HENRY FIELDING

THE CRITICAL HERITAGE

Edited by

RONALD PAULSONAND

THOMAS LOCKWOOD

London and New York

Contents

GENERAL EDITOR S PREFACE VPREFACE XX

INTRODUCTION INOTE ON THE TEXT 26

The Author's Farce (30 March 1730)Tom Thumb (24 April 1730)

1 J O H N PERCEVAL first Earl of Egmont, from diary entry,24 April 1730 27

2 Letter signed 'BAVIUS ' [ JOHN MARTYN], The Grub-streetJournal, 11 June 1730 28

3 The Grub-street Journal, 18 November 1731 30

The Modem Husband (14 February 1731-2)

4 Letter signed 'DRAMATICUS ' [SIR WILLIAM YONGE (?)],The Grub-street Journal, 30 March 1732 31

5 [THOMAS COOKE], from The Comedian, or PhilosophicalEnquirer,]uae 1732 37

The Covent-Garden Tragedy (1 June 1732)

6 Letter signed ' P R O S A I C U S ' , The Grub-street Journal, 8 June1732 41

7 Letter signed 'DRAMATICUS' [SIR WILLIAM YONGE (?)],The Grub-street Journal, 15 June 1732 43

The Modem HusbandThe Covent-Garden Tragedy

The Old Debauchees (1 June 1732)The Mock Doctor (23 June 1732)

8 Letters signed 'PROSAICUS' and ' A . B . ' , The Grub-streetJournal, 29 June 1732 45

9 Letterssigned'DRAMATicus' [SIR WILLIAM YONGE(?)],

and'Miso-CLEROs',T/ieGr«fr-5(reer/oMma/, 13 July 1732 4910 Letter signed 'PUBLICUS' , The Grub-street Journal, 20

July 1732 55

vu

CONTENTS

11 Fromalettersigned'pHiLALETHEs' [probablyFiELDiNG],The Daily Post, 31 July 1732

12 'Epigram' by ' M AEVIUS ' , The Grub-street Journal, 3 August1732

13 From a letter signed ' PROSAICUS' , The Grub-street Journal,24 August 1732

The Miser (17 February 1732-3)

14 JOHN PERCEVAL, FIRST EARL OF EGMONT, from diaryentry, 20 February 173 2-3

15 Reviewsigned'cYNiCK*, TheAuditor,23 March 1732-316 Letter signed 'BELVIDERA' , The Gentleman's Magazine,

April 1733Tom Thumb and the Early Plays

17 J O N A T H A N S W I F T , from On Poetry: A Rapsody (1733)

18 JONATHAN SWIFT, in conversation, c. 173319 From The Connoisseur. A Satire on the Modern Men of Taste

(n.d. [c. 1734])Fielding's 'Industry'

20 From 'An Author's Will ' , The Universal Spectator, 6 July

1734

An Old Man Taught Wisdom: or, The Virgin Unmask'd(17 January 1734-5)

The Universal Gallant (10 February 1734-5)

21 [AARON HILL] , from The Prompter, 18 February 1734-5

Pasauin (5 March 1735-6)

22 [AARON HILL], leader in The Prompter, 2 April 173623 From 'A Letter to a Friend in the Country . . .', The Old

Whig, 8 April 173624 MARY GRANVILLE PENDARVES (later DELANY), from a

letter to Jonathan Swift, 22 April 173625 Review signed'MARFORIO' [probably RICHARD RUSSEL]

The Grub-street Journal, 22 April and 6 May 173626 'To the Author of Pasquin, in A Collection of Miscellany

Poems, Never before Publish'd (p.A. [c. 1736])27 [PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, FOURTH EARL OF CHES-

TERFIELD], from a leader in Common Sense: or, theEnglishman's Journal, 5 February 1736-7

viii

CONTENTS

PasquinThe Historical Register (21 March 1736-7)

Eurydice Hiss'd (13 April 1737)

28 JOHN PERCEVAL, FIRST EARL OF EGMONT, from diaryentry, 22 March 1736-7 98

29 From a letter signed 'AN ADVENTURER IN POLITICKS' ,

The Daily Gazetteer, 7 May 1737 9830 Letter signed ' P A S Q U I N ' [probably FIELDING], Common

Sense: or, the Englishman's Journal, 21 May 1737 10231 From a letter signed 'AN ADVENTURER IN POLITICKS',

The Daily Gazetteer, 4 June 1737 106

Fielding and the Licensing Act $-*-~

32 PHILIP DORMER STANHOPE, FOURTH EARL OF CHES-TERFIELD , from his speech in the House of Lords againstthe Licensing Act, June 173 7 /-- 109

