shrinks from the mention." His correspondence is not
altogether free from the defect; but no editor can now efface the blots
which Warburton, Warton, and Bowles felt bound to preserve. Roscoe set
aside a few sentences, and showed by his inconsistency the uselessness
of the process. He confined his expurgations to the part of Pope's works
which were little read, and where the omissions in consequence would
rarely be remarked; but did not venture to disturb a single syllable of
the far more numerous and more objectionable passages which occur in the
pieces that are in the hands of all the world. The stains which sully so
much of our beautiful literature are unhappily indelible, and it could
answer no useful end to adopt the capricious principle of Roscoe in
removing the lesser blemishes which are seldom noticed, and leaving the
worst and most conspicuous defilements undisturbed. More freedom may be
used with the unpublished letters; but I have exercised the discretion
very sparingly, and have not excluded every coarse word, phrase, or
idea, when it was characteristic of the age, the man, and his writings,
and when, though an offence against taste, it could not be injurious to
morals.

I have mentioned at the several places where their contributions are
inserted, the numerous persons to whose liberality Mr. Croker and myself
have been obliged for materials and assistance. The services rendered by
Mr. Dilke require to be noticed here. Until he published his articles in
the Athenaeum little had been added to our knowledge of Pope since
Johnson produced his masterly Life. The truths which Mr. Dilke
established, and the errors he dissipated, were not more important than
the change he gave to the former superficial investigations. His rigid
scrutiny became the standard for every subsequent inquirer. He loved his
studies for their own sake, and never did a man of letters work less for
personal ends. He at once placed at my disposal his Caryll
correspondence, which he had carefully annotated, and the explanation of
all its obscure allusions are due to him. He supplied me with a
multitude of letters which were widely scattered through books and
periodicals, and collated others with the originals in the British
Museum and Bodleian Library. Large masses of the letters are undated, or
dated falsely, and he was at the labour of fixing dates which sometimes
appeared to defy conjecture. He lent me his rare editions, was unwearied
in an