History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

  Chapter i.

  Of prologues.

  I have heard of a dramatic writer who used to say, he would ratherwrite a play than a prologue; in like manner, I think, I can with lesspains write one of the books of this history than the prefatorychapter to each of them.

  To say the truth, I believe many a hearty curse hath been devoted onthe head of that author who first instituted the method of prefixingto his play that portion of matter which is called the prologue; andwhich at first was part of the piece itself, but of latter years hathhad usually so little connexion with the drama before which it stands,that the prologue to one play might as well serve for any other. Thoseindeed of more modern date, seem all to be written on the same threetopics, viz., an abuse of the taste of the town, a condemnation of allcontemporary authors, and an eulogium on the performance just about tobe represented. The sentiments in all these are very little varied,nor is it possible they should; and indeed I have often wondered atthe great invention of authors, who have been capable of finding suchvarious phrases to express the same thing.

  In like manner I apprehend, some future historian (if any one shall dome the honour of imitating my manner) will, after much scratching hispate, bestow some good wishes on my memory, for having firstestablished these several initial chapters; most of which, like modernprologues, may as properly be prefixed to any other book in thishistory as to that which they introduce, or indeed to any otherhistory as to this.

  But however authors may suffer by either of these inventions, thereader will find sufficient emolument in the one as the spectator hathlong found in the other.

  First, it is well known that the prologue serves the critic for anopportunity to try his faculty of hissing, and to tune his cat-call tothe best advantage; by which means, I have known those musicalinstruments so well prepared, that they have been able to play in fullconcert at the first rising of the curtain.

  The same advantages may be drawn from these chapters, in which thecritic will be always sure of meeting with something that may serve asa whetstone to his noble spirit; so that he may fall with a morehungry appetite for censure on the history itself. And here hissagacity must make it needless to observe how artfully these chaptersare calculated for that excellent purpose; for in these we have alwaystaken care to intersperse somewhat of the sour or acid kind, in orderto sharpen and stimulate the said spirit of criticism.

  Again, the indolent reader, as well as spectator, finds greatadvantage from both these; for, as they are not obliged either to seethe one or read the others, and both the play and the book are thusprotracted, by the former they have a quarter of an hour longerallowed them to sit at dinner, and by the latter they have theadvantage of beginning to read at the fourth or fifth page instead ofthe first, a matter by no means of trivial consequence to persons whoread books with no other view than to say they have read them, a moregeneral motive to reading than is commonly imagined; and from whichnot only law books, and good books, but the pages of Homer and Virgil,of Swift and Cervantes, have been often turned over.

  Many other are the emoluments which arise from both these, but theyare for the most part so obvious, that we shall not at present stay toenumerate them; especially since it occurs to us that the principalmerit of both the prologue and the preface is that they be short.