33 From Common Sense: or, the Englishman's Journal, 28October 1738 v" no

Tom Thumb

34 From Observations on the Present Tastefor Poetry (1739) in

Fielding and the Licensing Act35 COLLEY CIBBER, fronton ApologyfortheLifeof Mr.i

ColleyCibber (1740) 11436 ALBXA NDBR POPE, from The New Dunciad (March 1742) I 115

Shamela (4 April 1741)

37 'To the Author of Shamela', TheLondon Magazine,]\xas1741 116

38 THOMAS DAMPiER,fromaletterdated3oJulyi74i 117

Joseph Andrews (22 February 1741-2)

39 DR. GEORGE CHEYNE, from a letter to SamuelRichardson, 9 March 1741-2 118

40 THOMAS GRAY, from a letter to Richard West, [8]April [1742] 119

Tom Thumb

41 WILLIAM SHENSTONB, from a letter to Richard Graves[17 or 18 May 1742] 120

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CONTENTS

Joseph Andrews

42 CATHERINE TALBOT, from a letter to Elizabeth Carter,1June 1742 120

43 WILLIAM SHENSTONE, from a letter to RichardGraves, [1742] 121

Joseph Andrews in France

44 THE CHEVALIER RAMSAY, from a letter (inEnglish)to 'Monsieur de Ramsay' [probably Michael Ramsay],1 September 1742 122

Joseph Andrews

45 ELIZABETH CARTER, from a letter to Catherine Talbot,1 January 1742-3 123

46 From a letter to Caleb D'Anvers, The Craftsman,1 January 1742-3 124

47 CHARLES MACKLIN, from the Prologue to The WeddingDay, 17 February 1743-4 125

Joseph Andrews in France

48 [PIERRE FRANCOIS GUYOT DESFONTAINES],review of Joseph Andrews, Observations sur les Meritsmodernes (1743) 126

49 [DESFONTAINBS],'Lettre D'Une Dame Angloise . . .',prefixed to his translation of Joseph Andrews,Avantures de Joseph Andrews (Amsterdam, 2nd ed., 1744) 127

50 Unsigned review of Avantures de Joseph Andrews,Bibliothtque Francoise, ou Histoire Littiraire de laFrance (1744) 137

Joseph Andrews

51 [JOHN MOTTLEY (?)], from entry on Fielding in 'ACompleat List of all the English Dramatic Poets,and All the Plays ever printed in the English Language,to the Present Year M,DCC,XLVH\ appended toThomas Whincop, Scanderbeg: or, Love and Liberty (1747) 143

Tom Jones (28 February 1748-9)

52 THOMAS BIRCH, from a letter to the Earl of Orrery,19 January 1747-8 144

CONTENTS

Joseph Andrews and the Jacobite's Journal

53 From 'Trott Plaid Excused', The London Evening Post,28-30 July 1748 145

54 'Epitaph', Old England, 20 November 1748 146

Tom Jones

55 LADY FRANCES HERTFORD, DUCHESS OF SOMERSET,

from a letter to Lady Henrietta Luxborough, 20November 1748 147

56 T H O M A S B I R C H , from a letter to the Earl of Orrery,20 December 1748 147

57 Unsigned 'Plan of a late celebrated Novel' , The LondonMagazine, February 1748-9 148

58 From The Fan: A Heroi-Comical Poem, in Three Cantos

, (i749) 155Tom Jones and Joseph Andrews

59 W I L L I A M S H E N S T O N E , from a letter to Lady HenriettaLuxborough, 22 March 1748-9 159

60 LADY HENRIETTA LUXBOROUGH, from a letter tOWilliam Shenstone, 23 March 1748-9 160

Tom Jones

61 From a footnote to 'A Extract from a famed Sermon . . .by Edw. Cobden . . .', The Gentleman's Magazine,March 1749 161

62 C A P T A I N L E W I S T H O M A S , from a letter t o Welbore

Ellis, 3 April [1749] 16263 W I L L I A M S H E N S T O N E , from a letter to Lady Henrietta

Luxborough, 7 April 1749 16464 J O S E P H S P E N C E , from a letter to Burrell Massingberd,

15 April 1749 16565 C A T H E R I N E T A L B O T , from a letter to Elizabeth Carter,

22 May 1749 16666 From a letter signed ' A R E T I N E ' to 'Selim Slim* [George

Lyttelton], Old England, 27 May 1749 16667 E L I Z A B E T H C A R T E R , from a letter to Catherine

