Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins Vol. I. (of II.)
Paltock Robert
English
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Below is a summary of Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins Vol. I. (of II.)
LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF PETER WILKINS., VOL. I.
BY ROBERT PALTOCK, OF CLEMENT'S INN.
WITH A PREFACE BY A. H. BULLEN, Editor Of "The Works Of John Day," "A
Collection Of Old English Plays," Etc.
1884.
PREFACE.
In one of those bright racy essays at which modern dulness delights to
sneer, Hazlitt discussed the question whether the desire of posthumous
fame is a legitimate aspiration; and the conclusion at which he arrived
was that there is "something of egotism and even of pedantry in this
sentiment." It is a true saying in literature as in morality that "he
that seeketh his life shall lose it." The world cares most for those who
have cared least for the world's applause. A nameless minstrel of the
North Country sings a ballad that shall stir men's hearts from age to
age with haunting melody; Southey, toiling at his epics, is excluded
from Parnassus. Some there are who have knocked at the door of the
Temple of Fame, and have been admitted at once and for ever. When
Thucydides announced that he intended his history to be a "possession
for all time," there was no mistaking the tone of authority. But to be
enthroned in state, to receive the homage of the admiring multitude, and
then to be rejected as a pretender,--that is indeed a sorry fate, and
one that may well make us pause before envying literary despots their
titles. The more closely a writer shrouds himself from view, the more
eager are his readers to get a sight of him. The loss of an arm or a leg
would be a slight price for a genuine student to pay if only he could
discover one new fact about Shakespeare's history. I will not attempt to
impose on the reader's credulity by professing myself eager to acquire
information about the author of "Peter Wilkins" at such a sacrifice; but
it would have been a sincere pleasure to me if I could have brought to
light some particulars about one whose personality must have possessed
a more than ordinary charm. The delightful _voyage imaginaire_ here
presented to the reader was first published in 1751.*
* Some copies are said to be dated 1750. It appears on the
list of new books announced in the "Gentleman's Magazine"
for November 1750.
An edition appeared immediately afterwards at Dublin; so the book must
have had some sale. The introduction and the dedication to the Countess
of Northumberland (to whom it will be remembered Percy dedicated his
"Reliques" and Goldsmith the first printed copy of his "Edwin and
Angelina") are signed with the initials "R. P.;" and for many years the
author's full name was unknown. In 1835, Nicol, the printer, sold by
auction a number of books and manuscripts in his possession, which
had once belonged to Dodsley, the publisher; and when these were being
catalogued, the original agreement * for the sale of the MS. of "Peter
Wilkins" was brought to light.
* It is now in the collection, shortly to be dispersed, of
the late Mr. James Crossley of Manchester, a gentleman who
was esteemed throughout his long life not less for unfailing
courtesy than for rare scholarship. Mr. Crossley promised to
search for the document and send me a transcript of it; but
his kind intention was frustrated by his death. Paltock's
name is sometimes written Pultock or Poltock. There is no
ground for identifying the author of "Peter Wilkins" with
the "R. P., Gent.," who published in 1751 "Memoirs of the
Life of Parnese, a Spanish Lady, Translated from the Spanish
MS."
From this document it appeared that the author was Robert Paltock of
Clement's Inn, and that he received for the copyright 20L., twelve
copies of the book, and "the cuts of the first impression"(proof
impressions of the illustrations). The writer's name shows him to have
been, like his hero, of Cornish origin; but the authors of the admirable
and exhaustive "Bibliotheca Cornubiensis" could discover nothing about
him beyond the fact that he was not a bencher of Clement's Inn. That
Paltock should have chosen Clement's Inn as a place of residence is
not surprising. It still keeps something of its pristine repose. The
sun-dial is still supported by the negro; the grass has not lost its
verdure, and on August evenings the plane-trees' leaves glint golden
in the sun. One may still hear the chimes at midnight as Falstaff and
Justice Shallow heard them of old. Here, where only a muffled murmur
comes from the work-a-day world, a man in the last century might have
dreamed away his life, lonely as Peter Wilkins on the island. One can
imagine the amiable recluse composing his homely romance amid such
surroundings. Perhaps it was the one labour of his life. He may have
come to the Inn originally with the aspiration of making fame and money;
and then the spirit of cloistered calm turned him from such vulgar
paths, and instead of losing his fine feelings and swelling the ranks of
the plutocrats, he gave us a charming romance for our fireside. With
the literary men of his day he seems to have had no intercourse. Not a
single mention of him is to be found among his contemporaries, and
we may be sure that he cut no brilliant figure at the club-houses. No
chorus of reviewers chimed the praises of "Peter Wilkins." So far as
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