I will not take upon me to determine, since it is as much our interest to induce foreigners of taste among us on the one hand, as it is to discourage those trifling members of society who generally compose the operatical dramatis persona, on the other.i

1 So ended 'The Bee,' a publication not at all successful when first issued, but one having important after-results for its author. It led to Goldsmith's acquaintance with Johnson and Smollett-which led to the connexion with Newbery, to the publication of the Citizen of the World' letters, and to the sale and publication of the 'Traveller' and the Vicar of Wakefield '-all within less than seven years of the days of the 'Bee'-and these successes of course fully established Goldsmith both as a poet and a prose writer.-ED.

APPENDIX TO THIS EDITION OF THE

'BEE,'

"THE AUGUSTAN AGE OF ENGLAND."

The following few words are less an Appendix in themselves than a means of apprising the reader of what may more fairly be termed an "Appendix to the Bee,'" which we have to come in our fourth volume. The eighth, and last, number of the 'Bee,' it may have been noticed, though the fact is not very generally known, is much less original than are the previous numbers. Likely enough this is traceable to the doubts which naturally existed as to whether there should be a number eight at all. We can imagine the question being in debate, and the "copy being consequently delayed; and when it was decided that there should be a number eight, which should be the little paper's last, we can further imagine Goldsmith getting his matter together hurriedly—and, in fact, borrowing its greater part. Borrowed the greater part certainly was. The first of the three articles constituting the number is, as we have shown at p. 438, borrowed from a similar miscellany of nearly forty years before, the Humourist.' The paper entitled 'An Account of the Augustan Age of England' is also borrowed, but with an important difference. This paper is, as we conclude, and as Prior also concluded, borrowed by Goldsmith from Goldsmith. That is to say, it is part of a longer paper or series of papers which Goldsmith published about a year before in another periodical, and with another title. The Account of the Augustan Age of England' is in fact the concluding portion of four papers entitled The History of Our Own Language' which Goldsmith contributed to the Literary Magazine' of 1758. When theLiterary Magazine' started in 1756 it. was edited and contributed to by Dr. Johnson; but Goldsmith's contributions came some months after Johnson had left the magazine. It is somewhat strange, seeing that the 'Bee' article on the Augustan Age of England' has always been included with Goldsmith's works-from Bishop Percy's collection, which was the first, down to the edition immediately preceding our own-that its other and larger part should never have been re-published. As we have remarked at p. 443, if it is a settled thing, as it seems to be, that the Augustan Age' article is by Goldsmith, it can hardly be doubted that the History of Our Own Language,' whence the 'Augustan Age' article was taken, is also by him. This being our view, we shall publish in the present edition of the 'Works of Goldsmith,' and for the first time so collected, the remainder of this 'History of Our Own Language.' It will be found with the 'Later Collected Essays, &c." in vol. iv. It may be added, that the hitherto rejected portion of the History of Our Own Language' is perhaps chiefly notable, as a work of Goldsmith, on account of its containing what may be viewed as a more adequate judgment upon Shakspere and Milton than occurs elsewhere in the author's writings.-ED.

6

THE

MYSTERY REVEALED;

CONTAINING A SERIES OF

TRANSACTIONS

AND

AUTHENTIC TESTIMONIALS,

RESPECTING THE SUPPOSED

COCK-LANE GHOST;

WHICH HAVE HITHERTO BEEN CONCEALED FROM THE PUBLIC.

Since none the Living dare implead,
Arraign him in the Person of the Dead.

DRYDEN.

