THE
STORM:
OR, A
COLLECTION
Of the most Remarkable
CASUALTIES
AND
DISASTERS
Which happen'd in the Late
Dreadful TEMPEST,
BOTH BY
SEA and LAND.

THE PREFACE

Preaching of Sermons is Speaking to a few of Mankind: Printingof Books is Talking to the whole World. The Parson Prescribeshimself, and addresses to the particular Auditory with the Appellationof My Brethren; but he that Prints a Book, ought toPreface it with a Noverint Universi, Know all Men by thesePresents.

The proper Inference drawn from this remarkable Observation,is, That tho' he that Preaches from the Pulpit ought to becareful of his Words, that nothing pass from him but with anespecial Sanction of Truth; yet he that Prints and Publishes toall the World, has a tenfold Obligation.

The Sermon is a Sound of Words spoken to the Ear, andprepar'd only for present Meditation, and extends no fartherthan the strength of Memory can convey it; a Book Printed is aRecord; remaining in every Man's Possession, always ready torenew its Acquaintance with his Memory, and always ready tobe produc'd as an Authority or Voucher to any Reports hemakes out of it, and conveys its Contents for Ages to come, tothe Eternity of mortal Time, when the Author is forgotten in hisGrave.

If a Sermon be ill grounded, if the Preacher imposes upon us,he trespasses on a few; but if a Book Printed obtrudes a Falshood,if a Man tells a Lye in Print, he abuses Mankind, andimposes upon the whole World, he causes our Children to tellLyes after us, and their Children after them, to the End of theWorld.

This Observation I thought good to make by way of Preface,to let the World know, that when I go about a Work in which I4must tell a great many Stories, which may in their own natureseem incredible, and in which I must expect a great part ofMankind will question the Sincerity of the Relator; I did not doit without a particular sence upon me of the proper Duty of anHistorian, and the abundant Duty laid on him to be very warywhat he conveys to Posterity.

I cannot be so ignorant of my own Intentions, as not to know,that in many Cases I shall act the Divine, and draw necessarypractical Inferences from the extraordinary Remarkables of thisBook, and some Digressions which I hope may not be altogetheruseless in this Case.

And while I pretend to a thing so solemn, I cannot but premiseI should stand convicted of a double Imposture, to forge a Story,and then preach Repentance to the Reader from a Crime greaterthan that I would have him repent of: endeavouring by a Lye tocorrect the Reader's Vices, and sin against Truth to bring theReader off from sinning against Sence.

Upon this score, tho' the Undertaking be very difficult amongsuch an infinite variety of Circumstances, to keep, exactly withinthe bounds of Truth; yet I have this positive