Gent. reader, nothing; a mere speculation,
For which my sole excuse is—'t is my way;
Sometimes with and sometimes without occasion,
I write what's uppermost, without delay;
This narrative is not meant for narration,
But a mere airy and fantastic basis,
To build up common things with common places.
VIII.
You know, or don't know, that great Bacon saith,
"Fling up a straw, 't will show the way the wind blows;"[706]