Cyrus Redding:
MEMOIRS
OF
WILLIAM BECKFORD
OF FONTHILL,
AUTHOR OF "VATHEK."
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
CHARLES J. SKEET, PUBLISHER,
10, KING WILLIAM STREET,
CHARING CROSS.
1859
TO THE READER.
IT
was naturally to be expected that before this time some remembrances of
one of the most remarkable men of his day
would have appeared in an authentic shape. Every hour after the death of
the individual carries into oblivion some trait of character or peculiarity
which distinguished him from other men. Delay in such cases is dangerous. "If," said
a distinguished writer, "a lite be delayed until interest and envy are
at all end, we may hope for impartiality, but must expect little intelligence;
for the incidents which give excellence to biography are of a volatile and
evanescent kind, such as soon escape the memory, and are rarely transmitted
by tradition."
The subject of the notices which have been here condensed into a memoir
was a public character both as regarded literature and the arts. His history
was a
striking and singular one; his abilities were of the first order, his taste
un- [unpaginated pagebreak] questioned. Nothing up to this time has been
done to
preserve the scanty portions of the materials of that history from oblivion;
it cannot, therefore, be deemed uninteresting to present to the public all
the information it is likely to receive regarding a name so celebrated.
In carrying out his object, the Editor has to confess obligations to several
individuals, some of whom are distinguished names in literature and art, well
acquainted with Mr. Beckford. He must claim indulgence upon some points that
were beyond his control to render in a fuller manner, which would have increased
in consequence that interest of which he still flatters himself there will
be discovered no small amount and, at the same time, to crave it farther for
any
faults which rested with himself, and the somewhat disjointed nature of his
materials. Should the information imparted in these pages be what the Editor
has fair reason
to expect, of no small amount of general interest, he will not fail to feel
both gratified and honoured.
[Note
on this edition: This online edition (of which chapters will appear as
they are scanned and proofed on an irregular basis) is © Dick
Claésson. Many thanks for
invaluable proofing of the text to Stephanie Mikes. Please report any errors
and suggestions to Dick Claésson.]
