_The true lover of Mr. James's work feels the same delightful sense of intimate discovery in touching these early papers that an artist does in finding a portfolio of early sketches by a beloved master whose developed power and strength is known to him. There is the recognition of the characteristic touch even here--the insight, the thought within a thought, (more lately the despair of privileged psychologic athletes), the mystery of seeing--not what is apparent to the outward eye but what we fancied we concealed successfully within our inmost selves. There is the extraordinary sense of his having put on paper what we really thought--what we now think--that gives us more faith than ever in our artist who is expression for us who feel, but who are yet dumb._ _LE ROY PHILLIPS._ _Boston, April 10, 1908._ CONTENTS PAGE THE NOVELS OF GEORGE ELIOT 1 ON A DRAMA OF ROBERT BROWNING 41 SWINBURNE'S ESSAYS 51 THE POETRY OF WILLIAM MORRIS I. THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JASON 63 II. THE EARTHLY PARADISE 71 MATTHEW ARNOLD'S ESSAYS 83 MR. WALT WHITMAN 101 THE POETRY OF GEORGE ELIOT I. THE SPANISH GYPSY 113 II. THE LEGEND OF JUBAL 138 THE LIMITATIONS OF DICKENS 153 TENNYSON'S DRAMA I. QUEEN MARY 165 II. HAROLD 196 CONTEMPORARY NOTES ON WHISTLER VS. RUSKIN I. THE SUIT FOR LIBEL 207 II. MR. WHISTLER'S REJOINDER 211 A NOTE ON JOHN BURROUGHS 217 MR. KIPLING'S EARLY STORIES 225 THE NOVELS OF GEORGE ELIOT Originally published in _The Atlantic Monthly_, October, 1866. This essay was written in 1866 before _Middlemarch_ or _Daniel Deronda_ had appeared. The former work was published in 1871-72 and the latter book in 1876. It was afterwards discussed at length by Mr. James in "Daniel Deronda: a Conversation," originally contributed to the _Atlantic Monthly_, December, 1876, and reprinted in 1888 in _Partial Portraits_. VIEWS AND REVIEWS THE NOVELS OF GEORGE ELIOT