PREFACE. THIS HIS little lounging mifcellany aspires to the fingular praife of being beneath all criticifm: For who would break a fly upon the wheel? It is, in most instances, a mere transcript of literary chit-chat, fent to the prefs in the original careless and unftudied expreffion. Horace Walpole was not one of those who regard converfation as an exercife of gladiatorial talents, or who study moral maxims, and arrange bons-mots, to be introduced into future colloquies. Complete eafe and careleffness be regarded as the chief charms of converfation. To have employed therefore a more elevated B 2 Style, Style, or more formal arrangement, in these trifling pages, would have been fo far from an improvement, that it would have deftroyed their genuine effect. Buffon has remarked, that a man's clothes are a part of the individual animal, and pass into the idea of the character. As this work walks forth in deshabille, it will afford a more faithful refemblance, than if it were pranked in velvet and gold lace. If criticism can be applied to fuch a production as the present, it must proceed upon a just idea of its feeble nature, and befitating pretenfions. It cannot be estimated as a literary production : Nos hac novimus effe nihil. It must be weighed folely as a tranfcript of converfation, which may be both amufing and inftructive, and yet never afpire to the rejearch, felection, and arrangement, necessary for the public ear. . This apology may be requifite for the editor's difregard of any plan, or connexion of parts, in the prefent mifcellany, which contains anecdotes, remarks, letters, &c. &c. just as they were registered, or happened to Start from memory, or from the drawer. It would have been a matter of flight toil to have arranged the whole under diftinct heads, bad had not the abfence of art, and the want of order, been confidered as charms of the landfcape. Maxima eft ars celare artem: but here, as no art was required, there was none to be concealed. The native graces would only have been injured by the heavy labour of formality. In our language it is believed there is only one legitimate collection of this kind, the Table Talk of Selden-and the form and fize of this little volume is calculated to be arranged by the curious on the fame fhelf. But from the date of Luther's Table Talk (which might admit of an interesting abstract), down to the latest French Ana, fuch produc tions have always been confidered as altars erected to merit, as chief teftimonies of literary efteem. And fo exuberant were Mr. Walpole's mental riches, in the ready cash of anecdote, wit, judicious remark, epiftolary elegance, that his warmest or coldest friends need not tremble at this publication of his colloquial fentiments. When the idea was fuggefted, his modefty declined it, on the ground of the non-importance (as he always infifted) of his literary character: but he furnished the editor with many anecdotes, &c. in his own hand-writing; and as the fecret was buried in the editor's bofom, Mr. Walpole himself must have mentioned it to one or two, for, in a letter to Doctor Warton, he justly ridicules the idea of his undertaking fuch a B 3 work work himself. Julius Cæfar and Tacitus made collections of the pointed Sayings of others; but it is no wonder that the idea of his preferving his own fhould have appeared abfurd to a mind fo replete with a sense of decorum and propriety. As the defign was of neceffity posthumous, delicacy on the one fide, and modefty on the other, prevented its being mentioned above once or twice; and the only allufion to it in his letters, is in that of August 1789," I do not want you to throw a few daifies on my grave," &c. Several Specimens of this mifcellany have already appeared in one of our best literary journals*, and have been favourably receiv ed. It is hoped the work, now published, complete, will meet with equal candour. A few other anecdotes may perhaps arife to memory, or be communicated by others; but in no cafe fhall the prefent form of one Small volume be exceeded. The editor of the Menagiana to one fmall volume, first published, added by degrees three others, confifting mostly of compilations of his own, a mixture juftly to be reprobated. Yet, however anxious the probity of an editor may be, in a collection of this kind, depending much on exactness of memory, it is *The Monthly Magazine. impof |