No unprejudiced person will blame the Dean for doing all that is consistent with truth and decency to vindicate the government of the Queen, and to exculpate the conduct of her ministers and her last general; all good men would rejoice at such a vindication.  But, if he meant no more than this, his work would ill deserve the title of an History.  That he generally tells truths, and founds his most material assertions upon fact, will, I think be found very evident.  But there is room to suspect, that, while he tells no more than the truth, he does not tell the whole truth.  However, he makes it very clear, that the Queen’s allies, especially our worthy friends the Dutch, were much to blame for the now generally condemned conduct of the Queen, with regard to the prosecution of the war and the bringing about the peace.

The authors drawings of characters are confessedly partial:  for he tells us openly, he means not to give characters entire, but such parts of each man’s particular passions, acquirements, and habits, as he was most likely to transfer into his political schemes.  What writing, what sentence, what character, can stand this torture?—­What extreme perversion may not, let me say, does not, this produce?  Yet thus does he choose to treat all men, that were not favourers of the latest measures of the Queen, when the best that has been said for her, shows no more than that she was blindfolded and held in leading-strings by her ministers.

He does not spare a man, confessed by all the world to have discharged the duties of his function like a soldier, like an hero.  But charges Prince Eugene with raising and keeping up a most horrible mob, with intent to assassinate Harley.  For all which odious charges he offers not one individual point of proof.

He is not content with laying open again the many faults already publicly proved upon the late Duke of Marlborough, but insinuates a new crime, by seeming to attempt to acquit him of aspiring at the throne.  But this is done in a manner peculiar to this author.

On the other hand, he extols the ministers, and minions of the Queen, in the highest terms; and while he robs their antagonists of every good quality, generally gives those wisdom and every virtue that can adorn human nature.

He is not ashamed to attempt to justify, what all thinking good men must condemn, the Queen’s making twelve peers at once, to serve a particular turn.

All these may be ascribed to the strength of his passions, and to the prejudices, early imbibed, in favour of his indulgent royal mistress and her favourites and servants.[3] The judicious will look through the elegant clothing, and dispassionately consider these as mere human errors, to which no well-informed mind can assent.  The editor thinks himself bound to protest against them.

[Footnote 3:  That Swift should have a strong partiality to Harley and St. John, by whom he was respected and trusted to a most uncommon degree, is natural and obvious; but upon what ground Queen Anne, who disliked his person, and obstructed his preferment, is here termed his indulgent mistress, the author of this preface ought to have condescended to explain. [S.]]