strange　if　such　writers　as　these　should　be　found　extremely
  common；　since　nature　hath　been　a　most　parsimonious　distributor　of
  her　richest　talents；　and　hath　seldom　bestowed　many　on　the　same
  person。　　But；　on　the　other　hand；　why　there　should　scarce　exist　a
  single　writer　of　this　kind　worthy　our　regard；　and；　whilst　there
  is　no　other　branch　of　history　（for　this　is　history）　which　hath
  not　exercised　the　greatest　pens；　why　this　alone　should　be
  overlooked　by　all　men　of　great　genius　and　erudition；　and
  delivered　up　to　the　Goths　and　Vandals　as　their　lawful　property；
  is　altogether　as　difficult　to　determine。　　And　yet　that　this　is
  the　case；　with　some　very　few　exceptions；　is　most　manifest。　　Of
  these　I　shall　willingly　admit　Burnet　and　Addison；　if　the　former
  was　not；　perhaps；　to　be　considered　as　a　political　essayist；　and
  the　latter　as　a　commentator　on　the　classics；　rather　than　as　a
  writer　of　travels；　which　last　title；　perhaps；　they　would　both　of
  them　have　been　least　ambitious　to　affect。　　Indeed；　if　these　two
  and　two　or　three　more　should　be　removed　from　the　mass；　there
  would　remain　such　a　heap　of　dullness　behind；　that　the　appellation
  of　voyage…writer　would　not　appear　very　desirable。　　I　am　not　here
  unapprised　that　old　Homer　himself　is　by　some　considered　as　a
  voyage…writer；　and；　indeed；　the　beginning　of　his　Odyssey　may　be
  urged　to　countenance　that　opinion；　which　I　shall　not　controvert。
  But；　whatever　species　of　writing　the　Odyssey　is　of；　it　is　surely
  at　the　head　of　that　species；　as　much　as　the　Iliad　is　of　another；
  and　so　far　the　excellent　Longinus　would　allow；　I　believe；　at　this　day。
  But；　in　reality；　the　Odyssey；　the　Telemachus；　and　all　of　that
  kind；　are　to　the　voyage…writing　I　here　intend；　what　romance　is　to
  true　history；　the　former　being　the　confounder　and　corrupter　of
  the　latter。　　I　am　far　from　supposing　that　Homer；　Hesiod；　and　the
  other　ancient　poets　and　mythologists；　had　any　settled　design　to
  pervert　and　confuse　the　records　of　antiquity；　but　it　is　certain
  they　have　effected　it；　and　for　my　part　I　must　confess　I　should
  have　honored　and　loved　Homer　more　had　he　written　a　true　history
  of　his　own　times　in　humble　prose；　than　those　noble　poems　that
  have　so　justly　collected　the　praise　of　all　ages；　for；　though　I
  read　these　with　more　admiration　and　astonishment；　I　still　read
  Herodotus；　Thucydides；　and　Xenophon　with　more　amusement　and　more
  satisfaction。　　The　original　poets　were　not；　however；　without
  excuse。　　They　found　the　limits　of　nature　too　straight　for　the
  immensity　of　their　genius；　which　they　had　not　room　to　exert
  without　extending　fact　by　fiction：　　and　that　especially　at　a　time
  when　the　manners　of　men　were　too　simple　to　afford　that　variety
  which　they　have　since　offered　in　vain　to　the　choice　of　the
  meanest　writers。　　In　doing　this　they　are　again　excusable　for　the
  manner　in　which　they　have　done　it。
  Ut　speciosa　dehine　miracula　promant。
  They　are　not；　indeed；　so　properly　said　to　turn　reality　into
  fiction；　as　fiction　into　reality。　　Their　paintings　are　so　bold；
  their　colors　so　strong；　that　everything　they　touch　seems　to　exist
  in　the　very　manner　they　represent　it；　their　portraits　are　so
  just；　and　their　landscapes　so　beautiful；　that　we　acknowledge　the
  strokes　of　nature　in　both；　without　inquiring　whether　Nature
  herself；　or　her　journeyman　the　poet；　formed　the　first　pattern　of
  the　piece。　　But　other　writers　（I　will　put　Pliny　at　their　head）
  have　no　such　pretensions　to　indulgence；　they　lie　for　lying　sake；
  or　in　order　insolently　to　impose　the　most　monstrous
  improbabilities　and　absurdities　upon　their　readers　on　their　own
  authority；　treating　them　as　some　fathers　treat　children；　and　as
  other　fathers　do　laymen；　exacting　their　belief　of　whatever　they
  relate；　on　no　other　foundation　than　their　own　authority；　without
  ever　taking　the　pains　or　adapting　their　lies　to　human　credulity；
  and　of　calculating　them　for　the　meridian　of　a　common
  understanding；　but；　with　as　much　weakness　as　wickedness；　and　with
  more　impudence　often　than　either；　they　assert　facts　contrary　to
  the　honor　of　God；　to　the　visible　order　of　the　creation；　to　the
  known　laws　of　nature；　to　the　histories　of　former　ages；　and　to　the
  experience　of　our　own；　and　which　no　man　can　at　once　understand
  and　believe。　　If　it　should　be　objected　（and　it　can　nowhere　be
  objected　better　than　where　I　now　write；＇12＇　as　there　is　nowhere
  more　pomp　of　bigotry）　that　whole　nations　have　been　firm　believers
  in　such　most　absurd　suppositions；　I　reply；　the　fact　is　not　true。
