Item 4 - Letter from Percy Simpson to John Dover Wilson

1 folded sheet

Oriel College, Oxford.—Expresses support for McKerrow’s enterprise, and makes some suggestions. Refers to the progress of his edition of Jonson.

—————

Transcript

Oriel College, Oxford
27 Nov. 1923

My dear Wilson,

I was in town in the vacation, but too early to catch you. I turned over 3000 uncalendared pa-pers at the Record Office to get a Jonson paper, & failed to find it; but a later searcher for me got it after looking at another 10,000. So that is well.

I am glad to hear of McKerrow’s enterprise. I’ll do what I can to help. I will send him a line later.

Middle English is a difficulty. One of the best men is Onions; but the More book showed you his defect. {1} He had all the material for that article at the tips of his neurotic fingers, & yet he could not put it into shape. Get Sisam, of the Clarendon Press.

The only suggestion I have concerns reviewing. Every paper seems to me weighted with stacks of reviews, half of which are not worth writing. Some eclectic system should be devised, of reviewing, say, six-months old books, & of these only a selection. This would differentiate the good. But it would be difficult to work & I expect rather invidious.

I have only read Pollard’s introduction to the More book. I have had no time for it. Just now I am deep in Inigo Jones, who fascinates me. Ben—vol. i—is virtually ready, & proofs should start soon.

I may be coming to town soon, & if so, I will write. Kind regards to Mrs. Wilson.

Yours ever
Percy Simpson

—————

{1} Presumably Onions had been invited to contribute an article to the volume Shakespeare’s Hand in the Play of Sir Thomas More, but failed to do so. Cf. MCKW A3/1.

{2} The first volume of Herford and Simpson’s edition of Ben Jonson’s works appeared this year.