PREFACE. A NEW edition of the Poems and Songs of Alexander Rodger having been long in request by the numerous admirers of the Poet's writings at home and abroad, the present selective, yet comprehensive, collection has been prepared to meet the evident want. All that the author wrote and left behind him in book form has not been gathered into these pages; but nothing has been left out which the editor could persuade himself might be desired by the public, or the loss of which was likely to injure the reputation of the poet. The long poem of "Peter Cornclips" has been omitted, for reasons stated in the introduction. And some of the Poet's satires have not been reprinted, because, referring, as they do, to persons and events of more than fifty years ago, their point is either no longer apparent, or their motive has ceased to be interesting. But the worthy, the witty, and the wisethey are all here, to the honour and renown of their author. R. F. |