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AND

MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS

AND

POEMS.

BY

T. BABINGTON MACAULAY.

New and Rebised Edition, ORICAL

SOCIETY

VOL. VII.

NEW YORK:

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,

549 551 BROADWAY.

1879.

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LORD MACAULAY always looked forward to a pub-
lication of his miscellaneous works, either by him-
self or by those who should represent him after his
death. And latterly he expressly reserved, when-
ever the arrangements as to copyright made it
necessary, the right of such publication.

The collection which is now published compre-
hends some of the earliest and some of the latest
works which he composed. He was born on 25th
October, 1800; commenced residence at Trinity
College, Cambridge, in October, 1818; was elected
Craven University Scholar in 1821; graduated as
B. A. in 1822; was elected fellow of the college in
October, 1824; was called to the bar in February,
1826, when he joined the Northern Circuit; and
was elected member for Calne in 1830. After this
last event, he did not long continue to practise at
the bar. He went to India in 1834, whence he re-
turned in June, 1838. He was elected member
for Edinburgh in 1839, and lost this seat in July,
1847 and this (though he was afterwards again
elected for that city in July, 1852, without being
a candidate) may be considered as the last instance

"

of his taking an active part in the contests of public life. These few dates are mentioned for the purpose of enabling the reader to assign the articles, now and previously published, to the principal periods into which the author's life may be divided.

The articles published in Knight's Quarterly Magazine were composed during the author's residence at college, as B. A. It may be remarked that the first two of these exhibit the earnestness with which he already endeavoured to represent to himself and to others the scenes and persons of past times as in actual existence. Of the Dialogue between Milton and Cowley he spoke, many years after its publication, as that one of his works which he remembered with most satisfaction.

Some of the poems now collected have already appeared in print; others are supplied by the recollection of friends. The first two are published on account of their having been composed in the author's childhood.

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