318 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 2 GO. 



" THE ECONOMY OF BTJMAN LIFE : AUTHENTICITT 

 OF THE FIRST PART ESTABLISHED. 



(Vol. X., pp. 8. 74.) 



The first (and only genuine) part of the 

 Economy of Human Life was published on the 

 16th November, 1750. It had been announced 

 some days previously, and the day before the pub- 

 lication the following postscript was added to the 

 advertisement, which deserves attention because 

 it shows that the person who was to receive the 

 profits anticipated that the work would become 

 • popular, and therefore be liable to be pirated : 



"l^" This book is entered at the Hall of the Sta- 

 tioners, and whoever shall pirate it will be prosecuted." 

 The book was first printed for Mr. Cooper at the 

 Globe in Paternoster Row : Dodsley's name, it 

 will be seen, did not appear till some time after. 

 In December a second part was announced, also 

 another spurious edition, with an appendix, and 

 Lord Chesterfield's name in full as the earl to 

 whom the prefatory letter was addressed. When 

 the spurious second part was on the eve of publi- 

 cation, a paragraph was inserted among the news 

 of the day in the General Advertiser, denying the 

 authenticity of the additions about to appear : 



" The author of the Economy of Human Life thinks 

 proper to declare that he hath not written any second 

 part or appendix to the said piece, and that no additions 

 whatsoever either are or will be made by him to it." — 

 Gen. Ad., Dee. 12, 1750. 



Notwitlistanding this positive denial, the second 

 part was published the next day, and the adver- 

 tisement for the genuine edition was adopted 

 almost verbatim, impudently including the post- 

 script, that " whoever shall attempt to pirate it 

 will be prosecuted as the law directs." Dodsley's 

 name had not yet appeared as the publisher, and 

 the real pirate had the audacity to add to his ad- 

 vertisement on the 21st December, the following 

 postscript : 



" The editor of the Economy of Human Life begs leave 

 to assure the public that the second part was wrote by the 

 same ancient Brahmin that was author of the first, as 

 may be clearly perceived by the noble sentiments — 

 energy and beauty — of style so peculiar to himself." 



On the 22nd December, Dodsley's advertise- 

 ment appeared*, offering the Economy at the re- 

 duced price of one shilling, or " half a guinea a 

 dozen to those who may be inclined to give them 

 away." Dodsley also added to his advertisement 

 the paragraph from the newspaper already quoted. 

 The rivalry between the publishers was kept 

 up by advertisements for some weeks longer. It 

 will not, however, be necessary to show that 

 Dodsley was at last too powerful for his opponent. 

 We think we have already sufficiently proved that 



* It is a curious fact that the two rival advertisements 

 giving each other the lie stand opposite to each other, on 

 the last page of "the General Advertiser for 22nd December, 

 1750. 



the first part only of the Economy of Human Life 

 is genuine ; nor are we aware that Dodsley ever 

 published any additions to it, or made use of Lord 

 Chesterfield's name improperly to promote the 

 sale of the work. These malpractices are alto- 

 gether to be ascribed to Dodsley's unscrupulous 

 opponents, although Dodsley's reputation has 

 sutfered by the unjust accusations of his reviewers. 

 It may be worth mentioning that the copy of the 

 Economy in the late Mr. Thomas Grenville's 

 library, comprises only the first part ; a proof, 

 perhaps, that he considered the second part 

 spurious, and not worthy of a place in his choice 

 collection of books. 



As regards the author of the first part, there is 

 prima facie evidence that it could not have been 

 written by any other person than Lord Chester- 

 field, for Lord Chesterfield by his silence tacitly 

 admitted the fact, and contented himself with 

 getting that portion of the work out of the hands 

 of the literary pirates, and authenticating it by a 

 paragraph in the newspapers. The misrepre- 

 sentation of the story of Mrs. Teresia Constantia 

 Phillips " complimenting Lord Chesterfield in her 

 letter to him as the author of the Whole Duty 

 of Man," afforded reviewers at a later period a 

 pretext for robbing Lord Chesterfield of his share 

 of the work. If the reviewers had referred back 

 to the time that Mrs. Phillips's letter was first 

 published, they would have seen that " it was oc- 

 casioned by his lordship desiring her to write the 

 Whole Duty of Woman'' * See Scots Mag., 

 " Notice of Books for April," 1750. A second 

 edition of Mrs. Phillips's letter was brought out at 

 this time by the publisher of the second part of 

 the Economy, which justifies the suspicion that 

 she was concerned, if not chiefly interested, in 

 that spurious publication. But this note has 

 already exceeded the usual space, and it is hoped 

 will confirm that the authenticity of t\iQ first part 

 of the Economy of Human Life is now sufficiently 

 established. W. Ckamp. 



WORDS AND PHRASES COMMON AT POLPERRO IN 

 CORNWALL, BUT NOT USUAL ELSEWHERE. 



(^Continued from Vol. x., p. 302.) 



Haizing, following game, especially hares, by 

 night, by tracing it. In many instances it would 

 mean the same as poaching, if the latter word is 

 divested of the idea of crime. 



Harve, the harrow ; an instrument of farming. 



Hdvage. A comprehensive word, applied to the 

 lineage of a person ; his family, and companions, 



* There can be little doubt that Lord Chesterfield 

 showed, if he did not lend, the MS. of the first part of the 

 Economy of Human Life to Mrs. Phillips, before she pub- 

 lished her letter to him in April, 1750. See Monthly Re- 

 view for November of that j'ear. 



