we could give a variety of good reasons for so doing yet it would be an ill natured act to deprive the public of such an admirable opportunity to indulge in their favourite amusement of besides we have ever considered aa and opinions h a beneath persons of onr dignity to for oar or � � en we are not like the unhappy rulers of land to the mob oar actions or dependent on their smiles support l� � this much however we it is not for want of subjects that we s our career we are not in the poor alexander the great who wept as indeed he might because there were no m worlds to conquer for to do justice to queer odd city and this country there is matter enough in them keep our muscles and our pens go until most people in taking a may perhaps be for ever are anxious to j on good terms and it is usual on such n occasions for even enemies to hands forget their previous quarrels and h all former in parting regrets m because most people do this i am to act in quite a different way for as i hi lived so should i wish to die in my own w without any person whatever n of esq o he his rank talents ot reputation besides it i know our we have no to no to bury and as to all we ba e long since at moment is not an individual in tbe world not even tbe pope to whom we any personal but if shutting their eyes to the many striking of good displayed through the whole course of this work there should be any persons so sin ridiculous as to take offence at our we heartily forgive their stupidity earnestly them to from all of ill humour test they should be under some one of the of we have it duty to hold up to ridicule even at moment we feel a glow of parting upon us � a sentiment of cordial good will towards tbe numerous host of readers that on at our heels the last year and in justice to ourselves seriously that if at any time we have treated them a little it was in that of with o whim and opinions which a unlucky or a humane his animal at the very moment when his heart is of loving kindness if this be not considered an ample justification so much the worse for in that case i fear we shall remain for ever � a most desperate extremity and worthy of every man s one circumstance in particular has i us as we along and that is the astonishing secrecy with which we been able to carry on our fully aware of the profound sagacity of the public of and their wonderful faculty of a writer by his style it is with great self we find that has never pointed to us as the authors of our gray beard speculations have been most attributed o sundry smart young gentlemen who for aught we know have no at all and we often been highly amused when they were charged with the sin of writing what their harmless minds never conceived to see them affect all the blushing modesty and beautiful op lot esq embarrassment of detected virgin authors � the profound and penetrating public having so long been led away from truth and nature by a constant perusal of those histories and from beyond seas in which human nature is for the most part and have never once imagined this work was a genuine and most history that the were a real family dwelling in the city � paying and lot entitled to the right of and holding several respectable offices in the as little do they suspect that there is a knot of merry old seated in the old fashioned parlour of an dutch house with a on the top that came from holland who amuse themselves of an evening by laughing at their neighbours in an honest way and who manage to on through the streets of our ancient and venerable city without or being by a living soul when we first adopted the idea of this work we determined in order to give the critics a fair opportunity for i o and opinions to declare ourselves one and all absolutely for it is one of the rare and invaluable privileges of a writer that by an act of innocent suicide he may himself to the grave and cheat the world of renown but we abandoned this scheme for many substantial reasons in the first place we care but little for the opinion of critics who we consider a kind of in the republic of letters who like deer and divers other animals gain by upon the and leave of the young shrubs of the forest thereby them of their and their progress to maturity it also occurred to us that though an author might in all countries kill himself outright yet this privilege does not extend to the raising himself from the dead should he be ever so anxious and all that is left him in such a case is to take the benefit of the act and revive under a new name and form far be it therefore from us to condemn ourselves to useless should we ever be disposed to resume the guardian op la esq ship of this learned city of and finish this invaluable work which is yet but half completed we openly and seriously declare that we are not dead but intend if it please providence to live for many years to come to enjoy life with the genuine relish of honest souls careless of riches honours and every thing but a good name among good fellows and with the full expectation of shuffling off the remnant of existence after the excellent fashion 