Thomas Walker 
Original 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. In about a month from this time, forty years will have elapsed since the first number of The Original made its appearance; and its author embarked on that literary enterprise of which the particulars are given, in his own words, in the first part of this work. He lived to issue twenty-nine numbers; and had the satisfaction of announcing to his readers, from time to time, that his labours had been appreciated not only by personal friends, but also by the public press. Many of his friends thank him for the amusement he affords ;a lawyer and scholar applauds his good sense; a lady appreciates the religious, moral, and benevolent tone of his work; a man of high connexions compliments him on his sound sense, right feeling, and excellent language, and finds his description of Italy lovely; a country gentleman, who takes life very easily, has actually read the work twice over; and an author, celebrated for the wit and piquancy of his writings, acknowledges the services he is rendering to politics and morals, and wishes him all the success of the Spectator, Tutler, and Guardian. As to the press – he has been quoted often and copiously by the London and Provincial papers, and by many other periodicals.<br><br>With these testimonials, private and public, to encourage him, I am not surprised that the Publisher of The Original should have thought it worth while to gather the weekly numbers into one volume, and to present them to the public in that convenient form; that the venture proved a success; or that, in course of time, three considerable editions were published and sold.<br><br>It was soon alter the issue of the fourth and largest edition that I first made acquaintance with The Original; and found in its pleasant and genial pages the fullest justification for all that had ever been said in its favour. But this was not all.