THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD A TALE SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN BY HIMSELF BY OLIVER GOLDSMITH Sperate miseri, cavete felices EDITED WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY HENRY W. BOYNTON, M.A. INSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH, PHILLIPS ACADEMY, ANDOVER New York THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON MACMILLAN & CO., LTD. 1917 All rights reserved PR COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1899. Reprinted January, Norwood Press J. S. Cushing Co. -Berwick & Smith Co. Gift 03/15/2005 ADVERTISEMENT There are an hundred faults in this thing, and an hundred things might be said to prove them beauties. But it is needless. A book may be amusing with numerous errors, or it may be very dull without a single absurdity. The hero of this piece unites in himself the three greatest characters upon earth; he is a priest, an husbandman, and the father of a family. He is drawn as ready to teach and ready to obey ; as simple in affluence and majestic in adversity. In this age of opulence and refinement whom can such a character please? Such as are fond of high life, will turn with disdain from the simplicity of his country fire-side. Such as mistake ribaldry for humour, will find no wit in his harmless conversation; and such as have been taught to deride religion, will laugh at one whose chief stores of comfort are drawn from futurity. OLIVER GOLDSMITH. |