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WIELAND;
OR THE
TRANSFORMATION. AN
AMERICAN TALE.

From Virtue's bli&longs;sful paths away
The double-tongued are &longs;ure to &longs;tray;
Good is a forth-right journey &longs;till,
And mazy paths but lead to ill.
COPY-RIGHT SECURED.
NEW-YORK:
Printed by T. & J. Swords, for H. Caritat.
—1798.—

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ADVERTISEMENT.

[figure description] Advertisement.[end figure description]

The following Work is delivered to the world as the fir&longs;t
of a &longs;eries of performances, which the favorable reception of
this will induce the Writer to publi&longs;h. His purpo&longs;e is neither
&longs;elfi&longs;h nor temporary, but aims at the illu&longs;tration of &longs;ome important
branches of the moral con&longs;titution of man. Whether
this tale will be cla&longs;&longs;ed with the ordinary or &longs;rivolous &longs;ources
of amu&longs;ement, or be ranked with the few productions who&longs;e
u&longs;efulne&longs;s &longs;ecures to them a la&longs;ting reputation, the reader mu&longs;t
be permitted to decide.

The incidents related are extraordinary and rare. Some of
them, perhaps, approach as nearly to the nature of miracles
as can be done by that which is not truly miraculous. It is
hoped that intelligent readers will not di&longs;approve of the manner
in which appearances are &longs;olved, but that the &longs;olution will
be found to corre&longs;pond with the known principles of human
nature. The power which the principal per&longs;on is &longs;aid to possess
can &longs;carcely be denied to be real. It mu&longs;t be acknowledged
to be extremely rare; but no fact, equally uncommon, is supported
by the &longs;ame &longs;trength of hi&longs;torical evidence.

Some readers may think the conduct of the younger Wieland
impo&longs;&longs;ible. In &longs;upport of its po&longs;&longs;ibility the Writer mu&longs;t
appeal to Phy&longs;icians and to men conver&longs;ant with the latent
&longs;prings and occa&longs;ional perver&longs;ions of the human mind. It will
not be objected that the in&longs;tances of &longs;imilar delu&longs;ion are rare,
becau&longs;e it is the bu&longs;ine&longs;s of moral painters to exhibit their subject
in its mo&longs;t in&longs;tructive and memorable forms. If hi&longs;tory
furni&longs;hes one parallel fact, it is a &longs;ufficient vindication of the
Writer; but mo&longs;t readers will probably recollect an authentic
ca&longs;e, remarkably &longs;imilar to that of Wieland.

It will be nece&longs;&longs;ary to add, that this narrative is addre&longs;&longs;ed,
in an epi&longs;tolary form, by the Lady who&longs;e &longs;tory it contains, to
a &longs;mall number of friends, who&longs;e curio&longs;ity, with regard to it,
had been greatly awakened. It may likewi&longs;e be mentioned,
that the&longs;e events took place between the conclu&longs;ion of the
French and the beginning of the revolutionary war. The
memoirs of Carwin, alluded to at the conclu&longs;ion of the work,
will be publi&longs;hed or &longs;uppre&longs;&longs;ed according to the reception
which is given to the pre&longs;ent attempt.