The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
| My Novel; or, Varieties in English Life. Part III. | 499 |
| The Rise, Power, and Politics of Prussia, | 516 |
| Hours in Spain, | 534 |
| Modern State Trials. Part II. | 545 |
| Anna Hammer, | 573 |
| Alton Locke, Tailor and Poet: an Autobiography, | 592 |
| The Renewal of the Income-Tax, | 611 |
EDINBURGH:
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD & SONS, 45 GEORGE STREET;
AND 37 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.
To whom all communications (post-paid) must be addressed.
SOLD BY ALL THE BOOKSELLERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH.
BLACKWOOD'SEDINBURGH MAGAZINE.
No. CCCCXXI. NOVEMBER, 1850. Vol. LXVIII.
BY PISISTRATUS CAXTON.
"There can't be a doubt," saidmy father, "that to each of the maindivisions of your work—whether youcall them Books or Parts—you shouldprefix an Initial or IntroductoryChapter."
Pisistratus.—"Can't be a doubt,sir! Why so?"
Mr Caxton.—"Fielding lays itdown as an indispensable rule, whichhe supports by his example; andFielding was an artistical writer, andknew what he was about."
Pisistratus.—"Do you rememberany of his reasons, sir?"
Mr Caxton.—"Why, indeed,Fielding says very justly that he isnot bound to assign any reason; buthe does assign a good many, here andthere—to find which, I refer you toTom Jones. I will only observe, thatone of his reasons, which is unanswerable,runs to the effect that thus, inevery Part or Book, the reader hasthe advantage of beginning at thefourth or fifth page instead of thefirst—'a matter by no means of trivialconsequence,' saith Fielding, 'topersons who read books with no otherview than to say they have readthem—a more general motive to readingthan is commonly imagined; andfrom which not only law books andgood books, but the pages of Homerand Virgil, of Swift and Cervanteshave been often turned over.'There," cried my father triumphantly,"I will lay a shilling to twopencethat I have quoted the very words."
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