Authorof”AnIntroductiontotheStudyofShakespeare”，”APrimerofEnglishVerse，chieflyinitsAestheticandOrganicCharacter”，”TheAimsofLiteraryStudy”，etc。
　　MydearDr。Corson，IwaitedsomedaysafterthearrivalofyourBookandLetter，thinkingImightbeabletosaymoreofmysenseofyourgoodness：
　　butIcandonomorenowthanaweekago。You”hopeIshallnotfindtoomuchtodisapproveof”：whatIoughttoprotestagainst，is”aloadtosinkanavy——toomuchhonor”：howcanIputasideyourgenerosity，asifcoldjustice——howeverbefittingmyself——
　　wouldbeinbetteragreementwithyournature?Letitremainasanassurancetoyoungerpoetsthat，afterfiftyyears’workunattendedbyanyconspicuousrecognition，anover-paymentmaybemade，iftherebesuchanothermunificentappreciatorasIhavebeenprivilegedtofind，inwhichcaseletthem，evenifmoredeserving，beequallygrateful。
　　Ihavenotobservedanythinginneedofcorrectioninthenotes。
　　The”littleTablet”wasafamous”LastSupper”，mentionedbyVasari，page。232，andgoneastraylongagofromtheChurchofS。Spirito：
　　itturnedup，accordingtoreport，insomeobscurecorner，whileIwasinFlorence，andwasatonceacquiredbyastranger。
　　Isawit，genuineorno，aworkofgreatbeauty。Page156。”Acanon”，inmusic，isapiecewhereinthesubjectisrepeated——
　　invariouskeys：andbeingstrictlyobeyedintherepetition，becomesthe”Canon”——theimperativelaw——towhatfollows。
　　Fiftyofsuchpartswouldbeindeedanotablepeal：
　　tomanagethreeisenoughofanachievementforagoodmusician。
　　Andnow，——hereisChristmas：allmybestwishesgotoyouandMrsCorson。Thoseofmysisteralso。Shewasindeedsufferingfromgraveindispositioninthesummer，butishappilyrecovered。
　　Icouldnotventure，underthecircumstances，toexposeherconvalescencetotheaccidentsofforeigntravel：
　　henceourcontentingourselveswithWalesratherthanItaly。
　　Shallyoubeagaininducedtovisitus?Presentorabsent，youwillremembermealways，Itrust，asYoursmostaffectionatelyRobertBrowning。”Quantasubtilitateipsacordahominumreserat，intimosmentisrecessusexplorat，variosanimimotusperscrutatur。
　　Quodadtragoediamantiquioremattinet，interpretatusest，utinostisomnes，nonmodoAeschylumquonemosublimior，sedetiamEuripidemquonemohumanior；quofitutetiamillosquiGraecenesciunt，misericordiatangatAlcestis，terroretangatHercules。Recentioraargumentatragicacumlyricoquodamscribendigenereconiunxit，duasMusasetMelpomenenetEuterpensimulveneratus。Musicaemiraculaquisdigniuscecinit?
　　PictorisFlorentinisinefraudevitamquasiintercrepusculavesperascentemcoloribusquamvividisdepinxit。Vesperiquotiens，dumfocoadsidemus，hociubenteresurgitItalia。Vesperinuper，dumhuiusidylliafortemeditabar，Camiinterarundinesmihividebarvocemmagnamaudireclamantis，Pa\no`me/gasou’te/qnhken。
　　VivitadhucPanipse，cumMarathonismemoriaetPheidippidisvelocitateimmortaliconsociatus。”——EulogiumpronouncedbyMr。J。E。Sandys，PublicOratorattheUniversityofCambridge，onpresentingMr。BrowningforthehonorarydegreeofDoctorofLaws，June10，1879。
　　PREFACE。
　　ThepurposeofthepresentvolumeistoaffordsomeaidandguidanceinthestudyofRobertBrowning’sPoetry，which，beingthemostcomplexlysubjectiveofallEnglishpoetry，is，forthatreasonalone，themostdifficult。Andthenthepoet’sfavoriteart-form，thedramatic，or，rather，psychologic，monologue，whichisquiteoriginalwithhimself，andpeculiarlyadaptedtotheconstitutionofhisgeniusandtotherevelationofthemselvesbytheseveral”dramatispersonae”，presentscertainstructuraldifficulties，butdifficultieswhich，withanincreasedfamiliarity，growlessandless。TheexpositionpresentedintheIntroduction，ofitsconstitutionandskilfulmanagement，andtheArgumentsgivenoftheseveralpoemsincludedinthevolume，will，itishoped，reduce，ifnotaltogetherremove，thedifficultiesofthiskind。
　　InthesamesectionoftheIntroduction，certainpeculiaritiesofthepoet’sdiction，whichsometimesgiveachecktothereader’sunderstandingofapassage，arepresentedandillustrated。
　　IthinkitnotnecessarytoofferanyapologyformygoingallthewaybacktoChaucer，andnotingtheEbbandFlowinEnglishPoetrydowntothepresenttime，ofthespiritualitywhichconstitutesthereallifeofpoetry，andwhichshould，asfaraspossible，bebroughttotheconsciousnessandappreciationofstudents。
