And since I have
the honour to be acquitted by Your Lordship's judgment I should be very
humble not to value myself upon so complete a vindication. This and a
world of other favours which I have been so happy as to receive from Your
Lordship's goodness, do engage me to be with an everlasting respect,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most faithful and obedient servant,
WILL. DAMPIER.
THE PREFACE.
The favourable reception my two former volumes of voyages and
descriptions have already met with in the world gives me reason to hope
that, notwithstanding the objections which have been raised against me by
prejudiced persons, this third volume likewise may in some measure be
acceptable to candid and impartial readers who are curious to know the
nature of the inhabitants, animals, plants, soil, etc. in those distant
countries, which have either seldom or not at all been visited by any
Europeans.
It has almost always been the fate of those who have made new discoveries
to be disesteemed and slightly spoken of by such as either have had no
true relish and value for the things themselves that are discovered, or
have had some prejudice against the persons by whom the discoveries were
made.
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