Letters And Works Of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Vol. I

THE LETTERS AND WORKS -IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. - 1837 - PREFACE - Sonx of the lineal descendants of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu have thought it due to her literary fame, that a complete Edition of her Works should be published under their authority. The well-known letters from Constantinople, which have become popular and classical throughout Europe, were first published in 1763, shortly after Lady Marys death and the circumstances attending that publication are - de-tailed in the memoir prefixed to Mr. Dallaways edition of her works. Several other editions of these letters afterwards appeared, and to one that of 1789 were appended a few ore letters. In the year 1803, Mr. Dallaway was permitted by the late Marquis of Bute to have access to the original papers and manuscripts then in his possession and Mr. Dallaway shortly afterwards published five volumes, which are called The Works of VOL. I. a Lady Mnry lVortley Montagu, including her Correspondence, Poems, and Essays, puMished, by permission, from her genuine papers. A second edition appeared in 1817, with the addition of a fewv letters of Lady Marys addressed to Mrs. Hewitt. To these editions was prefised by Mr. alla away a memoir of Lady Mary. The Editor of - the present edition hnving had-an opportunity of comparing Lady Marys letters in their original state, with Mr. Dallaways book, found that he had not only omitted several letters altogether, but . that he had thought fit to leave out passages in others, and even to select portions of different letters, o n different subjects, and of different - dates, - and, having combined and adapted them, to pkirit them as . original letters. He has - also throughout both his editions frequelitly suppressed the names of the persons mentioned, and given - the initials - only. In athe edition . now offered to the1 ul lic these defects are remedied. The letters from which Mr. Dallaway coniposed aaaaektracted th6se published by him, are lhoiv given hs they are in the originals, anafthe passages he left out are regtored. Th . e , names are also printed at full length in all cases where they are so written in the original letters, or where they can be ascertained and notes are added with such illformation as has been obtained respecting the persons whose names are so mentioned. It cannot be necessary for any purpose to make a mystery of the names of persons whp have long since sunk into their graves. The letters which Mr. Dallaway omitted are also added, several of which are addressed to Lady Mar. With regard to that correspondence, it cannot be denied that parts are written with a freedom of expression which would not . be tolerated in the present day and those parts may perhaps be deemed sometimes to trespass beyond the bounds of strict ilelicacy. The Reader must, however, bear in i mind that these letters were written as con-4 fidential coinmunications - from one sister to another, at a period when the feeling upon such subjects was by no means so nice a - s it . now is and that expressions, with which we now find great fault, might then be used by persons of the greatest propriety of conduct, Those parts - were almost all published by Mr. Dallaway and woul only be considered as painting freely, and more keenly ridiculing, the vices and follies of the society in which the writer found herself, and not as used for the purpose of indulging in grossness of language...