New-York tribune., 1911-02-05

ETllnGtOn
hy the Very Rev. J. II. Bernard. D. d..
Dean Of St Patrick's. Vol. ]. svo, PIP
xviii 392. The Macmillan Company.
This first volume is the welcome proof
Of the completion Of an important un-
dertaking. the preparation, namely, OF
q defnitive collected edition Of Swlft
correspondence, made possible by the
gradual accumulation Of what may be
assumed to be practically all the new
material bearing on Swift, his life and
his work. still in existence. This edi-
ton has two great merits. the first one
being the facility it offers the student
Of Swift's career to ascertain what let
ters are eXtant for any particular Pc
riod of il without turning from faulk-
nor to Sheridan. from him to Scott and
Birkbeck Hill. from these to the multi
tude of later editors and biographers OF
Swift and Cf his great contemporaries.
to the reports of the Historical MSS.
Commission and to tie Public Record
Offices Of England and Ireland. The
second merit lies in the thoroughnesS
with which the correspondence Is an
nCtated here for the first time, no refer
ence or allusion TO persons or events
having been allowed TO pass without the
closest scrutiny. This task, admirably
performed 10y the present editor, was inn
possible for his predecessors owing to
the lack of all this wealth of contribu
tory material since made available.
The basis of the edition is formed by
the letters found in the different editions
of Swifts works published from 1141 to
1899; the now material, chronologically
interpolated, consists chiefly of the col
lection made by John Forster i'm prepara-
tion for his life of the Dean left unfin-
ished at his death: of volume of auto
graph letters of Swift in the possession
Of Mr.. John Murray. who. true 10 the
grand traditions Of his house. relin-
quished all his rights in them for the
sake Of English letters; of the three
volumes OF autograph letters and drafts
from which Hawkesworth drew his
Letters Written by Swift to His
Friends; Of Archbishop Kings hitherto
unpublished correspondence. the copies
of which repose in the library Of Trinity
College, Dublin; of a transcript Of the
correspondence between Swift and Pope.
Gay and Bolngbroke in the possession
of the Marquis Of Bath. and used by the
Rev. Whitwell Elwin for his edition of
the works Of Alexander Pope; and of
/ the autograph letters from Swift to the
/ first and second carls of oxford, the
property of the Duke of Portland. which
were printed by the Historical MSS.
Commission. To these are added hith
crto unpublished letters from various
sources. The use made Of the reports
Of the Historical MSS. Commission, the
/ files Of the Public Record Offices. and of
the material found i'm the editions of
the works OF the Deans contemporaries
has lust been indicated. but even So the
edition Is not absolutely complete. for
the Very Rev. j. II. Bernard. the present
1 Dean Of 81. Patricks who most appro
priately furnishes the introduction. men
tions at least one letter Of Swift's that
| is known TO be in this country but has
not yet been traced. Moreover the edi-
tor has been forced by the hardness Of
the discovery of two hitherto unpub
lished early letters of Swift's to his cous-
in Thomas to place them in an appendix.
instead of in their proper chronological
order
These two finds are Of particular liter
airy interest. because they show how
eager Swift was i'm the early days Of
his career n69o-93) to achieve fame as
a poet:
II makes me mad 10 hear YOU talk Of
making copy OF verses next morning.
which. though indeed they are not SO cor
rect as your others are. what ! could not
do under three days. nor does 1t enter into
my head To make anything OF sudden but
what find to be exceeding silly stuff eX-
cent by great chance. ! esteem the Time OF
study ing poetry 10 be two hours In "A morn
ing and that only when the humDr sits,
which esteem for the Hover OF the whole
day and truly | make bold to employ them
that way. and yet ] seldom write above
two stanZas in a week. mean sGch as are
10 any Pyndaric ode anu yet nave known
myself i'm 50 good a humor as 10 make two
i'm "a dav but il may be no more in week
after. and when all II done ! atet thcm
/ hundred times. and yet 40 not believe
myself to be a laborioas dry writer. be-
| cause If the tit comes not Immediately |
never heed II. but think of something else.
! And besides the poem ! writ 10 the Athen-
| ian Society was all rough drawn In a week.
ana finished I'm two DAYS after. and yet II
/ consists of twelve stanzas ana some OF
! them above thirty lines. all above twenty.
/ and vet II is so well thought OF that the
unknown gentlemen have printed II before
| one Of their books =; .,..... -,
! But that Of itself Will not always hold.
/ for I lave md an ode in hand these five
/ months but say Oahho' Hhsn
} II have n sort Of vanity or foiblesSe. I
do not know what to call II. and which |
/ would fain know II you partake OF 1t. IL
| is-not 10 be ciTcumsiantal-that am
| ovcrfond of my own writings. ! would not
/ have The world think 50. for million. but
/ II Is So. and / find when | write what
/ uleases me I am COwlcy 10 myself, ana can
/ road il a hundred times over. ! know II
! is "A desperate weakness. ana mas nothing
! Ia defend il but It's secrecy. ana ! know
/ further. that | am wholly In the wrong.
! hut have the same pretence. the haboon
! had 10 praise her children ana indeed !
| think the love In both II much alike. and
! their heinC our own offspring Is what
makes me such a blockhead.
This welcome work was planned by
Mr. Caesar Litton Falkiner, who, dying