1817 Nov. 18.

Not Paul

Ch. Introd.

Greater care /anxiety/ can not easily be taken, than has been taken Throughout the whole course of this work to avoid putting any misrepresentation or false gloss upon the text of the several originals which form the ground of it. Not content with simply giving reference I have in every instance inserted in the margin the very words of the several passages from /by/ which the inferences /inference/ has been derived /afforded/: and even where to render the argument intelligible it has been necessary to interweave in the thread /sentence/ a portion /the substantive/ more or less considerable of the original, I have chosen rather to see the sentence more or less verbose and untoward, than hazard run the risk of misinterpretation /misrepresentation/ by expressing in fewer words what has appeared /presented[?]/ to me to be the sense of it.

Next to the avoidance of error is the confession[?] and correction of it. If in the eyes of any reader there a passage or any number of passages should present itself /themselves/ as having received out of this work an erroneous interpretation so he will lay his finger on it and give for the purpose of giving intimation of the supposed statement /error/ he will address an article to the Gentleman’s Magazine, stating the supposed misstatement /misrepresentation/ with his grounds for thinking it such in that case if it should please the worthy Editor of that respectable miscellany should be pleased to give insertion[?] to the indication in question, together with a reply from the paper […?] in a reply I will either confess the erroneousness of the representation, or give my reasons for persisting in it.