Ministry. In short, he belonged to that class of Scotsmen for whom Fielding had the highest esteem, and whom he numbered among his political friends in the days of "The True Patriot."

So far one follows Wraxall's anecdote with little difficulty. But the "manoeuvre" attributed to Millar is doubtful. It seems incomprehensible that the publisher, a most honourable man, should have tried to impose upon his brethren in the trade. At any rate the supposed ruse did not meet with full success; for, though the first impression "was immediately sold out," the second sufficed for a decade. The novel was indeed soon translated into German and then into French, but no English reprint appeared until 1762. Millar's "manoeuvre" reduced to its lowest terms, becomes, I surmise, only his usual method of puffing a book for which he sought a large sale. When "Tom Jones" appeared, Millar informed readers of the newspapers, it will be remembered, that he could not "get sets bound fast enough to answer the demand for them." In the case of "Amelia" he went somewhat further than this, frightened perhaps by the rather severe judgment which Mitchell had passed upon the novel; for during the first three weeks of December, 1751, he appended to his advertisements of "Amelia' the following paragraph:

"To satisfy the earnest Demand of the Publick, this Work has been printed at four Presses; but the Proprietor, notwithstanding, finds it impossible to get them bound in Time, without spoiling the Beauty of the Impression, and therefore will sell them sew'd at Half a Guinea."'*

By the wits this advertisement was ridiculed as an extreme example of the art of puffing a worthless book; and there were several amusing parodies of it, such as the

* See, for instance, "The General Advertiser," Dec. 2; "The Whitehall Evening Post,'' Dec. 5; and "The London Daily Advertiser," Dec. 21, 1751.

following announcement of the third edition of "An Apology for the Life of Mr. Bampfylde-Moore Carew":

"The great Demand for this Book continuing, it is impossible to get them bound, without spoiling the Beauty of the Impression, it will therefore continue to be sold for 2s. 8d. sewed.''*

Thereafter, "Amelia" and "Bampfylde-Moore Carew" were linked together by Grub Street as the two novels of the age which enjoyed the distinction of being put upon "six presses"-the number was thus raised from four to six-at one and the same time.

Notwithstanding this sport at the expense of Fielding, there is no reason to doubt the truth of Millar's statement, which is partially confirmed by the entries in Strahan's ledger. The second and the fourth volumes of the novel, differing from the first and the third in the founts used for title-pages and in several minor details, were entrusted to another printer. The two printers thus engaged upon the book must have possessed at least four presses. Moreover, the date of Fielding's dedication to "Amelia," only a week in advance of publication, is conclusive evidence that the novel was rapidly printed for sale during the Christmas holidays. Quite naturally a press was employed for each of the four volumes; otherwise Millar could not have brought out the novel on time. It was but good business sense for him to lay hand upon all the presses at his disposal, whatever may be said of the bad taste of an announcement so like the confidential information which is supplied by publishers nowadays. Such procedure can hardly be called a ruse, stratagem, or manoeuvre; it is only a means for awakening interest in a forthcoming novel without the intention of deceiving anybody.

Millar did not stop here. It was his custom to give out his most notable books for review in the magazines, two of "The London Daily Advertiser," Jan. 15, 1752.

A MELI A.

BY

Henry Fielding, Efq;

Felices ter & amplius
Quos irrupta tenet Copula.

Γυναικὸς οὐδὲν χρήμ ̓ ἀνὴρ λήίζεται
Εσθλῆς ἄμεινον, ἐδὲ ῥίγιον κακῆς.

In FOUR VOLUMES.

VOL. L

LONDON:

Printed for A. MILLAR, in the Strand. M.DCC.LII.

which he could usually count upon for favourable notices. These two took up "Amelia" in their December numbers, which were published near the first of January. "The Monthly Review" praised the author for his insistence upon the conjugal virtues and the married state as the source of supreme happiness and upon his absolute truth to life in the delineation of character. This commendation on the score of morality came from Ralph Griffiths the editor, a personal friend of Fielding's, and though it was sincere enough, it was lacking in discrimination. It barely served the purpose of saying a good word for the novel; it did not whet the appetite of the reader. "The London Magazine," which had given first place in its pages to "Tom Jones," repeated the compliment to "Amelia," and continued its résumé of the novel, volume by volume, into the appendix of the periodical for the year. It is a good rule never to ask a friend to review your book, for he knows too much about you. "Upon the whole," said this friendly critic with fine condescension, "the story is amusing, the characters kept up, and [there are] many reflections which are useful, if the reader will but take notice of them, which in this unthinking age it is to be feared, very few will.” He felt constrained, in his final summary, to point out several "imperfections" in the novel and to take the author to task for his opinions on liberty and his failure to comment upon the most pressing questions in politics. These concluding strictures were worse for the novel than was the silence which "The Gentleman's Magazine" kept for the present. They corroborated all that Sir Andrew Mitchell had said in confidence to the publisher. Somehow the novel was a disappointment; somehow it failed to hit the temper of the times. Why this was so will become apparent in the course of our narrative.

Early in January a copy of "Amelia" reached a group of literary ladies over in Ireland, omnivorous novel readers