Blair Collection > Archaeologia Britannica, giving some account additional to what has been hitherto publish'd, of the languages, histories and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain

THEPREFACE.
Printed, into each Kingdom. What Additions and Corredions have been thereupon retiirn\i,
are all Printed in the Order of Alphabet, at the end, as a Supplement or Appendix.
Having given feme Account of what this Volume contains, it remains that mention be made
of the Particular Alliftance I have had from Perfons of Learnmg and Gcneroiity ; which is not
done out of the leall: Opinion that the inferting their Names here, ihould add any thing to
t"heir Charafler; but becaufe it's proper the Reader fliould be intorm'd what helps I have had ; -
and alfo in regard that it's now fo eltablilb'd a Cuftom, that the Omillion would be a Fault.
As to the MSS. of our own Language, the moll conliderable Colledlion I hjve had theFa-
vour of peruling, is that of the Right Worlliipful Sir Roger Mojiyn ot Mojijn in the County
of Flint Baronet ; who was pleafed to Honour mt- , with a conftant free Acceis to his Library ;
and the ufe of any Manufcnpt ellewhere, whenever 1 delired it.
The fame Favours I have alfo receiv'd from the Right Reverend the Lord Bilhop o^ Here-
ford., and from my ever Honoured Patrons Robert 'Davies Efq; o{ Lbannerch in the County of
'Denbigh, and ^ohn LLoydE{(]\ of Aber Lhevenin\ Merionethjhire.
Others who were likewile plealed to encourage the Undertaking in the fame manner, were
Willtajn Thilips of Brechmk Efq; Capt. Walter Warm ofOUberry in Shroppne, the Reverend
Dt. Jones Dean of Bangor, the late Reverend Mi.Tbomas IFilkms Prebendary of Landnff, Mr.
Henry Rowlands Rcdlor of Lban Idan in Anglejey, Mr. William Ball R. ot No\tbopy and Mr.
Evan yaugban of fedw in RadnorJ\nre. Neither mult 1 decline the acknowledging on this Oc-
cafion, that I have in General throughout ^F/^/l?J■, receiv'd the utmcll Civility from Perlons of
all Qualities; not only as to Hofpitality, which I leave to the Oblervation of Strangers, but
alfo in their Readinels in Communicating any Manulcript ; and in mentioning or flicwing any
thing in their Neighbourhood, whether Inlcnptions or other Particulars, that might iccm to
deferve Notice.
In Cornvoal the Right Reverend Father in God, ^ixjfonathan Trelavcney then Lord Bifliop of
Exeter ', was plealed belides the Generous Encouragement of a Contribution not Subfcnbed or
Expefted, towards the Expenfe of Travelling ; to recommend me to thole oi belt skill m the
Cornip, or otherwifc molt likely to further my Undertaking ; and to grant thole other Favours
mention'd in the Preface to the CorniJIo Grammar.
In Ireland the molt Reverend Father in GoA Narcijfus, Lord Primate of A magb, was
pleafed to communicate a Latinlnp Focloip ( or Vocabulary ) written about fifty years fince,
by Richard Vlunket a Francilcan of the Abbey ofTrpn, a Pcrlon of Laudable Indultry, and as
feem'd to me ( for I ought herein to lubmit to the Opinion of ihe Rmves ) a Judicious Writer.
The great ufe that Manufcript has been of, is particularly mention'd in the Preface to ihe /ri/h
Diilionary. For tho' it be true that I had written and begun Printing that Part, before my re-
ceiving the V^ocabulary ; yet the Progrels of the Printer on Account of other Bulinefs in hand,
was fo flow, that belides its Ufe in the Co7Hparative Vocabulary, it gave me time enough to m-
fert therein, what Additions feem'd Neceilary to the Dtlign propoled. And here 1 ought not
to forget that the Hrlt Helps and Encouragement 1 ever had in the Study of the Iriflj, were
from the Reverend fix. John Mill, Principal of Edmund Hall und Prebendary of Crt/z/w/'ar/,
whofe Charadler for promoting any ufeful Studies (tho' they Ihould be of a Ditferent Nature
from thofe Generally in requelt ) is fo well known, that nothing need be added, unlefs by a
Hand more adequate to the SubjeiSl.
My Travels in Ireland were much facilitated by a Te/limoniutn fign'd ( belides fome Particu-
lar Recommendations) by the Right Reverend, the Bifliops of Clocbor, and 2)oTs:n &. Conor;
the Reverend Di. Brown Provofl of Trinity College, Dr. Oit'f« ZAy^/ Profellbr of Divinity,
and Thomas Molyneux D. M. and in Scotland by the like Favour from ^'n Robert Sibbald^ and
the Principal of the College of Edinkirrough.
Having elfewhcre given my Reafons for this enlarging of the firft "Defign and for the Delay
and Alteration of method, and the fame being, I prefume, allowable m all (uch Undertakings,
I fliall not detain the Reader with any Needlels Apology on that Account. A Cornilh-Englifh
Vocabulary (as is mention'd in (ht Cornijl] Gramtnar) was at firft intended to have been in-
cluded m this Volume, belides the Cornijh Words of the Comparative Etymology and thofe of the
Second Title ; as alfo an Account of Britijh and Celtic Proper Names; but the Book being other-
wile improv'd to a Bulk beyond what was at firft defign'd, they are left to the next. And I
was the more willing to omit for the prcfent that Vocabulary, partly in regard the Armoric dif-
fering but little from the Cornijl), fupplies in a Great Meafure that Dcfei^l ; and partly becaufe I
have been (orae time lince mfbrm'd of a Cornijh Vocabulary, compoicd by a Gentleman who
lives near Truro in that County, who may probably have fbme thoughts of Publiflimg it.
I am not Ignorant of the Objedions lome Learned and Ingenious Gentlemen have been
pleafed to urge againfl this Book, whilll 'twas a Printing; nor of the Dilad vantages to which a
Book lo cenfured mult be Liable. But that being often the Fate of Performances infinitely
more Valuable, and an Inconveniency which no Man can ever prevent, I think it needlefs to
1 Now of Wmchtfter.
fay