Transcribed from the 1901 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org LETTERS OF EDWARD FITZGERALD IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I London MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN AND COMPANY 1901 _All rights reserved_ _First Edition_ 1894. _Reprinted_ 1901 {Edward FitzGerald: p0.jpg} PREFACE In compliance with a very generally expressed wish that the Letters of Edward FitzGerald should be separated from his Literary Remains, they are now issued with some additions to their number which have not before appeared. It was no part of my plan to form a complete collection of his letters, but rather to let the story of his life be told in such of them as gave an indication of his character and pursuits. It would have been easy to increase the number considerably had I printed all that I possess, but it seemed better to create the desire for more than to incur the reproach of having given more than enough. Since these volumes were completed a large number of letters, addressed by FitzGerald to his life-long friend Mrs. Kemble, have come into the possession of Messrs. Richard Bentley and Son, and will shortly make their appearance. By the desire of Mr. George Bentley I have undertaken to see them through the press. WILLIAM ALDIS WRIGHT. TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. 31 _March_, 1894. NOTE In vol. ii. p. 181 the date 1875, which was conjectural, has been changed to 1878, in which year September 22--the day on which the letter was written--was a Sunday. There was a Musical Festival at Norwich in both years, and the same Oratorios were performed, and this led me to put the letter out of its place. W. A. W. PREFACE TO LETTERS AND LITERARY REMAINS After Mr. FitzGerald's death in June 1883 a small tin box addressed to me was found by his executors, containing among other things corrected copies of his printed works, and the following letter, which must have been written shortly after my last visit to him at Easter that year: WOODBRIDGE: _May_ 1/83. MY DEAR WRIGHT, I do not suppose it likely that any of my works should be reprinted after my Death. Possibly the three Plays from the Greek, and Calderon's Magico: which have a certain merit in the Form they are cast into, and also in the Versification. However this may be, I venture to commit to you this Box containing Copies of all that I have corrected in the way that I would have them appear, if any of them ever should be resuscitated. The C. Lamb papers are only materials for you, or any one else, to use at pleasure.