　　WhatImeanbyspiritualityisexplainedinmytreatmentofthesubject。Thedegreetowhichpoetryisquickenedwithitshouldalwaysenterintoanestimateofitsabsoluteworth。
　　Itisthat，indeed，whichconstitutesitsabsoluteworth。
　　Theweightofthoughtconveyed，whateverthatbe，willnotcompensatefortheabsenceofit。
　　Thestudyofpoetry，inourinstitutionsoflearning，sofarasI
　　havetakennoteofit，andtheeducationinducedthereby，arealmostpurelyintellectual。Thestudent’sspiritualnatureislefttotakecareofitself；andtheconsequenceisthathebecomes，atbest，onlyathinkingandanalyzingmachine。
　　ThespiritualclaimsofthestudyofpoetryareespeciallydemandedinthecaseofBrowning’spoetry。Browningisgenerallyandtrulyregardedasthemostintellectualofpoets。
　　NopoetryinEnglishliterature，orinanyliterature，ismorechargedwithdiscursivethoughtthanhis。Butheis，atthesametime，themostspiritualandtranscendentalofpoets，the”subtlestassertoroftheSoulinSong”。Histhoughtisneveranendtoitself，butisalwayssubservienttoanulteriorspiritualend——alwaysdirectedtowards”apresentmentofthecorrespondencyoftheuniversetoDeity，ofthenaturaltothespiritual，andoftheactualtotheideal”；anditisall-importantthatstudentsshouldbeawakened，andmade，asfaraspossible，responsivetothisspiritualend。
　　ThesectionsoftheIntroductiononPersonalityandArtwerereadbeforetheBrowningSocietyofLondon，inJune，1882。
　　Ihaveseennoreasonforchangingormodifying，inanyrespect，theviewsthereinexpressed。
　　Theideaofpersonalityasaquickening，regeneratingpower，andtheideaofartasanintermediateagencyofpersonality，are，perhaps，themostreiteratedimplicitly，notexplicitly
　　inBrowning’spoetry，andleaduptothedominantideaofChristianity，theideaofaDivinePersonality；theideathatthesoul，touseanexpressionfromhisearliestpoem，`Pauline’，must”restbeneathsomebetteressencethanitselfinweakness”。
　　Thenotestothepoemswillbefound，Itrust，tocoverallpointsandfeaturesofthetextwhichrequireexplanationandelucidation。
　　Ihavenot，atanyrate，wittinglypassedbyanyrealdifficulties。
　　Whethermyexplanationsandinterpretationswillinallcasesbeacceptable，remainstobeseen。
　　HiramCorson。
　　CascadillaCottage，Ithaca，N。Y。
　　September，1886。
　　NotetotheSecondEdition。
　　Inthisedition，severalerrorsofthefirsthavebeencorrected。
　　Forthenoteson”fifty-partcanon”，p。156，and”acertainpreciouslittletablet”，p。232，IamindebtedtoMr。Browning。
　　H。C。
　　NotetotheThirdEdition。
　　Inthiseditionhavebeenadded，`ADeathintheDesert’，withargument，notes，andcommentary，afac-simileofaletterfromthepoet，andaportraitcopiedfromaphotographthelasttakenofhimwhichhegavemewhenvisitinghiminVenice，amonthbeforehisdeath。
　　Itmaybeofinterest，andofsomevalue，tomanystudentsofBrowning’spoetry，toknowareplyhemade，inregardtotheexpressionin`MyLastDuchess’，”Igavecommands；thenallsmilesstoppedtogether。”
　　WewerewalkingupanddownthegreathallofthePalazzoRezzonico，when，inthecourseofwhatIwastellinghimaboutthestudyofhisworksintheUnitedStates，Ialludedtothedividedopinionastothemeaningoftheaboveexpressionin`MyLastDuchess’，someunderstandingthatthecommandsweretoputtheDuchesstodeath，andothers，asIhaveexplainedtheexpressiononp。87ofthisvolumelastparagraph。Hemadenoreply，foramoment，andthensaid，meditatively，”Yes，Imeantthatthecommandswerethatsheshouldbeputtodeath。”
　　Andthen，afterapause，headded，withacharacteristicdashofexpression，andasifthethoughthadjuststartedinhismind，”Orhemighthavehadhershutupinaconvent。”Thiswastomeverysignificant。Whenhewrotetheexpression，”Igavecommands”，etc。，hemaynothavethoughtdefinitelywhatthecommandswere，morethanthattheyputastoptothesmilesofthesweetDuchess，whichprovokedthecontemptiblejealousyoftheDuke。Thiswasallhisartpurposerequired，andhisminddidnotgobeyondit。
　　IthoughthowmanyvaindiscussionstakeplaceinBrowningClubs，aboutlittlepointswhichareoutsideoftherangeoftheartisticmotiveofacomposition，andhowmanymindsareoccupiedwithanythingandeverythingunderthesun，excepttheonethingneedfultheartisticorspiritualmotive，theresultbeing”asifoneshouldbeignorantofnothingconcerningthescentofviolets，exceptthescentitself。”