,
Because most of our Neighbours have got it in their +Language+,
particularly the +French+, who have done it with good Success; and
we have no reason for our being out-done by any of our Neighbours,
since we have a +Language+ we dare set against any in the World.
Lastly, Since the Author is so excellent, we undertook it because no
other Persons wou'd. 'Tis strange that none of our great Wits wou'd
undertake it before, but let us Persons of Obscurity, take their
Works out of their Hands; when we can perceive by our little
Performances that our +Language+ will do it to a very high degree,
undoubtedly better than the +French+.

The most considerable Objections that have been made against our
Translation are these. First, +What real Use or Advantage can this
Translation be to the Publick? As for school-Boys and Learners,
_Bernard_'s and _Hool_'s Translations, the great number of Notes,
a School-Master, or their own Industry will well enough teach 'em to
construe it. Men of Sense and Learning, they read it wholly for the
Latin sake; therefore a Translation is of no use to them.+ Lastly,
+They won't fit our Stage; and consequently they are impertinent at
best.+ To these we answer; First, As to +School-Boys+ and
+Learners+; +Bernard+'s and +Hool+'s Translations are very often
false, mostly so obsolete, flat and unpleasant, that a Man can
scarce read half a Page without sleeping; the latter is full of
+Latinisms+, and both are often more obscure than the Original. The
+Notes+ sometimes don't express the Author's Sense; and often very
obscurely: In some things they are too short, in others too long and
tedious: And most of them have the slight of running very nimbly
over those Places which they are afraid they shou'd stick in.
+School-Masters+ often want time, and now and then Judgment and
Learning to explain things as they ought; then to leave Boys by
themselves to pick out the Sense of such a difficult Author as this,
is very inconvenient; which besides the Discouragement sometimes of
not being able to do it, will often lead 'em into such Errors and
Mistakes, as perhaps they'll ne're get clear of. So that this will
be of great use even to +School-Boys+ and +Learners+: Beside the
great Advantage of teaching 'em, perhaps not the worst +English+;
and something of the Idiom of our Tongue.

As for the second part of the Objection, +That Men of Sense and
Learning read it only for the Latin sake+; This is or ought to be
look'd u