ermission to reprint the
following important matters:

_His Honour Judge Parry._ Two letters from "Letters from
Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple."

_Messrs. Douglas & Foulis._ A letter to Joanna Baillie, from
"Familiar Letters of Sir Walter Scott."

_Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co._ Two letters from Mrs.
Carlyle's "Letters and Memorials," and one letter from Sir
G. O. Trevelyan's "Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay."

_Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd._ Three letters from "The
Letters of Charles Dickens"; one letter by FitzGerald and
one by Thomas Carlyle, from "Letters and Literary Remains of
Edward FitzGerald"; one letter from "Charles Kingsley: his
Letters and Memories of his Life"; and two extracts from
"Further Records, 1848-1883," by Frances Anne Kemble.

_Mr. John Murray._ One letter from "The Letters of Elizabeth
Barrett Browning."

GEORGE SAINTSBURY.

1 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH,
_October, 1921_.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE v

INTRODUCTION ON THE HISTORY AND ART OF LETTER-WRITING 1

I. Ancient History. II. Letters in English--before
1700. III. The Eighteenth Century. IV. Nineteenth
Century Letters--Early. V. Nineteenth
Century Letters--Later. VI. Some Special Kinds
of Letter. VII. Conclusion.

APPENDIX TO INTRODUCTION:

GREEK LETTERS--SYNESIUS 100

(i) To his Brother--Preparations to meet Raiders.
(ii) To Hypatia--Longing but unable to come
to her.

LATIN LETTERS--PLINY 102

Accepts a Brief for a Lady.

LETTERS OF THE "DARK" AGES--SIDONIUS APOLLINARIS 105

The exploits of Ecdicius.

EARLY MEDIAEVAL (TWELFTH CENTURY) LETTER 108

Duchess of Burgundy to King Louis VII.--Matchmaking.

ENGLISH LETTERS

THE "PASTON" LETTERS 111

1. A Channel Fight.
2. Margery is Willing.

ROGER ASCHAM 116

3. "Up the Rhine."
4. Nostalgia for Cambridge.

LADY MARY SIDNEY 122

5. Have you no room at Court?

GEORGE CLIFFORD, EARL OF CUMBERLAND 125

6. A Death-be