fay, furnissied me some time since with a Bundle of those Pens, wrapt up with great Care and Caution, in a very large Sheet of Paper full of Characters, written as it seemed in a very bad Hand. Now, I have a surprizing Curiosity to read every thing which is almost illegible ; partly, perhaps, from the sweet Remembrance of the dear Scrawls, Skrawls, or Skrales, (for the Word is variously spelt) which I have in my youth received from that lovely part of the Creation for which I have the tenderest Regard ; and partly from that Tem per of Mind which makes Men set an im mense Value on old Manuscripts so effaced, Suites Bustos so maimed, and Pictures so black that no one can tell what to make of them.

I therefore perused this Sheet with wonderful Application, and in about a Day's time disco vered that I could not understand it. I im mediately repaired to Mr. Powney, and in quired very eagerly, whether he had not more of the same Manuscript. He produced about one Hundred Pages, acquainting me that he had saved no more : but that the Book was originally a huge Folio, had been left in his Garret by a Gentleman who lodged there, and who had left him no other Satisfaction for nine Months Lodging. He proceeded to in form me, that the Manuscript had been hawked about (as he phrased it) among all the Booksellers, who refused to meddle ; some alledged that they could not read, others that they could not understand it. Some would have it to be an atheistical Book, and some that it wars a Libel on the Government ; for one or other of which Reasons, they all refused to print it.