COLLECTION OF ENGLISH SONGS, WITH AN APPENDIX OF ORIGINAL PIECES. Not one immoral, one corrupted Thought! LYTTLETON. LONDON, 1796: PRINTED BY WILLIAM BENNETT, No, 12, CLEMENT'S-INN-PASSAGE, CLARE-MARKET. Sold by P. Elmfly, oppofite Southampton Street, Strand; A Collection of English Songs. November, 1793. THE elegant Collection, accompanying Dr. Aikin's "Effay on Song Writing," is well known; but feveral excellent pieces having escaped his refearch, I was, many years fince, induced to make An Addition of fome, which, I thought, ftrongly painted natural images, and were not deftitute of poetical merit. Song-Writers, in general, extend their Songs to too great a length; and all the parts are feldom equally finished: I have, without fcruple, taken the liberty to expunge whole ftanzas; and many may, perhaps, be thought ftill to require a further correction: but every Thought which is natural and uncommon, deferves to be recorded, 32 recorded, as conftituting The Hiftory of the Human Mind: perhaps, this opinion may have led me to introduce fome, whofe poetical merits do not entitle them to a Place in this Collection. I have alfo inferted a few pieces which may not be confidered as Songs. I have added the dates, where poffible, diftinguishing the Era, when I could not the Year; reckoning the Beginning of the Century to comprehend the first twenty-five years, or thereabout: from thence 'till within about twenty-five years of the End of the Century, as the Middle of that Century: This will, in fome measure, fhew how little pure English is changed in a Century and a half. In collecting the Songs, which pleafed me, I did not always mark from whence they were copied; it is impoffible now to recollect; but they are all in print, except those marked MS; though I have fometimes made alterations. I have |