Boswell, James, 1740-1795. The cub, at Newmarket: a tale. London: printed for R. and J. Dodsley, 1762. 24p.; 4⁰. (ESTC T53403; OTA K048041.000)

    • THE CUB, AT NEW-MARKET.

    [Price One Shilling.]

    • THE CUB, AT NEW-MARKET: A TALE.

    LONDON, Printed for R. and J. DODSLEY, in Pall-Mall. MDCCLXII.

    • TO His ROYAL HIGHNESS EDWARD Duke of YORK.

    SIR,

    PERMIT me to take this method of thanking your Royal Highness, for condescending to like the following Sketch. Or, in other Words, permit me to let the World know that this same Cub has been laughed at by the Duke of YORK; — has been read to your Royal Highness by the Genius himself, and warmed by the immediate beams of your kind Indulgence.

    [Page vi]

    HAD I been able to conceal this, I should have imagined that I had not the least Spark of the Enthusiasm of Parnassus in my Composition. — To be so deficient in Vanity, which, if I am not mistaken, may be reckoned an inseparable Characteristic of a Poet.

    THIS Trifle, SIR, would not presume to interrupt you, when engaged in matters of Consequence. It only begs leave to pay it's Respects in an hour devoted to chearful Festivity.

    I wish your Royal Highness a long, a merry, and a happy Life; and am,

    Your obliged Devoted Servant.

    • PREFACE.

    THIS Tale is — what very few Tales now-a-days are, — true. The Hero of it no other than the Author himself. It was indeed catching the merriment as it rose; for it was written in the New-market Coffee Room; — In which the Author, being elected a member of the Jockey Club, had the happiness of passing several sprightly goodhumoured Evenings — Just when the whimsical Adventure happened, which is here related.

    POETICAL Licence however (and is it not right that it should be so?) has been taken. Particularly, in Justice to my own Person, I must declare that a certain figure of Speech, called by Rhetoricians Hyperbole or Exaggeration, has been made pretty free with.

    [Page viii]

    MY Reasons for publishing it are twofold. One is my own: The other I borrowed from Lord SHAFTESBURY. The former is, without flattery, the merit of the Poem. "Heyday! — to be sure! — why this is Impudence without a Parallel;"says some Don Choleric or another.

    I cannot agree with you there, Sir Testy — Pardon me, Sir, — hear my Explanation. These Verses have had the honour of being approved by those whose Taste it would be the highest Arrogance in me to call in question. Now, Sir, what have you to say to that?

    THE latter is in order to let my friends have Copies of it, which they may be in no danger of not being able to read. And surely I may be rather excused for making the Press my Amanuensis than the noble Lord, who might have had half a dozen Secretaries at his command. If I have not already said enough, fifty other reasons may be invented by my ingenious Readers.

    AND now for the Critics — Pray, good Gentlemen, be quiet. Do not apply your confounded Squares and Compasses to a Performance, whose Beauty — if it has any — but that, you know, is understood — consists in a careless ease. What have your grave Countenances to do here? — It is not[Page ix] at all becoming in People of your Dignity and Consequence, to keep company with Cubs. What the Deuce! can't a comical fellow take a hearty laugh, but one of you sage Philosophers must clap on a pair of damnation Spectacles, and stare him full in the Face, in order to find out Pimples upon his Nose?

    COMMEND me, however, as much as you please. Take full scope there. And for your further encouragement, if you will tickle my fancy with a few obliging encomiums, I promise you a SCOTCH-PINT-BOTTLE of mine excellent HostAt the BEDFORD-HEAD. WILDMAN's best Claret; which, by the by, has been facetiously reckoned no ineffectual Bribe to one formidable Bashaw amongst you.

    JESTING apart. My dear Boy CUB! go along; — push thy way; — shift for thyself. All that is required of thee is, to relax the Muscles of such as have not got these organs of risibility over and above constricted. — Play thy Part well; and rest assured of eternal applause from thy loving PROGENITOR.

  • THE CUB, AT NEW-MARKET.