Talbot, 20 June 1749 16968 T H E D U C H E S S OF B E D F O R D , from a letter to her

mother, 26 June 1749 169

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CONTENTS

69 From an unsigned letter from Dalkeith House to SamuelRichardson, 30 June 1749

70 SOLOMON LOWE, from a letter to Samuel Richardson,10 July 1749

71 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Aaron Hill,12 July 1749

72 ASTRAEA AND MINERVA HILL, from a letter toSamuel Richardson, 27 July 1749

73 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Astraea andMinerva Hill, 4 August 1749

74 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Aaron Hill,18 August 1749

Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones

75 From a letter signed' T . p . ' to 'Mr. Urban', TheGentleman's Magazine, June 1749 178

Tom Jones

76 THOMAS CAWTHORN, 'To Henry Fielding Esq: Onreading his inimitable history of Tom Jones',The Gentleman's Magazine, August 1749 179

Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones

77 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, from a letter tOthe Countess of Bute, 1 October [1749] 181

Tom Jones

78 TOBIAS SMOLLETT, from a letter to Alexander Carlyle,1 October 1749 " 182

79 'MRS. BELFOUR' [LADY DOROTHY B R A D S H A I G H ] ,

from a letter to Samuel Richardson, [November 1749] 18380 Preface to The History of Tom Jones, the Foundling, in

his Married State (1750 [November 1749]) 184

Works to 1750

81 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Lady DorothyBradshaigh, [late November-early December 1749] 186

Tom Jones

82 'ORBILIUS' , from An Examen of the History of Tom Jones, aFoundling. . . . In Two Letters to a Friend, Properto be bound with the Foundling (1750 [December 1749]) 187

xii

CONTENTS

83 Unsigned review of An Examen of the History of TomJones, The Monthly Review, December 1749 213

84 'MRS. BELFOUR' [LADY DOROTHY B R A D S H A I G H ] ,from a letter to Samuel Richardson, 16 December 1749 214

85 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Frances Grainger,22 January 1749-50 215

Joseph Andrews

86 From The Student, or, The Oxford and Cambridge MonthlyMiscellany, 20 January 1750 217

Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones

87 From The History of Charlotte Summers, the FortunateParish Girl (1750) 219

88 LADY DOROTHY BRADSHAIGH, from a letter toSamuel Richardson, 27 March 1750 222

Tom Jones in France (March 1750)

89 PIERRE ANTOINE DE LA PLACE, from the Prefaceto his translation of Tom Jones, Histoire de TomJones, ou L'Enfant Trouvi (1750) 223

90 Unsigned review of Histoire de Tom Jones, TheGentleman's Magazine, March 1750 225

91 FRIEDRICH MELCHIOR, BARON GRIMM, Spring1750, Correspondance Littiraire, Philosophique et

Critique 228Tom Jones

92 SAMUEL J O H N S O N , The Rambler, 31 March 1750 23093 From a letter signed 'EUBULUS'.OWEngland, 7 April 1750 23594 From 'The Antisatyrist; a Dialogue', The Gentleman's

Magazine, May 1750 23895 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to J. B. de Freval,

21 January 1750-1 238

An Enquiry into the Causes of the LateIncrease of Robbers (January 1750-1)

96 Unsigned review, The Monthly Review, January 17SO-I 23997 LADY HENRIETTA LUXBOROUGH, from a letter tO

William Shenstone, 13 February 1750-1 246

xiii

CONTBNTS

Tom Jones

98 From 'To the Worshipful Justice Fielding', An Apologyfor the Life of Mr. Bampfylde Moore Carew, Commonlycall'd the King of the Beggars (n.d. [1751 ?]) 247

Fielding's 'New Species of Writing'

99 [FRANCIS COVENTRY], from An Essay on the NewSpecies of Writing founded by Mr. Fielding: with a Wordor Two upon the Modem State of Criticism (1751) 261

The Enquiry, Tom Jones, etc.

