not identical, and I had planned mine before I knew anything about his. So with this prelude let us go to business, only premising further that the object, unlike that of the anonymous Augustan, is not to "give rules and instructions for writing good letters," except in the way (which far excels all rules and instructions) of showing how good letters have been written. Let us also modestly trust that the collection may deal with some "interesting occasions of life" and contain "thoughts on a [fair] multiplicity of subjects." Having been, as above observed, unable during the composition of this book to visit London or Oxford, I have had to rely occasionally on friendly assistance. I owe particular thanks (as indeed I have owed them at almost any time these forty years) to the Rev. William Hunt, D.Litt., Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford: and I am also indebted to Miss Elsie Hitchcock for some kind aid at the Museum given me through the intermediation of Professor Ker. Besides the thanks given to Mr. Lloyd Osbourne, Mr. Kipling and Dr. Williamson in the text in reference to certain new or almost new letters, we owe very sincere gratitude for permission to reprint the following important matters: _His Honour Judge Parry._ Two letters from "Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple." _Messrs. Douglas & Foulis._ A letter to Joanna Baillie, from "Familiar Letters of Sir Walter Scott." _Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co._ Two letters from Mrs. Carlyle's "Letters and Memorials," and one letter from Sir G. O. Trevelyan's "Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay." _Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd._ Three letters from "The Letters of Charles Dickens"; one letter by FitzGerald and one by Thomas Carlyle, from "Letters and Literary Remains of Edward FitzGerald"; one letter from "Charles Kingsley: his Letters and Memories of his Life"; and two extracts from "Further Records, 1848-1883," by Frances Anne Kemble. _Mr. John Murray._ One letter from "The Letters of Elizabeth Barrett Browning." GEORGE SAINTSBURY. 1 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH, _October, 1921_. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE v INTRODUCTION ON THE HISTORY AND ART OF LETTER-WRITING 1 I. Ancient History. II. Letters in English--before 1700. III. The Eighteenth Century. IV. Nineteenth Century Letters--Early. V. Nineteenth Century Letters--Later. VI. Some Special Kinds of Letter. VII. Conclusion. APPENDIX TO INTRODUCTION: GREEK LETTERS--SYNESIUS 100 (i) To his Brother--Preparations to meet Raiders. (ii) To Hypatia--Longing but unable to come to her. LATIN LETTERS--PLINY 102 Accepts a Brief for a Lady. LETTERS OF THE "DARK" AGES--SIDONIUS APOLLINARIS 105 The exploits of Ecdicius. EARLY MEDIAEVAL (TWELFTH CENTURY) LETTER 108 Duchess of Burgundy to King Louis VII.--Matchmaking. ENGLISH LETTERS THE "PASTON" LETTERS 111 1. A Channel Fight. 2. Margery is Willing. ROGER ASCHAM 116 3. "Up the Rhine." 4. Nostalgia for Cambridge. LADY MARY SIDNEY 122 5. Have you no room at Court? GEORGE CLIFFORD, EARL OF CUMBERLAND 125 6. A Death-bed letter. JOHN DONNE 129 7-10. Letters to Magdalen Lady Herbert. JAMES HOWELL 135 11. "Long Melford for Ever." 12. The White Bird. JOHN EVELYN 139 13. How to take care of ears, eyes and brains. DOROTHY OSBORNE 146 14. A discourse of Flying, and several other things. 15. Some testimonies of kindness. JONATHAN SWIFT 154 16. Letter-hunger. LADY MARY WORTLEY-MONTAGU 159 17. Directions for running away with her. PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, EARL OF CHESTERFIELD 164 18. Some manners that make a gentleman. GEORGE BALLARD 173 19. The wickedness of Reviewers. THOMAS GRAY 180 20. Romanities and Plain English. 21. Kent, Rousseau, Lord Chatham, etc. HORACE WALPOLE (AND W. M. THACKERAY) 187 22. What Horace wrote. 23. What Horace might have written. TOBIAS...