Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/130

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [n s. x. AUG. 15,

this " H " material from my Holcroft list. Finally, I may say that the style and content of the work signed " H " do not indicate Holcroft as the author. Then The British Magazine and Review, which the succeeding editor conducted before he took over The Wit's Magazine, has many occurrences of this signature " H ," one of them a biographical sketch of Frederick the Great, written in a tone of praise which Holcroft would never have adopted.

1784. " Memoirs of the Life of Voltaire, written

by Himself. Translated from the French.

8vo. 3s. Qd. Robinson, 1784."

T have copied the above, except the date, from The Town and Country Magazine for June, 1784 (16: 323). In the September number of the same periodical (16: 492) another notice appeared, probably merely a piece of advertising by the Robinsons. In the July and August numbers (16: 372-5, 411-12)" are anecdotes of Voltaire, appa- rently selected from this work I have not had an opportunity of examining the book ^and magazine articles together, so cannot say with certainty as to this. There were reviews in TheEnglish Review for June, 1784 (3: 463), The European Magazine for July, 1784 (6: 50), and The Monthly Revietv for September, 1784 (71: 229). There were no fewer than four French editions within the year (Querard, 10: 365); and the title of one published at Berlin reads simply (Bibliotheque Nationale) : " Memoires pour servir a la vie de Voltaire,

ecrits par lui-meme. [Vignette.] A Bwlin.

M.DCC.LXXXIV." Octavo, 2 [title ]-f 3-80 pp.

The B.M.C. (8: 240) lists two London editions in French as 1784 (630. g. 20. [1] nd 831. d. 22) ; The Monthly Review (70: 574n.), in mentioning the original French, speaks of an importation and a translation issued by the Robinsons; and The English Review (3: 463^ 1'sts the Robinson importa- tion with this translation.

Later, these ' Memoirs ' of Voltaire were added by the Robinsons to Condorcet's ' Life of Voltaire,' both in the French and in the English editions. They were often re- printed in this connexion. I have seen a book :

J ' The Life of Voltaire by the Marquis de Condorcet, to which are added the Memoirs of Voltaire, written by himself. Translated from the French. In two volumes. London : Printed for G. O. J. and J. Robinson, Pater-noster-Row. 1790."

Vol. i. contains a translation from Con- -dorcet, and vol. ii. contains " a selection of justificatory pieces" and the ' Memoirs.'

The evidence for Holcroft as translator is not very strong. He mentions the transla- tion and the French original in a letter to Mr. Freeman at Bath (' Memoirs,' p. 267) :

" Had I any means of conveyance, I would send you a book just published (by me) in French and English, very curious ' Memoires de Vol- taire, ecrits par Iui-m6me.' If you will be kind enough in your next to inform me who in London sends you parcels oftenest, I can take occasion now and then to send you such trifles as I have any concern in."

By this it seems to me that Holcroft' s authorship is fairly obvious. Even if we admit that Hazlitt, the editor of the ' Me- moirs,' inserted the parenthetical " by me," it seems the words " such trifles as I have any concern in" would indicate the modesty of an author, characterizing as " trifles " works of his own. If the " concern " was merely an interest, and not an active part, why regard them as trifles ? This is the phraseology of an author not wishing to appear immodest, and not the tone of an enthusiast recommending the works of another.

There is in the British Museum (630. g. 20) : " Memoires de M. de Voltaire, ecrits par lui-meme. A Londres : Chez Robinson, X 25, Pater- noster-Row. M.DCC.LXXXIV." Duodecimo, 2 [title] +ii-f 1-208 pp.

Bound in the same volume with it there is a translation :

" Memoirs of the Life of Voltaire. Written by Himself. Translated from the French. Lon- don : Printed for G. Robinson, X 25, Pater- noster-Row. MDCCLXXXIV." Duodecimo, p.l.+2 [title] +ii + 1-225 pp. It is probably this to which Holcroft refers in his letter to Mr. Freeman. " A book just published (by me) in French and English, very curious ' Memoires de Voltaire, ecrits par lui-meme.' ' It is a minor detail, but worth noticing, that Holcroft's omission of the accent in " Memoires " in the letter cor- responds to the omission on the title- page. There was a second edition of the London edition in French :

" Memoires de M. de Voltaire, Merits par lui- meme. A Londres : Chez Robinson, X" '!">, Pater-noster-Row. M.DCC.LXXXIV." Duodecimo, 2 [title] +ii + 1-208 pp.

The pagination and letterpress are the same as in the first edition, except that in the second edition two corrections have been made and indications of the errors have been omitted in accordance with the follow- ing on p. ii of the first edition :

" ERRATA.

" Tres-necessaire a remarquer, page 204, ligne 2, au lieu de Novembre 1769, mettez Decembre 1759. Ligne 5, pour Decembre, mettez No- vembre."