100 From The Magazine of Magazines, April 1751 270

Tom Jones

101 'On the incomparable History of Tom Jones', TheLadies Magazine, 20 April—4 May 1751 274

Tom Jones in France

102 [ELIE C. FREKON], review, Lettres sur quelquesicrits (1751) 275

Fielding's 'New Species of Writing'

103 WILLIAM WARBURTON, from a note in his edition ofThe Works of Alexander Pope (1751) 282

104 [DR. JOHN HILL], from The History of a Woman ofQuality: A Parallel between the Characters of Lady Frail,and the Lady of Quality in 'Peregrine Pickle' (1751) 283

The Scurrilous Plays of the 1730s105 ELIZA HAYWOOD, from The History of Miss

Betsy Thoughtless (1751) 285

Amelia (18 December 1751)106 From Old England, 21 December 1751 286107 THOMAS EDWARDS, letter to Samuel Richardson,

23 December 1751 287108 Unsigned reviewj The London Magazine, December 1751

and Appendix for 1751 288109 [JOHN CLELAND], review, The Monthly Review,

December 1751 304n o [PIERRE CLEMENT], Letter 91,1 January 1752, Cinq

annies littiraires 309

xiv

CONTENTS

i n LADY ORRERY, from a letter to Lord Orrery, 6January 1752 311

112 Verses by ' C . D . , F . R . S . ' , in The London Evening Post,16-18 January 1752 312

113 MARY GRANVILLE (PENDARVES) DELANY, from aletter to Mrs. Dewes, 18 January 1752 313

114 [HENRY FIELDING] , from The Covent-Garden Journal,25 and 28 January 1752 314

115 SARAH CHAPONE, from a letter to Elizabeth Carter,11 February 1752 318

116 ANNE DONNELLAN, from a letter to Samuel Richardson,11 February 1752 319

117 THOMAS EDWARDS, from a letter to the Rev. Mr.Lawry, 12 February 1752 320

118 [BONNELL THORNTON] , 'A New Chapter in Amelia',Have at You All: or The Drury-Lane Journal, 13February 1752 321

119 [MATTHEW MATY] , review, JournalBritannique,February 1752 325

120 [WILLIAM KENRICK] , fromfHw; a Parodi-tragi-comicalSatire (1752) 333

Tom Jones and Amelia121 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Thomas

Edwards, 21 February 1752 334122 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Anne

Donnellan, 22 February 1752 335123 SAMUBL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Lady Dorothy

Bradshaigh, 23 February 1752 336

The Novels of Richardson and Fielding

124 From the Preface to The Adventures of a Valet (1752) 337

The Covent-Garden Journal (4 January-25 November 1752)

125 [BONNELL T H O R N T O N ] , from Have at You All: or TheDrury-Lane Journal, 5 March 1752 338

126 [BONNBLL T H O R N T O N ] , from Have at You All: or TheDrury-Lane Journal, 12 March 1752 341

127 [BONNELL THORNTON] , from Have at You All: or TheDrury-Lane Journal, 19 March 1752 343

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CONTENTS

Amelia

128 CATHERINE TALBOT, from a letter to ElizabethCarter, 14 March 1752 345

129 ELIZABETH CARTER, from a letter to CatherineTalbot, 30 March 1752 346

130 [DR. J O H N KENNEDY], from 'An Epistle to a Friend inthe Country', Some Remarks on the Life and Writingsof Dr. /[ohn] H[ill] (1751 [March 1752]) 347

131 Letter signed 'CRITICULUS ' , The Gentleman'sMagazine, March 1752 348

132 CATHERINE TALBOT, from a letter to Elizabeth Carter,22 April 1752 350

133 SARAH CHAPONE, from a letter to Elizabeth Carter,27 May 1752 351

Fielding's 'New Species of Writing'

134 FRANCIS COVENTRY, Epistle Dedicatory 'To HenryFielding, Esq.', The History ofPompey the Little: or,The Life and Adventures of a Lap-Dog (3rd ed., 1752) 353

Fielding's Art

135 [ARTHUR MURPHY] , from a letter prefixed toChristopher Smart's The Hilliad (1753) 357

136 [CHRISTOPHER SMART], from The Hilliad(1753) 358

Tom Jones

137 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, recalled by LadyLouisa Stuart in an undated anecdote 359

Elizabeth Canning and Tom Jones

138 Allan Ramsay, from A Letter to the Right Honourablethe Earl of Concerning the Affair ofElizabeth Canning (1753) 360

The Novels of Richardson and Fielding

139 W I L L I A M W H I T E H E A D , Epis t le 'To Mr. Fitz-Adam',

in The World, 10 May 1753 362

Amelia and the Domestic Novel

140 FRIEDRICH MELCHIOR, BARON GRIMM, letter of1 August 1753, Correspondance Littiraire 363

xvi

CONTENTS

The Novels of Richardson and Fielding141 [JANE COLLIER] , from An Essay on the Art of

Ingeniously Tormenting (1753) 364142 MISS SMYTHIES OF COLCHESTER, from The Stage-

Coach (1753) 365143 From Critical Remarks on Sir Charles Grandison,

Clarissa, and Pamela (1754) > 3 6 6

Humour and Ridicule in Fielding },,<•144 SARAH FIELDING [and JANE COLLIER and (?)

