Transcribed from the 1823 R. O. Weston edition ,
THE
FALL OF JERUSALEM;
A Poem.
IN THREEPARTS.
By J. CHURCH, Jun.
“My God will castthem away because they did not hearken unto him, and they
shall be wanderers among the nations.”—Hosea,c ix. v. 17.
LONDON:
PRINTED FORTHE AUTHOR BY R. O. WESTON,
CROSBY-ROW, SOUTHWARK.
1823
Price Three Shillings.
p.iiiTO
MRS. J. REVETT,
OF
BRANDESTON HALL,
SUFFOLK.
Dear Madam,
The particular kindness and regardwith which you have ever honored our family, the liberality withwhich you have received my father’s works, and a knowledgeof your native goodness, embolden me to sue for your patronageand attention to this my first (and probably the last) essay,which, though it has no claim to merit, may afford p. ivyou a fewmoments amusement in your solitude; where, being surrounded byNature, and free from the noise and bustle of the town, you haveleisure to survey the wonders of Creation, and admire theincomprehensible power of the Creator;
“To lookthro’ nature up to nature’s God;”
to look back at the revolutions of nations, and bless Him whohas placed you in peace, and given you a longing for his heavenlyrest.
It is customary with authors, either from the expectation of afee, their knowledge of the weakness of those to whom theypresent their works, or some interested motives, to fill theirdedications with the most ridiculous applause and fulsomeadulation; but as I have no such motives or ideas, I shall not beunder the painful necessity of saying any p. vthing foreignto my heart, or drawing a blush from the cheek of injuredsensibility, which, though conscious of superiority, must everfeel insulted when attacked by flattery.—Reposing thereforein your friendship, and generosity to protect the humble effortof a young author, I beg leave to subscribe myself,
Dear Madam,
Your most obliged and
very humble Servant,
J. CHURCH, Jun.
Tabernacle House,
April22nd, 1823.
p. viiTOTHE READER.
Courteous Reader,
(I MUST begin in the oldstyle.) In laying these sheets before a criticising public,the author has perhaps overstepped the bounds of decorum, and maybe