The Works of Lord Byron, Vol. 1. Poetry — John Shaqi
The Works of Lord Byron, Vol. 1. PoetryByron, George Gordon Byron, Baron
General
The Works of Lord Byron, Vol. 1. Poetry
Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron
Poetry
of 'British Bards; British Bards' (there are a few
alterations, e.g. the substitution of lines 319-326, "Moravians, arise,"
etc., for the eight lines on Pratt, which are to be found in the folio
MS., and are printed in 'British Bards'), with its accompanying MS.
fragments, as the foundation of the text of the first edition of
'English Bards, and Scotch Reviewers'.
Between the first edition, published in March, and the second edition in
October, 1809, the difference is even greater than between the first
edition and 'British Bards'. The Preface was enlarged, and a postscript
affixed to the text of the poem. Hobhouse's lines (first edition,
247-262) were omitted, and the following additional passages inserted,
viz.: (i.) lines 1-96, "Still must I hear," etc.; (ii.) lines 129-142,
"Thus saith the Preacher," etc.; (iii.) lines 363-417, "But if some
new-born whim," etc.; (iv.) lines 638-706, "Or hail at once," etc.; (v.)
lines 765-798, "When some brisk youth," etc.; (vi.) lines 859-880, "And
here let Shee," etc.; (vii.) lines 949-960, "Yet what avails," etc.;
(viii.) lines 973-980, "There, Clarke," etc.; (ix.) lines 1011-1070,
"Then hapless Britain," etc. These additions number 370 lines, and,
together with the 680 lines of the first edition (reduced from 696 by
the omission of Hobhouse's contribution), make up the 1050 lines of the
second and third editions, and the doubtful fourth edition of 1810. Of
these additions, Nos. i., ii., iii., iv., vi., viii., ix. exist in MS.,
and are bound up with the folio MS. now in Mr. Murray's possession.
The third edition, which is, generally, dated 1810, is a replica of the
second edition.
The first issue of the fourth edition, which appeared in 1810, is
identical with the second and third editions. A second issue of the
fourth edition, dated 1811, must have passed under Byron's own
supervision. Lines 723, 724 are added, and lines 725, 726 are materially
altered. The fourth edition of 1811 numbers 1052 lines.
The suppressed fifth edition, numbering 1070 lines (the copy in the
British Museum has the title-page of the fourth edition; a second copy,
in Mr. Murray's possession, has no title-page), varies from the fourth
edition of 1811 by the addition of lines 97-102 and 528-539, and by some
twenty-nine emendations of the text. Eighteen of these emendations were
made by Byron in a copy of the fourth edition which belonged to Leigh
Hunt. On another copy, in Mr. Murray's possession, Byron made nine
emendations, of which six are identical with those in the Hunt copy, and
three appear for the first time. It was in the latter volume that he
inscribed his after-thoughts, which are dated "B. 1816."
For a complete collation of the five editions of 'English Bards, and
Scotch Reviewers', and textual emendations in the two annotated volumes,
and for a note on genuine and spurious copies of the first and other
editions, see 'The Bibliography of the Poetical Works of Lord Byron',
vol. vi.
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