THE JOURNAL TO STELLA
by JONATHAN SWIFT.

With preface, introduction and notes by George A. Aitken.

[Numbers thus [5] refer to the Notes at the end, which are arranged by
"Introduction" or by "Letter 'number'".]



PREFACE



The history of the publication of the Journal to Stella is somewhat curious.
On Swift's death twenty-five of the letters, forming the closing portion of
the series, fell into the hands of Dr. Lyon, a clergyman who had been in
charge of Swift for some years. The letters passed to a man named Wilkes, who
sold them for publication. They accordingly appeared in 1766 in the tenth
volume of Dr. Hawkesworth's quarto edition of Swift's works; but the editor
made many changes in the text, including a suppression of most of the "little
language." The publishers, however, fortunately for us, were public-spirited
enough to give the manuscripts (with one exception) to the British Museum,
where, after many years, they were examined by John Forster, who printed in
his unfinished "Life of Swift" numerous passages from the originals, showing
the manner in which the text had been tampered with by Hawkesworth. Swift
himself, too, in his later years, obliterated many words and sentences in the
letters, and Forster was able to restore not a few of these omissions. His
zeal, however, sometimes led him to make guesses at words which are quite
undecipherable. Besides Forster's work, I have had the benefit of the careful