that taste for historical and literary investigation which is a marked characteristic of the age,—the impartiality of his judicial decisions,—the catholicity of his sentiments,—the philosophic tone of his criticism,—or the industry and conscientiousness of his research,—I commence a few notes upon the litcrary career of Isaac D'Israeli, with feelings of profound respect and gratitude.
He was born at Enfield, May, 1766, and was the only child of Benjamin D'Israeli, a Venetian merchant, long settled in this country, and descended from a line of merchants, whose home for generations had been the once proud Queen of the Adriatic. His early education was received in this country, whence he proceeded to Holland, acquiring at Amsterdam and Leyden several modern tongues; and then to France (1786), where he became imbued with that taste for the French language and literature which never afterwards left him.
It must have been shortly after his return that he wrote those two curious letters to Dr. Vicesimus Knox, dated severally April 10th and 20th, 1786, which were printed for the first time in the Gentleman's Magazine, July, 1848 (vol. xxx. p. 29), and which exhibit his early ambition to distinguish himself in a literary career. In 1789 he wrote A Poetical Epistle on the Abuse of Satire, and in 1790, A Defence of Poetry[1] which he afterwards suppressed, burning the entire edition, except a few copies which had been sold. In 1791-3 appeared the Curiosities of Literature, a work which was the first to make revelation of the fact that we possessed in our own literature materials for historical and literary investigation hardly inferior to the celebrated Mémoires pour Servir of the French. Next appeared the Dissertation on Anecdotes (1793), Essay on the Manners and Genius of the Literary Character (1795),—a favourite with Lord Byron and Bulwer; Miscellanies; or, Literary Recreations (1796). All of these are standard works, and have been often reprinted. Besides these, D'Israeli was author of many books which are not so well known; he was a literary projector, full of industry and energy, and much of his earlier career as an author is buried in obscurity. I believe he had a hand in the compilation of two bulky tomes, entitled Varieties of Literature, from Foreign Literary Journals and Original MSS., now first published (London, Debrett, 1795, 2 vols. 8vo). W. Tooke was also engaged in this, and assistance was lent by Pratt, Mavor, and other literary friends, whose respective parts it is impossible now to ascertain. Buy the book when you can get it; it is full of curious matter. Just after this appeared Vaurien; or, Sketches of the Times: a philosophical novel (1797, 2 vols. 8vo), the title of which was, perhaps, prophetic; and Romances (1798, 8vo, 2nd ed. 1801), the principal tale in which—"Mejnoun and Leila, the Arabian Petrarch and Laura,"—is worth mentioning, as it is said to be the first Eastern story written by a European, in which the proprieties of custom and manner have received careful attention,[2] though in this respect it is still inferior to that marvellous Oriental romance, The Wondrous Tale of Alroy, written by the gifted son of the author. The notes, moreover, to this tale exhibit considerable diversity of reading. Next we have a volume of Narrative
