a reconciliation with his old enemy, Garrick. Two years later, in 1759,
as editor of the Critical Review, Smollett was led into a criticism of
Admiral Knowles's conduct that was judged libellous enough to give its
author three months in the King's Bench prison, during which time, it has
been conjectured, he began to mature his plans for the English Quixote.
The result was that, in 1760 and 1761, Sir Launcelot Greaves came out in
various numbers of the British Magazine. Scott has given his authority
to the statement that Smollett wrote many of the instalments in great
haste, sometimes, during a visit in Berwickshire, dashing off the
necessary amount of manuscript in an hour or so just before the departure
of the post. If the story is true, it adds its testimony to that of his
works to the author's extraordinarily facile pen. Finally, in 1762, the
novel thus hurried off in instalments appeared as a whole. This method
of its introduction to the public gives Sir Launcelot Greaves still
another claim to interest. It is one of the earliest English novels,
indeed the earliest from the pen of a great writer, published in serial
form.

G. H. MAYNADIER.






THE ADVENTURES OF SIR LAUNCELOT GREAVES