Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	author_n	know_v	write_v	2,987	5	5.2886	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80602	The scoffer scoffed the second part. Being certain select dialogues of a merry wagg of antiquity. Newly put into English fustian, for the consolation of those that had rather laugh and be merry, then be merry and wise.	Cotton, Charles, 1630-1687.	1684 (1684)	Wing C6398C; ESTC R231666	24,572	41

THE SCOFFER SCOFFED THE SECOND PART Being certain Select DIALOGUES Of a Merry Wagg of Antiquity Newly put into English Fustian for the Consolation of those that had rather Laugh and be Merry then be Merry and Wise LONDON Printed for Edward Goldin in Rainbow-Court in Aldersgate-street 1684. THE Epistle to the Reader HE was a stout Man who first ventur'd to Eat an Oyster was the saying of a Crown'd Head And without all doubt 't is as True as Witty for all Men know that every Work is most difficult in the Commencement and that 't is easier to Imitate than Invent Tho I never saw any thing of that Nature but what came very short of its Original 't is like the fancy'd Ghost of a departed Author so much unlike and so wrapt up in its infernal Accoutrements so very Thin and Pale so Ghastly Horrid that every man who sees and reads it is as much Scar'd and Frighted as if he had been Bug-bear'd by some Stygian Spectre Or as the Celestial Author of the Winged-Wonder-Working-Angels has it As if a man had enjoy'd a Sucubus in the shape of a Handsome Woman For which reason I suppose a late Author call'd his Burlesque Butlers Ghost and certainly 't was a proper Name for it too for I believe it as much deserves to be Entituled the Fourth part of Hudibras as the Pilgrims Progress merits to be the Fifth to that Number and this I say not to lessen the Credit of the Ghost or its Author but because no man can do too much Honour to the memory of the Ingenious and Learned though much to be Lamented Unfortunate Mr. Butler And next to him I can't but mention the Admir'd Mr. Cotton whose Scarronides are more to be valu'd than all the English Burlesque now Extant setting Mr. Butlers self aside And since my doing of Lucian I have seen a little Book Intituled the Scoffer Scoft as I believe written by the same Author being Lucian's Dialogues of the God's in the same Burlesque And truly had I seen it before I shou'd not have ventur'd upon any of the Dialogues under that Title Knowing all that I cou'd expect from so doing must be only to publish to the World my Dulness and draw a weak Copy after so great a Master without I cou'd have found some unintelligible Title to have aton'd for the Presumption like that of the before-mention'd Ghost nor can I now be contented being much delighted with things of that Nature without begging the Favour of Mr. Cotton to be so distinguished Though perhaps some Pharisaical Criticks may object against the Reasonableness of it as if 't is impossible for a man while Living to Fright the World with his wandring Ghost But since I desire to be so Honour'd I hope he will grant me the favour and the World forgive me for a Ghost is a Ghost still But now perhaps it may be expected I should say something in behalf of my own but in the first place I don't think they deserve it 'T is your Business kind Reader if ye like 'em If ye Refuse it I shall be content with the Pleasure I took in Writing 'em though I believe they would have pleas'd better had the Parenthesis in the Title been left out especially those who don 't understand a word of that Antient Language but however you see I am modest as to my Learning But the Bawdy of the First Part has given Offence I hear to some of our Aged Ingenioso's though they at the same time are not wholly guiltless in things of the like Nature but granting there is a sprinkling of it in some of the First Dialogues I hope it is more excusable in Youth and Gingling Burlesque than in Argumental Dialoguing Prose done by Experienc'd Age For such is Lucians Works and such was Lucian Perhaps it might now seem reasonable for me to give ye an account of Lucian and his Works but for two Reasons I decline it First Because the Illiterate don't deserve it And Secondly The Learned if I shou'd wou'd find nothing therein to them Novel But if any of 'em desire it I must refer 'em to the late Learned and Ingenious Translater * Mr. Ferrand Spence where if they can understand English they may be abundantly satisfied And now give me leave to tell you I did at the first design a Dedication to these Dialogues But for some Reasons I met with in the Interval I thought it wou'd not be worth my while First Because the Patrons of this Age the less they deserve the more they expect to be Complemented And tho Speed and Baker are not able to furnish one with History enough to entail 'em to an honest Family 't is impossible to please without two or three Pages in Praise of their Ancestors when all the help too a man has for such a Task is only to be found in such like Authors For another Reason too because if the Writer be a man who pretends to Poetry and has a little more sense than the drudging Man of Money can express over a Tedious Quart of Claret 'T is ten to one but he must be forc'd to take up with an Old Proverb for his pains Poet and Pennyless And if he be not so at that time 't is as many more to nothing but his Patron shall endeavour to make him so for the future And in the next place for a Story something like this a Friend told me the other day A Young Scribler in Rhyme after some Pains and Study having finish'd a short Poem on the Times thought it convenient as well as fashionable to Dedicate it to one of his Old Bottle-Companions one that he had spent much Money with in all sort of Fashionable Conversation the Town cou'd allow and was as frolicksomly Vicious a man as one wou'd wish to drink withal Many Complements he gave him and told him he was as Discreet and Judicous as a Man wou'd desire to be But see the effects of things of this Nature This Patron of wit being a Man of discerning faculties in heat of Wine at which time some People are very Witty was pleas'd to tell one of his Female Conveniencies That this little Spark of a Poet did expect a Present for his Dedication but he swore he shou'd be bawk'd for for that Reason he wou'd not so much as give him a Bottle of Wine or ever drink with him again A mighty loss without all doubt which puts me in mind of a Piece of Modern Burlesque Like play for Nought the Game to lose Or take you This or That or Chuse Or like to One tho' not to blame Who Limps and Haults before he 's Lame But this I fear is Tyresome being a little out of the Method Kind Reader You were us'd to be Treated in but if I can I 'le make you amends some other time upon Condition you 'l pardon me now And so I humbly take my leave LUCIAN A DIALOGUE Between