34 ted it must be expected that many lines and phra- 35 ses will not exactly suit their taste. An accurate taste in poetry, and in all the other 47arts, Sir Joshua Reynolds has observed, is an 48 acquired talent, which can only be produced by 49 severe thought, and a long continued intercourse 50 with the best models of composition. Of the other poems in 61 the collection, it may be proper to say that they 62 are either absolute inventions of the author, or 63 facts which took place within his personal obser- 64 vation or that of his friends. The lines entitled 75 Expostulation and Reply, and those which 76 follow, arose out of conversation with a friend 77 who was somewhat unreasonably attached to 78 modern books of moral philosophy. This edition does not encode signatures, page numbers, or catchwords.
Old spelling is retained except for ligatured letters, which are normalized.
Contractions and abbreviations are placed within vertical bars. Italics and lineation are retained, but not small capitals and the text of catchwords, signatures, and running titles. Original lineation is maintained. Reference citations are by page numbers and editorial through-text paragraph and line numbers.