Extracts From The Journal
| 1758 | March | 8th | I began my Essai sur l'Étude de la Littérature, and wrote the 23 first chapters (excepting the following ones, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) before I left Switzerland. |
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| July | 11th | I again took in hand my Essay; and in about six weeks finished it, from C. 23-55 (excepting 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and note to C. 38), besides a number of chapters from C. 55 to the end, which are now struck out. | |
| 1759 | February | 11th | I wrote the chapters of my Essay, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, the note to C. 38, and the first part of the preface. |
| 1761 | April | 23rd | Being at length, by my father's advice, determined to publish my Essay, I revised it with great care, made many alterations, struck out a considerable part, and wrote the chapters from 57-78, which I was obliged myself to copy out fair. |
| June | 10th | Finding the printing of my book proceeded but slowly, I went up to town, where I found the whole was finished. I gave Becket orders for the presents: twenty for Lausanne; copies for the Duke of Richmond, Marquis of Carnarvon, Lords Waldegrave, Litchfield, Bath, Granville, Bute, Shelbourn, Chesterfield, Hardwicke, Lady Hervey, Sir Joseph Yorke, Sir Matthew Featherstone, MM. Mallet, Maty, Scott, Wray, Lord Egremont, M. de Bussy, Mademoiselle la Duchesse d'Aiguillon, and M. Is Comte de Caylus; great part of these were only my father's or Mallet's acquaintance. |