PRELIMINARY NOTICE. T may be proper to state that this re-impression of Spence's Anecdotes has been printed verbatim from my former edition, without the slightest alteration. I embrace this opportunity of supplying a deficiency in the preface, which ought to have mentioned the source from which these Anecdotes were derived. At On the decease of Spence the whole of his papers passed into the hands of Dr. Lowth (afterwards Bishop of London), one of his executors, by whom, at a period long subsequent, they were given to a gentleman of the name of Forster, who held some confidential post under the Bishop. Mr. Forster's death they became the property of his nephew, from whom Mr. William Carpenter obtained them, and placed them in my hands with a view to this publication. S. W. SINGER. May 29, 1858. THE EDITOR'S PREFACE. HE French abound in collections of this nature, which they have distinguished with the title of Ana. England has produced few examples of the kind, but they are eminently excellent. may be sufficient to name Selden's Table Talk, Boswell's Life of Johnson, and the Walpoliana. It Mr. Spence seems to have been doubtful what title he should give to this collection: and those of Popiana, Spenceana, Symposia, and Table Talk, appear to have been successively adopted and rejected. Whatever may have been the motive with which this compilation was begun, it was evidently continued, completed, and transcribed, with a view to the public; Mr. Spence had conditionally sold it to Dodsley, meditating its posthumous publication, but his executors were armed with a discretionary power, and prevailed upon the Bookseller to forgo his claim, probably deeming many of the Anecdotes of too recent date for publication, or possibly thinking them of too trifling a nature to add anything to the reputation of their friend; or it may have been in compliance with the wish of Lord Lincoln, (afterwards Duke of Newcastle,) who was averse to their being made public. One of the manuscript copies was, therefore, presented to his Lordship, and the other consigned to a chest with all Mr. Spence's manuscript remains. It is thus that these Anecdotes have hitherto remained a Sealed Book, except to a privileged few. Some of them, indeed, found their way to the public through the medium of Warburton, Warton, Johnson, and Malone. To the two first of these writers they were communicated by Mr. Spence himself. Among his papers, I find this memorandum, dated April 7th, 1744.-" Mr. Warburton thinks of writing Mr. Pope's Life, whenever the world may have so great a loss, and I offered to give him any lights I could toward it.” He afterwards gave Dr. Warton the following more circumstantial account: "As they returned in the same carriage together from Twickenham, soon after the death of Mr. Pope, and joined in lamenting his death, and celebrating his praises, Dr. Warburton said he intended to write his life; on which Mr. Spence, with his usual modesty and condescension, said that he also had the same intention; and had from time to time collected from Mr. Pope's own mouth, various particulars of his life, pursuits, and studies; but would readily give up to Dr. Warburton all his collections on this subject, and accordingly communicated them to him immediately." "Warburton (says Mr. Tyers) was entangled by late friendships et recentibus odiis. His prospects of elevation in the church, made him too great for his subject. He did nothing on this occasion; but thirty years afterwards he assisted Ruffhead, and revised the life, as written by his locum tenens, sheet by sheet." This is no doubt a true account of the transaction, for in 1761, Warburton says to his friend Hurd," I have sometimes thought of collecting my scattered anecdotes, and critical observations together, for a foundation of a Life of Pope, which the booksellers teaze me for, you could help me nobly to fill up the canvas. s." This hint does not appear to have been seized by Hurd with the avidity that was perhaps expected, and the Life of Pope did not make its appearance until the |