Prose Works of William Wordsworth. Edited by William Knight. 2
vols. (Macmillan and Co.)—In the preface to Professor Knight's new edition of Wordsworth he stated that the prose works would follow the poems. They appear, however, before the issue of the eighth and last volume of the poetry, which has been long delayed and is not yet announced for publication. It will be remembered that Dr. Grosart published an edition of Words- worth's prose writings in 1876, but those three volumes, as Mr. Knight points out, contained much that will now "be found in the subsequent volumes of this edition devoted exclusively to the poet's 'Letters' and to those of his sister." Dr. Grosart's edition of the prose, as we said at the time, was marked by obvious faults of omission and commission, but it is evident that he was not able to do all that he would hare done, and the deficiencies of the work, partly due to circumstances and partly to the slight eccentricities of the editor, did not blind us to its merit. Professor Knight has also difficulties to contend with. "Some quite extraordinary accident," he writes, "has befallen the MSS. of Wordsworth's prose. I have made numerous efforts in manifold quarters to see the originals ; but I have been baffled in all directions. Every one knows how MSS. mysteriously disappear and are afterwards irrecoverable; but it is strange that none of the Wordsworth family—the representatives of the poet by lineal succession—and none of those with whom he corresponded, now possess these originals." It is strange, indeed, for they did exist in 1876, and in this respect the present editor labours under a disadvantage in comparison with Dr. Grosart. We may add that the separate publication of the prose works has enabled Professor Knight to transfer to them the copious prefaces, ecc., which fill up so large a space in the editions of Wordsworth's poetry. Every lover of the poet will welcome this beautiful and compact edition of his prose writings. It is such prose as only a poet could have written.
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