hour of an approved book may allow his
natural disposition an easy play, and yet indulge the pride of superiour
genius when he considers that by those who know him only as an authour,
he never ceases to be respected. Such an authour when in his hours of
gloom and discontent, may have the consolation to think that his
writings are at that very time giving pleasure to numbers; and such an
authour may cherish the hope of being remembered after death, which has
been a great object to the noblest minds in all ages.[78]

[Footnote 78: "The rational pride of an author may be offended, rather
than flattered, by vague, indiscriminate praise; but he cannot, he
should not, be indifferent to the fair testimonies of private and public
esteem. Even his moral sympathy may be gratified by the idea, that now,
in the present hour, he is imparting some degree of amusement or
knowledge to his friends in a distant land; that one day his mind will
be familiar to the grand-children of those who are yet unborn."--"Memoirs
of my Life and Writings," by Edward Gibbon, vol. i., p. 273.

"Do thou teach me not only to foresee but to enjoy, nay even to feed on
future praise. Comfort me by the solemn assurance, that when the little
parlour in which I sit at this moment shall be reduced to a
worse-furnished box, I shall be read with honour by those who never knew
nor saw me, and whom I shall neither know nor see."--"Tom Jones," book
xiii., chap. I. Quoted by Gibbon, or his Editor.--ED.]

Whether I may merit any portion of literary fame, the publick will
judge. Whatever my ambition may be, I trust that my confidence is not
too great, nor my hopes too sanguine.

PREFACE

TO THE THIRD EDITION.

I now beg leave to present the world with a more correct edition of my
Account of Corsica. I return my sincere thanks to those who have taken
the trouble to point out several faults, with a spirit of candid
criticism. I hope they will not be offended that in one or two places I
have preserved my own reading, contrary to their opinion; as I never
would own that I am wrong, till I am convinced that it is so. My
orthography I have sufficiently explained; and although some pleasantry
has been shewn, I have not met with one argument against it.

* * * * *

While I have a proper sense of my obligations to those who have treated
me with candour, I do not forget that there have been others who have
chosen to treat me in an il