MARGARET COLLIER], The Cry: A New Dramatic \Fable (1754) 368

145 [ARTHUR M U R P H Y ] , from The Gray's-Inn Journal,7 July 1753 370

146 [ARTHUR M U R P H Y ] , from The Gray's-Inn Journal,22 June 1754 373

147 [ARTHUR M U R P H Y ] , from The Gray's-Inn Journal,31 August 1754 375

148 [ARTHUR M U R P H Y ] , from The Gray's-Inn Journal,6 September 1754 376

The Novels149 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, from a letter

to the Countess of Bute, 23 July 1754 379150 'From Joseph Addison to the Author of Tom Jones',

Letter XVI in Admonitions from the Dead in Epistles tothe Living (1754) 380

The Journal of a Voyage to Lisbon(25 February 1755)

151 Unsigned notice, The London Magazine, February 1755 387

The Journal and Answer to Bolingbroke152 Unsigned notice, The Gentleman's Magazine, March 1755 388

The Journal153 Unsigned notice, The Monthly Review, March 1755 389154 HORACE WALPOLE, from a letter to Richard Bentley,

27 March 1755 390155 Unsigned letter, 31 March 1755 391156 THOMAS EDWARDS, from a letter to Samuel

Richardson, 28 May 1755 393

xvu

CONTENTS

157 LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU, from a letter tothe Countess of Bute, 22 September [1755]

158 MARGARET COLLIER, from a letter to SamuelRichardson, 3 October 1755

Fielding's Understanding of Human Nature

159 SAMUEL RICHARDSON, from a letter to Sarah Fielding,7 December 1756

Fielding's Art

160 [ARTHUR MURPHY] , from a review of Samuel Foote'sThe Author, The Literary Magazine, 15 February-15 March 1757

161 THOMAS BARRETT LENNARD, TWENTY-SIXTHBARON DACRE, letter to Sanderson Miller, May 1757

162 HORACE WALPOLE, from The Parish Register ofTwickenham (1759)

163 OLIVER GOLDSMITH, from'On Education', The Bee,10 November 1759

164 [ELIZABETH MONTAGU] , 'Plutarch, Charon, and amodern Bookseller', Dialogue XXVIII in George,Lord Lyttelton, Dialogues of the Dead (1760)

165 TOBIAS SMOLLETT, from Continuation of the CompleteHistory of England (1761)

166 ARTHUR MURPHY, from 'An Essay on the Life andGenius of Henry Fielding, Esq.' (dated 25 March 1762),in The Works of Henry Fielding, Esq.: with the Lifeof the Author (1762)

Amelia in France

167 FRIEDRICH MELCHIOR, BARON GRIMM, letter ofJune 1762, Correspondance Littiraire

168 Unsigned review, L'Annie littiraire (1762)

Jonathan Wild in France

169 From an unsigned review of the French translation ofJonathan Wild, 23 February 1763, L'Annie littiraire(1763)

xviii

CONTENTS

Fielding's Art

170 CHRISTOPHER SMART, 'Epitaph on Henry Fielding,Esq.', Poems on Several Occasions (1763) 436

The Fathers (30 November 1778)

171 Unsigned notice, The St. James's Chronicle, 1 December1778 437

1 The Survivors

172 SAMUEL J O H N S O N , in conversation, Spring 1768, 6 April1772, 12 April 1776 438

173 GEORGE, LORD LYTTELTON, in conversation,sometime before 1773 440

174 MADAME DU DEFFAND, from a letter to HoraceWalpole, 14 July 1773 44i

175 HORACE WALPOLE, from a letter to Madame duDeffand, 3 August 1773 442

176 SAMUEL J O H N S O N , in conversation, c. 1780 443177 JAMES HARRIS,'Philological Inquiries', in (Torib(i78i) 444178 SAMUEL J O H N S O N , in conversation, sometime before

1784 445179 HORACE WALPOLE, from a letter to John Pinkerton,

26 June 1785 445180 SIR J O H N H A W K I N S , from The Works of Samuel Johnson

(1787) 446

SELECT INDEX 447

ERRATUM

Due to limitations of space, only Fielding's literary works have been dealt with in thiscollection. An error in the publisher's editing of the essays dealing with Fielding's socialtraas has inadvertently left two items, Nos. 96 and 97, among the criticisms of the fiction.

XIX