New-York tribune., 1875-12-22
NEW BRITISH BOOKS.
PEPYS'S DIARY.

PEPYS'S DIARY.
nxERCTs OF THE NEW EDIIIoN-IACK OF ARTISTIC
TAsTE-UNsATIsFACroRYR REPRINTS OF STANDARD
woRKs-GREAT SALE OF MOODY AND SANKEY'S
HYMN BooK-MR. FogsTER's LITERARY INDUSTRY.
iyRox REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBuSs'i
LONDON, Nov. 2O.-The first volume of the new
Pepys has been issued by Messrs. Bickers-an am
bilious house which will take higher rank when
greater knowledge of literary aud typographical
matters shall have como to the aid of its good inten
tions They started some time since upon good
road that of giving TO the public editions OF great
English writer's. Their first venture was believe.
reprint of Pickerng's well-known Milton, IN eight
volumes, which was meant to be fac-simile of
Pickerings but which sells for about oce-fourth the
price of Fielding Smollett, and sterne, whom they
published at intervals. good edition existed, ana
The bes. existing were scarce but they were put
into incompetent hands, and though they must re-
main the standard editions till Others are under
takon-a long time hence-they are satisfactory
neither to the scholar nor the bibhophile. Their
Ben Jonson, more recently brought out, Is better
done but not well done. 1t is scarcely more than
reproduction of Giffords, which was published IN
1916. Col Cunningham, the present editor, ls
respectable amateur, nothing more, and what ne
has added is of slight value. Giftord's was a good
piece of work for its time but he lived before the
the first Of editors is nonsense. Hecannot be ranked
with the later men. Dyce was vastly his superior.
Let any one who doubts it compare Giords ben
Jonson with the Beaumont and Fletcher OF
Dyce, and he will find proofs on every
page. What we now understand Dy
pure text was not understood IN anything
like the sixty years since, and the duties
,f commentator To his anthor were often sdcrihced
10 the hostlties carried with rival editors. Olf-
ford was one of the most ferocious cOmbatants In
literature Nevertheless his Ben Jonsou has re-
NAMED the best Ben Jonson we have; and the edi-
lion of 1916 is on the whole. to be preferred to
Bickerss reissue of it with the nominal help of Cum
aingham in 1875. What "a commentary that Is on
the literary attitude Of England toward its great
neil of other days Compare it-nay, you cannot
compare il for one single instant-with the work
aow doing in France.
All this however is long way off from the new
Pepys with which began, and of winch it is to be
said that something may fairly be hoped. That the
whole Of Pepys's Diary had never been allowed TO
see the light has always been known. This was
accordingly announced a new edition. an entirely
new transcript of the Ms. (which is denied, with
the life ard notes by Lord Braybrooke and addi-
tonal notes by the Rev. Mynors Bright President of
Magdalene College, Cambridge, in the library OF
which the Ms. reposes, and with additions 10 the
text of the Diary now first deciphered, or first
printed. Nothing could sound better. But now
come MessIs Bell, the publishers of the previous
edition, procaiming themselves the proprietors
of Lord BraybroOkes final notes, and pointing out
that in the present edition the life and notes are re-
printed from the shorter memoir and brief annota-
tions which appeared in Lord BTaybrookes first edi-
ton of 1923, the copyright of which has expired.
They say further that in three subsequent editions
Lord BraybroOke added numerous valuable storical
comments in the preparation of which he had the
assistance of Mr. Holmes of the British Museum. Mr..
Peter Cunningham and Mr.. James Yeowell, none OF
which can be used for the Bickers edition. There
has been a good deal Of dispute, and either htiga-
ton or threat of litigation, between the rival pub
fishers, but the public is only concerned with the
fact that neither Of the two editions is as perfect as
Il might be- Messrs Bickers 10 do them justice,
have offered to buy out Messrs. Bells rights, but
the latter have refused to sell. Worse still, the
Rev. MynOrs Bright is no more inclined to
print his deciphered manuscript in full than Lord
Braybrooke was, and he modifieS part of what he
does print to make II conform 10 what he suppOses
to be the prudery of the age. For popular edition,
that might be needful for "A critical edition, such as
this preends to be, it is not needful and 1t 10 not
altogether honest. 81 have published" says Mr
Bright in his Preface " the whole of the Diary with
the exception Of such parts as Thought would be
tedious to the reader, that unti tfor pubica-
make his Judgment conclusive points so delicate.
To the duties of ali editor, he is new. There if
nothing in the text TO show where omissions
nor where additions His notes are too fow and too
meager. OF his author he speaks in a strange way,
as if he owed bis celebrity to Thackeray,-
strangely saying, "'Nr Pips, his Diary m-
mortalized by Tkdeke,aG u is so well known,
and his name is nOw such household
word, that / think / have no need to apol-
ogize for giving the public fuller account of has
domestic affairs" / should think not. indeed. The
immense value of the book has been recognized ever
since its first appearance in Lord Bray broOkes two
ouartos of 1925. There might have been an excuse
for Lord Braybrooke's (who not much of
an editor though cannot be ungatefui to
him) patronizing Pepys introducing him
TO the world There can be none for Mr..
Bright's. He might like to know, he
sets such value on certificates, that Mr..
Emerson once called the Diary the best of all His
tories of England. In the same sprlt Scott SAID
that "for minute information concerning ancient
manners and CUSTOMS the progress OF arts and
sciences and the various branches of antiquity We
have never seen so rich mine as the volumes be-
fore u.s." But az Lord Braybrookes incompetence
had TO be forgiven for the sake Of the great service
he did u.s. so must Mr. Brights for his lesser, but
still considerable work the book. tie has added.
he assures us, about one-third of matter never
vet published. For the sake of that one-third We
must / suppose, buy this edition, and wait
with more or less patience for that of the
future which shall do complete justice to Pepys.
This like the Ben JOnson has been carelessly praised
for its typographical beauty. 1t does not deserve
much praise 1t is production, indeed of the CHS
wick Press but il is not fine specimen of Mcssrs.
Within gIan's work. " they had printed IL for the
late Mr. Pickering, for instance, they would not