will be printed both by themselves in their chronological place, and in the longer poem of which they form a part, according to the original plan of their author.

A detail, perhaps not too trivial to mention, is that, in this edition—­at the suggestion of several friends—­I have followed the example of Professor Dowden in his Aldine edition, and numbered the lines of almost all the poems—­even the sonnets.  When I have not done so, the reason will be obvious; viz. either the structure, or the brevity, of the poem. [19]

In giving the date of each poem, I have used the word “composed,” rather than “written,” very much because Wordsworth himself,—­and his sister, in her Journals—­almost invariably use the word “composed”; although he criticised the term as applied to the creation of a poem, as if it were a manufactured article.  In his Chronological Table, Mr. Dowden adopts the word “composed”; but, in his edition of the Poems, he has made use of the term” written.” [20]

No notice (or almost none) of misprints in Wordsworth’s own text is taken, in the notes to this edition.  Sometimes an error occurred, and was carried on through more than one edition, and corrected in the next:  e.g., in ‘The Childless Father’, the editions of 1827, 1832, and 1836 have the line: 

  Fresh springs of green boxwood, not six months before.

In the ‘errata’ of the edition of 1836 this is corrected to “fresh sprigs.”  There are other ‘errata’, which remained in the edition of 1849-50, e.g., in ‘Rob Roy’s Grave’, “Vools” for “Veols,” and mistakes in quotations from other poets, such as “invention” for “instruction,” in Wither’s poem on the Daisy.  These are corrected without mention.

I should perhaps add that, while I have included, amongst the illustrative notes, extracts from Henry Crabb Robinson’s ‘Diary’, etc., many of them are now published for the first time.  These voluminous MSS. of Robinson’s have been re-examined with care; and the reader who compares the three volumes of the ‘Diary’, etc.—­edited by Dr. Sadler—­with the extracts now printed from the original Ms., will see where sentences omitted by the original editor have been included.

As this edition proceeds, my debt to many—­who have been so kind as to put their Wordsworth MSS. and memoranda at my disposal—­will be apparent.

It is difficult to acknowledge duly my obligation to collectors of autograph Letters—­Mr. Morrison, the late Mr. Locker Lampson, the late Mr. Mackay, of the Grange, Trowbridge, and a score of others—­but, I may say in general, that the kindness of those who possess Wordsworth MSS. in allowing me to examine them, has been a very genuine evidence of their interest in the Poet, and his work.

My special thanks are due to Mr. Gordon Wordsworth, who has, in the kindest manner and for many years, placed everything at my disposal, which could further my labour on his grandfather’s Works.