quences, of making such matters publick, as well as the particular Interest I may have, to keep them by me in petto, till proper Conjunctures.
On the other hand, many great Men will blame me, as Alexander did Aristotle, for communicating too many of such hidden Mysteries, such Arcana imperii, to the Knowledge of the Vulgar. For my part, I have acted with the utmost Caution in suppressing or publishing any Particulars, and as it is to be fear'd, if after all my Care this Book should grow too common and be in every one's Hand, it may be applied to ill purposes, by letting the meanest of the People see, uti digerit omnia Calchas, I have given order to print but fifty Copies, which I compute will answer the number of Persons in Great Britain, who are Wise and Honest enough to be trusted with such a Jewel.
I have also gone further, and that Posterity may not be impos'd on, by any spurious Additions, Forgeries or Obliterations in this admirable Work, I have with great Labour number'd and reckon'd up the whole of what is in it, which is a safer and fairer Way than a Table of Contents, which our modern Publishers tack to their mangled Vo-lumes.
