With a real DESCRIPTION of his Dangers and Travels through the HIGHLAND Isles, after the Break at CULLODEN.
[The History of the Rebellion, as given in the following pages, is a reprint, verbatim et literatim, of the third edition—the earliest now existent—published in 1774 by John Robertson, Glasgow. It is from a beautiful copy in the possession of Mr. George Gray, Clerk of the Peace, Glasgow, who kindly placed it at the disposal of the editor.]
[PREFACE.]
It is grown customary to introduce New Publications (however trifling) to the Public, with some kind of Oration in their Favour——Some must have their Literary Productions shelter’d under the Protection of the Great, that they may have an Opportunity of showing their Talents in paying flattering Compliments, to gratify their Patron’s Vanity, often at the expence of Truth, and always with the sinister View of Advantage to themselves——Others, take their own Word for it, are prevail’d upon, to publish their Writings at the request of judicious Friends, thereby, laying the Public under a kind of Tribute to their friends, by obliging them to subscribe to their Judgment, or condemn their Taste, and excuse the poor Author, whose Modesty would otherwise have kept his Productions a Secret.——Some have wrote with the momentuous View of instructing and amending the World——A laudable, but arduous Task! and every One alledges some Reason or other for commencing Author.
I too have my Reasons, which I will candidly own: I shall not say they are as weighty as others are; but I will venture to affirm, they are as common, and such as have introduced into the World ten thousand Brats of the Brain, besides mine.