[Mr. P. Cunningham first included this pamphlet in the works of Goldsmith, at the suggestion of the late Mr. James Crossley, of Manchester. The present is its second appearance in Goldsmith's works. Mr. Prior published Goldsmith's receipt for the amount paid for the work, but he failed to find a copy of the work itself. He found an advertisement in the Public Advertiser of Feb. 22, 1762, setting forth that-"To-morrow will be published, price 1s., The Mystery Revealed," &c.-the title running on just as in the preceding page-but Mr. Prior thought this advertisement referred to another pamphlet, and that the "precise title" of Goldsmith's pamphlet was, like the work itself, lost. Mr. Cunningham printed from a copy supplied to him by Mr. Crossley. Our text is from the British Museum copy, which differs as to its imprint, though not materially in the text (see note at p. 464). The imprint of the Crossley copy, as given by Mr. Cunningham, is-"London: Printed for W. Bristow, in St. Paul's Churchyard; And C. Ethrington, York. 1762." The imprint of the copy whence comes our text is-" London : Printed for W. Bristow, in St. Paul's Church-yard, MDCCXLII." The date 1742 in the latter is manifestly a misprint for 1762, but the omission of the name of the York publisher from this copy seems to show that Mr. Crossley's was one of an issue in York. W. Bristow, the publisher, was in business a door or two from Newbery in St. Paul's Churchyard, and is known to have published things for Newbery-the early numbers of the Public Ledger, wherein first appeared Goldsmith's 'Citizen of the World' letters, for instance. Mr. Forster took Prior's view, viz., that the present pamphlet is not Goldsmith's, and that the one for which Newbery paid Goldsmith three guineas is lost. He says it is 66 very unlikely that Newbery should have withheld his name from the pamphlet for which he paid. But we think it is still more unlikely that the two publishers, Newbery and Bristow, who often worked hand-in-hand, should upon this occasion have jostled each other with rival publications upon the same topic. The two pamphlets which Messrs. Prior and Forster deem to have existed-one being lost-are, no doubt, one, and the one is that here reprinted.

Whether this was written by Goldsmith is another question, though the following receipt in Goldsmith's own hand (from Mr. Murray's Newbery MSS.) is proof presumptive that it was:-"Received of Mr. Newbery three guineas for a pamphlet respecting the Cock Lane Ghost. Oliver Goldsmith. March 5, 1762." (See also this receipt, with Goldsmith's Letters, in our vol. i.) Goldsmith has a reference to the CockLane Ghost topic in the Preface to his Essays,' 1765. But this says little either for or against the theory that he wrote the present pamphlet. It is likely enough, however, that, supposing our author had a hand, little or much, in the production of this work, he would never have cared to own it. Mr. Crossley thought he traced Goldsmith's style in the work. Perhaps the truth is, that the narration of facts-substantially a defence of Mr. K who was so cruelly aspersed in the matter was supplied by K- or his friends, and Goldsmith merely touched the narrative up, and added the opening and closing matter. This would account for the smallness of the sum paid for the work; and the humble character of the whole would of course account for Goldsmith's name not being associated with it, even by repute. See also the notes at pp. 473, 474, and 476.-Ed.]

THE MYSTERY REVEALED, &c.

It is somewhat remarkable, that the Reformation, which in other countries banished superstition, in England seemed to increase the credulity of the vulgar. At a time when Bacon was employed in restoring true philosophy, King James1 was endeavouring to strengthen our prejudices, both by his authority and writings. Scot, Glanville, and Coleman, wrote and preached with the same design; and our judges, particularly Sir Matthew Hales, gave some horrid proofs of their credulity.

2

Since that time, arguments of this kind have been pretty much rejected by all but the lowest class. The vulgar have, indeed, upon several occasions, called for justice upon supposed criminals, and when denied, have often exercised it themselves; their accusations, however, in general, fell upon the poor, the ignorant, the old, or the friendless, upon persons who were unable to resist, or who, because they knew no guilt, were incapable of making an immediate defence.

But of all accusations of this nature, few seem so extraordinary as that which has lately engrossed the attention of the public, and which is still carrying on at a house in Cock-lane, near Smithfield. The continuance of the noises, the numbers who have heard them, the perseverance of the girl, and the atrociousness of the murder which she pretends to detect, are circumstances that were never perhaps so favourably united for the carrying on of imposture before. The credulous are prejudiced by the child's apparent benevolence: her age and ignorance wipe

1 See the 'Bee,' No. VIII., p. 443. Where, however, it should be remembered, it is not Goldsmith who writes, but the author he quotes. See our notes concerning that particular 'Bee' paper, at p. 438.-ED. 2 Sir Matthew Hale, the great lawyer, Lord Chief Justice, &c.-Ed.