940g 1909 THIS PREFATORY NOTE volume contains the best-known and most popular of Goldsmith's prose writings, viz. The GoodNatur'd Man, She Stoops to Conquer, and The Vicar of Wakefield. It is intended to form a supplementary volume to the Poetical Works edited by Mr. Austin Dobson for the same Series. The texts of the plays are based on the early editions. In the case of The Vicar of Wakefield, the text is that of the second edition, in which Goldsmith made several slight changes, as well as some of more importance, as noted in the Appendix. A few additional corrections have now been made, and the readings of later editions adopted where there seemed sufficient grounds for the change. Of the editorial matter, the notes have been thrown into the form of a Glossarial Index, as affording a ready means of access to any given subject. In this will be found many parallel passages gathered from Goldsmith's miscellaneous prose works, showing incidentally the frequency with which our author drew upon himself. The passages, in most instances, have been quoted in full, to obviate the necessity of reference to the original. In the Appendix a short history of each of the works in this volume has been given, together with a few notes supplementary to the Glossarial Index. C. E. DOBLE. M830293 |