Finally, I wish to express the great debt I owe to the late Mr. J. Dykes Campbell, for many suggestions, and for his unwearied interest in this work,—­which I think was second only to his interest in Coleridge—­and also to Mr. W. B. Kinghorn for his valuable assistance in the revision of proof sheets.

If there are any desiderata, in reference to Wordsworth—­in addition to a new Life, a critical Essay, and such a Bibliography of Criticism as will be adequate for posterity—­a ‘Concordance’ to his works is one of them.  A correspondent once offered to prepare this for me, if I found a publisher:  and another has undertaken to compile a volume of ’parallel passages’ from the earlier poets of England, and of the world.  A Concordance might very well form part of a volume of ‘Wordsworthiana’, and be a real service to future students of the poet.

William Knight.

[Footnote 1:  In addition to my own detection of errors in the text and notes to the editions 1882-9, I acknowledge special obligation to the late Vice-Chancellor of the Victoria University, Principal Greenwood, who went over every volume with laborious care, and sent me the result.  To the late Mr. J. Dykes Campbell, to Mr. J. R. Tutin, to the Rev. Thomas Hutchinson of Kimbolton, and to many others, I am similarly indebted.]

[Footnote 2:  See ‘Memoirs of William Wordsworth’, ii. pp. 113, 114.]

[Footnote 3:  It is however different with the fragments which were published in all the editions issued in the poet’s lifetime, and afterwards in ‘The Prelude’, such as the lines on “the immortal boy” of Windermere.  These are printed in their chronological place, and also in the posthumous poem.]

[Footnote 4:  ’Poems of Wordsworth selected and arranged by Matthew Arnold’.  London:  Macmillan and Co.]

[Footnote 5:  See the ‘Life of Sir W. Rowan Hamilton’, vol. ii. pp, 132, 135.]

[Footnote 6:  See the Preface to the American edition of 1837.]

[Footnote 7:  It need hardly be explained that, in the case of a modern poet, these various readings are not like the conjectural guesses of critics and commentators as to what the original text was (as in the case of the Greek Poets, or of Dante, or even of Shakespeare).  They are the actual alterations, introduced deliberately as improvements, by the hand of the poet himself.]

[Footnote 8:  The collection in the British Museum, and those in all the University Libraries of the country, are incomplete.]

[Footnote 9:  The publication of this edition was superintended by Mr. Carter, who acted as Wordsworth’s secretary for thirty-seven years, and was appointed one of his literary executors.]

[Footnote 10:  Let the indiscriminate admirer of “first editions” turn to this quarto, and perhaps even he may wonder why it has been rescued from oblivion.  I am only aware of the existence of five copies of the edition of 1793; and although it has a certain autobiographic value, I do not think that many who read it once will return to it again, except as a literary curiosity.  Here—­and not in “Lyrical Ballads” or ’The Excursion’—­was the quarry where Jeffrey or Gifford might have found abundant material for criticism.]