The Baron de Pollnitz's Account of his Travels, and of the Observations he made wherever he came, both of Persons and Things, has had such a Run in Foreign Parts, that the Bookseller at Amsterdam, who first printed it in three Volumes in 12mo, soon a ... Read more

The Baron de Pollnitz's Account of his Travels, and of the Observations he made wherever he came, both of Persons and Things, has had such a Run in Foreign Parts, that the Bookseller at Amsterdam, who first printed it in three Volumes in 12mo, soon after published a second Edition of it in four Volumes, and has now printed a third Edition in five Volumes. The three first Volumes, which are those that are translated in our first and second, he calls Letters; and to the fourth and fifth he has given the Title of Memoirs, which is that we have chose for our Translation of the Whole. It happens that these two New Volumes were written by our Author before the firstiv and second that were translated and publish'd last Year; but why they were not also printed before the others, is thus accounted for by M. Changuion the Bookseller at Amsterdam, in his Preface to the Original of these Memoirs, viz. 'The Author, when at Paris, sold the Copy to a Person, who sold it again to a Bookseller in Holland; and the latter was actually going to print it when he heard that I was just ready to publish the Letters of the Baron de Pollnitz, (the same that are the Subject of our two first Volumes). The Title-Pages of the one and the other had such a Resemblance, that the Bookseller in Holland, who purchas'd the Copy, of which these two additional Volumes are a Translation imagin'd it to be the same with the other, and laid the MS. by. But not long after this, he took it into his head to review it, and by comparing it with the former Volumes, he found this a quite different Treatise. He saw, that it not only contain'd a History of the Author's Life and Family, but an Account of several Courts and Courtiers of Europe, very circumstantial, and altogether new; and that here was a Relation of several Travels of our Author, that to Spain in particular, of which there's not a Word in the former Volumes; in short, that this Copy of his was the Account of the Baron's first Travels, antecedent to those already publish'd.'v Upon his communicating this Discovery to M. Changuion, the latter bargain'd with him for it, and has just published it in Holland, as a Sequel to the former Volumes, tho' if he had had the MS. sooner, he would undoubtedly have given it the Preference. At the End of the last Volume there is a Translation of a remarkable Piece from the Italian Original, which is the Confession of Faith made by the Baron de Pollnitz, and his Motives for changing his Religion. The said Bookseller thinks, that the Author (tho' he has since abjur'd the Romish for the Protestant Religion, as may be seen in our Preface to the first Volume) will not be angry with him for publishing that Piece, because it has such a tendency to confute the malicious Insinuations which he complains of in his Memoirs, and proves, that if he did not then embrace the True Religion, he took the Pains however to examine it. On the other hand, the Publication of this ample Confession will demonstrate to all Catholics, that whatsoever Arguments they employ against Christians of the Protestant Communions, the latter are not afraid to let them see the Light. To conclude; tho' some Places are here and there mention'd in these Volumes, which are also to be found in the Two First, and with that Conformity indeed betwixt them, which the Truth unavoidably demanded; yet 'tisvi proper to observe, that the Descriptions are sometimes more copious, the Reflections almost every where different; and that in both there is an agreeable Variety and Vivacity which we flatter our selves will not fail to recommend These to the same good Acceptance from the Public, with which it has favor'd the former Volumes. Less