  They　have　known　nothing　of　the　matter；　and　have　believed　they
  knew　not　what。　　It　is；　indeed；　with　me　no　matter　of　doubt　but
  that　the　pope　and　his　clergy　might　teach　any　of　those　Christian
  heterodoxies；　the　tenets　of　which　are　the　most　diametrically
  opposite　to　their　own；　nay；　all　the　doctrines　of　Zoroaster；
  Confucius；　and　Mahomet；　not　only　with　certain　and　immediate
  success；　but　without　one　Catholic　in　a　thousand　knowing　he　had
  changed　his　religion。
  ＇12＇　At　Lisbon。
  What　motive　a　man　can　have　to　sit　down；　and　to　draw　forth　a　list
  of　stupid；　senseless；　incredible　lies　upon　paper；　would　be
  difficult　to　determine；　did　not　Vanity　present　herself　so
  immediately　as　the　adequate　cause。　　The　vanity　of　knowing　more
  than　other　men　is；　perhaps；　besides　hunger；　the　only　inducement
  to　writing；　at　least　to　publishing；　at　all。　　Why　then　should　not
  the　voyage…writer　be　inflamed　with　the　glory　of　having　seen　what
  no　man　ever　did　or　will　see　but　himself？　　This　is　the　true　source
  of　the　wonderful　in　the　discourse　and　writings；　and　sometimes；　I
  believe；　in　the　actions　of　men。　　There　is　another　fault；　of　a
  kind　directly　opposite　to　this；　to　which　these　writers　are
  sometimes　liable；　when；　instead　of　filling　their　pages　with
  monsters　which　nobody　hath　ever　seen；　and　with　adventures　which
  never　have；　nor　could　possibly　have；　happened　to　them；　waste
  their　time　and　paper　with　recording　things　and　facts　of　so　common
  a　kind；　that　they　challenge　no　other　right　of　being　remembered
  than　as　they　had　the　honor　of　having　happened　to　the　author；　to
  whom　nothing　seems　trivial　that　in　any　manner　happens　to　himself。
  Of　such　consequence　do　his　own　actions　appear　to　one　of　this
  kind；　that　he　would　probably　think　himself　guilty　of　infidelity
  should　he　omit　the　minutest　thing　in　the　detail　of　his　journal。
  That　the　fact　is　true　is　sufficient　to　give　it　a　place　there；
  without　any　consideration　whether　it　is　capable　of　pleasing　or
  surprising；　of　diverting　or　informing；　the　reader。　　I　have　seen　a
  play　（if　I　mistake　not　it　is　one　of　Mrs。　Behn's　or　of　Mrs。
  Centlivre's）　where　this　vice　in　a　voyage…writer　is　finely
  ridiculed。　　An　ignorant　pedant；　to　whose　government；　for　I　know
  not　what　reason；　the　conduct　of　a　young　nobleman　in　his　travels
  is　committed；　and　who　is　sent　abroad　to　show　my　lord　the　world；
  of　which　he　knows　nothing　himself；　before　his　departure　from　a
  town；　calls　for　his　Journal　to　record　the　goodness　of　the　wine
  and　tobacco；　with　other　articles　of　the　same　importance；　which
  are　to　furnish　the　materials　of　a　voyage　at　his　return　home。　　The
  humor；　it　is　true；　is　here　carried　very　far；　and　yet；　perhaps；
  very　little　beyond　what　is　to　be　found　in　writers　who　profess　no
  intention　of　dealing　in　humor　at　all。　　Of　one　or　other；　or　both
  of　these　kinds；　are；　I　conceive；　all　that　vast　pile　of　books
  which　pass　under　the　names　of　voyages；　travels；　adventures；
  lives；　memoirs；　histories；　etc。；　some　of　which　a　single　traveler
  sends　into　the　world　in　many　volumes；　and　others　are；　by
  judicious　booksellers；　collected　into　vast　bodies　in　folio；　and
  inscribed　with　their　own　names；　as　if　they　were　indeed　their　own
  travels：　　thus　unjustly　attributing　to　themselves　the　merit　of　others。
  Now；　from　both　these　faults　we　have　endeavored　to　steer　clear　in
  the　following　narrative；　which；　however　the　contrary　may　be
  insinuated　by　ignorant；　unlearned；　and　fresh…water　critics；　who
  have　never　traveled　either　in　books　or　ships；　I　do　solemnly
  declare　doth；　in　my　own　impartial　opinion；　deviate　less　from
  truth　than　any　other　voyage　extant；　my　lord　Anson's　alone　being；
  perhaps；　excepted。　　Some　few　embellishments　must　be　allowed　to
  every　historian；　for　we　are　not　to　conceive　that　the　speeches　in
  Livy；　Sallust；　or　Thucydides；　were　literally　spoken　in　the　very
  words　in　which　we　now　read　them。　　It　is　sufficient　that　every
  fact　hath　its　foundation　in　truth；　as　I　do　seriously　aver　is　the
  ease　in　the　ensuing　pages；　and　when　it　is　so；　a　good　critic　will
  be　so　far　from　denying　all　kind　of　ornament　of　style　or　diction；
  or　even　of　circumstance；　to　his　author；　that　he　would　be　rather
  sorry　if　he　omitted　it；　for　he　could　hence　derive　no　other
  advantage　than　the　loss　of　an　additional　pleasure　in　the　perusal。
  Again；　if　any　merely　common　incident　should　appear　in　this
  journal；　which　will　seldom　I　apprehend　be　the　case；　the　candid
  reader　will　easily　perceive　it　is　not　introduced　for　its　own
  sake；　but　for　some　observation