| The man resolv'd, and steady to his trust, |
| Inflexible to ill, and obstinately just. |
my dear madam,
It seems somewhat extraordinary that althoughwith persons of great merit and delicacy no virtuestands in higher estimation than truth, yet, in suchan address as the present, there would be some dangerof offending them by a strict adherence to it; Imean by uttering truths so generally acknowledged,that every one, except the person addressed, wouldacquit the writer of flattery. And it will be a singularcircumstance to see a Dedication without praise,to a lady possessed of every quality and accomplishmentwhich can justly entitle her to it.
I am,
my dear madam,
With great respect,
your most obedient,
and very obliged humble servant,
THE AUTHOR.
Among the great names which have done honour to antiquityin general, and to the Roman Republic in particular,that of Marcus Attilius Regulus has, by the generalconsent of all ages, been considered as one of themost splendid, since he not only sacrificed his labours,his liberty, and his life for the good of his country, butby a greatness of soul, almost peculiar to himself, contrivedto make his very misfortunes contribute to thatglorious end.
After the Romans had met with various successes inthe first Punic war, under the command of Regulus,victory at length declared for the opposite party, theRoman army was totally overthrown, and Regulus himselftaken prisoner, by Xantippus, a Lacedæmonian Generalin the service of the Carthaginians: the victoriousenemy exulting in so important a conquest, kept himmany years in close imprisonment, and loaded him withthe most cruel indignities. They thought it was now intheir power to make their own terms with Rome, and determinedto send Regulus thither with their ambassador,to negotiate a peace, or at least an exchange of captives,thinking he would gladly persuade his countrymen todiscontinue a war, which necessarily prolonged his captivity.They previously exacted from him an oath toreturn should his embassy prove unsuccessful; at thesame time giving him to understand, that he must expectto suffer a cruel death if he failed in it; this theyartfully intimated as the strongest motive for him to leaveno means unattempted to accomplish their purpose.
At the unexpected arrival of this venerable hero, theRomans expressed the wildest transports of joy, andwould have submitted to almost any conditions to procurehis enlargement; but Regulus, so far from availinghimself of his influence with the Senate to obtain anypersonal advantages, employed it to induce them to rejectproposals so evidently tending to dishono