N. B. There being a great Number of these Pieces of Wit and Humour at most Places of publick Resort in this Kingdom, it is hoped that all, who are pleased with, or willing to promote this Design, will be so good as to collect and send them to the Publisher hereof. The Editor does not care how merry they are, provided they are not obscene.
THE
MERRY-THOUGHT.
PART IV.
Mr. Bog,
Where Wit and Learning (as at present in this our Isle) so much abound, great Marvel it is to me, That so worthy a Compiler of other Men’s Labours as yourself, should be put to the little mean Shifts of copying from such Cacascriptores, who have from Hudibras, Tom Brown, and others of the like Rank, their little Bits and Scraps, basely purloined, whereby you run a Risque of being deem’d yourself a Plagiary: Nor is it less unbecoming the Dignity and Fidelity of your Undertaking, to supply the Want of Application and Diligence, by filling up your lifeless Pages with Musical Punctations, as vile and unrelishing as ever echo’d from your own natural Bagpipe. Therefore, that you may the better be enabled these Indecencies equally to avoid, I send you the following Collectanea Nasutula: If you honour them, I shall honour your next Performance; if not, Non cuicunque datum est habere nasum.
From a Boghouse near Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields.
The WISH.
Oh! may our Senate, learn’d and great,
(In order to perpetuate