It has fared with the learned men of this our nation, much as it has done with those who have distinguished themselves in arms, the success of both has been very extraordinary & thouthough the writings of the one will always speak for themselves & the actions of the others hadhave been of too great consequence to be entirely forgot little care has been taken to tr transmitt deliver todown to posterity wi any advantageous account of the authors. The Muses have not strung their harps for our Sages or Heroes & the relations the most likely to last are such as have been given by their competitors – There is hardly an officer among the French officer of the lowest rank Man Many among of a neighbouring nation unwilling to trust others with so dear a deposite pretious a charge as the care of their fame have been themselves the trumpetstrumpetersstrumpeters of their actions often in their own life times & officers of the lowest rank, thouthough little known elsewhere make a figure in their own memoirs Whilst there is no account to be found of the unparallelled actions of the great Duke of Marlborough but in the Annals of Boyer and the Histoire Militaire of Louis the 14th – the Carthag wee know little or nothing of the Carthaginians but except from their rivals the Romans but the fate wchwhich there attended the conquered has fallen upon England victorious —

Nor has France been less carefull of their learned men, a succession of the brightest wits have been entertained to perpetuate the memoirs of every member of their Society & that pen wchwhich has now been the delight of Europe for half a century has given such a lustre

finds or makes them

wtwhat A said of poetry may be said of him that however wee admire him more than his Heroes

delivers down with so much advantage as will give posterity a much greater Idea – Whilst even Harvey Boyle live only in their works – nor would & Newton only as belonging to them & not as an Englishman —

Spratt began durst praise no body – a false modesty

As Tacitus wrote the life of Agricola because he married his daughter — I – having something the like pretence of affinity – wanting a genius knowledge – haue excited others – they dictate – only my hand – Whatever is wrong is mine – Whatever praisewort otherwise theirs —

Folkes – Iones – Machin – &c –

endeavour to embellish to heighten to raise — follow example of Spratt – SrSir Hans told often endeavoured to prevail a continuance who frightened an no body write on same subject with Cesar wchwhich imitation of his beauties degenerate into a vicious esteem