By the same Author. The AUTUMN HOLIDAYS of a COUNTRY PARSON. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. The RECREATIONS of a COUNTRY PARSON. FIRST Series. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. The RECREATIONS of a COUNTRY PARSON. SECOND SERIES. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. LEISURE HOURS in TOWN. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. The COMMONPLACE PHILOSOPHER in TOWN and COUNTRY. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. The GRAVER THOUGHTS of a COUNTRY PARSON. FIRST COUNSEL and COMFORT SPOKEN from a CITY PULPIT. The GRAVER THOUGHTS of a COUNTRY PARSON. SECOND Boyd, A.R. H. THE CRITICAL ESSAYS OF A COUNTRY PARSON. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE RECREATIONS OF A COUNTRY PARSON.' Boyt LONDON: LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. PREFACE. N literature, unlike law, a man frequently begins by judging others, before he tries to do anything for himself. He begins by being a judge: and if he be tolerably successful as a judge, he is advanced (so to speak) to practise at the bar. A young and inexperienced writer in a magazine is for the most part set to review books written generally by much older and wiser men than himself. If he do this tolerably well, he is by and by advanced to the writing of original articles. It was so with me. When I began to write for Fraser's Magazine, a little more than nine years ago, my work was mainly to review books. Gradually, my dear friend the Editor thought I might try to walk alone. And in |