The history of the Oxford English Dictionary (continued)

part 4 of 10

The First Edition 1857 - 1928 (continued)

The following month saw another forward step, when on 8 December the Society resolved:

1. That a Committee be appointed to draw up a set of Rules for the guidance of the Editor of the Society's new English Dictionary.
2. That the Committee consist of:
   The Very Rev. The Dean of Westminster, Professor Key, F. J. Furnivall, Esq., Thomas Watts, Esq., F. Pulszky, Esq., Professor Goldstücker.
3. That the Committee be authorized to print the Rules drawn up by them, to circulate the printed Copies among all the Members of the Society, and to appoint one of the Society's nights of Meeting for a special discussion of the Rules by Members.

The Committee, or Coleridge himself on its behalf, set to work at once and prepared a draft of the rules, which was discussed, enlarged, and modified, at meetings held in December 1859 and January 1860, further considered and revised in April and May, and finally printed with the title of 'Canones Lexicographici, or rules to be observed in editing the New English Dictionary of the Philological Society'. Continued interest in the work is also shown by a paper read on 10 May, 'Observations on the plan of the Society's proposed new English Dictionary, by the Revd Derwent Coleridge', and by the appearance of a second edition of Dean Trench's two papers 'revised and enlarged. To which is added a letter to the author from Herbert Coleridge, Esq., on the progress and prospects of the Society's New English Dictionary.'

This letter is interesting as a survey of what had so far been accomplished, and closes on a confident note. 'I believe that the scheme is now firmly established, and I confidently expect ... that in about two years we shall be able to give our first number to the world. Indeed, were it not for the dilatoriness of many contributors ... I should not hesitate to name an earlier period.' Here also comes the first mention of co-operation from the English-speaking nation on the other side of the Atlantic. 'The Hon. G. P. Marsh of Burlington, Vermont, having kindly offered to act as Secretary in America, I at once suggested that the Americans should make themselves responsible for the whole of the eighteenth-century literature, which probably would have a less chance of finding as many readers in England. This was agreed to, ... and contributors are, as I understand, coming in, but no results of their labours have reached us yet.' The suggestion was not a fortunate one, and was never seriously taken up.

By this time, on the basis of the material already sent in by contributors and of the existing dictionaries, Coleridge was hard at work preparing word-lists to serve as a guide in further collecting. The 'Third Period' was selected for this purpose, and by 14 February 1861, he was able to lay before the Society the first part of this 'Basis of Comparison', covering the letters A to D. The preliminary notice to this in its printed form is signed by Coleridge, and its publication was unfortunately the last of his valuable contributions to the progress of the work. On Thursday, 25 April, 'Mr. Furnivall announced the death on the preceding Tuesday of Herbert Coleridge, Esq., the Editor of the Society's New English Dictionary'. When the second part of the 'Basis of Comparison' (E to L) appeared later in the year, the prefectory note, dated 25 September, and signed by Furnivall, opened with these words: 'Since the publication of the First Part of this Basis, our proposed Dictionary has received a severe blow by the death of its first Editor, the able and accomplished Herbert Coleridge. In its service he caught the cold which resulted in his death. All through his illness he worked for it whenever leisure and strength allowed; and his last attempt at work - two days before he died - was to arrange some of its papers.'

The death of Coleridge at the age of 31 deprived the Dictionary, almost at the outset, of an editor of great promise. In addition to the activities already mentioned, he had compiled and published a Glossarial Index to the printed literature of the thirteenth century, rightly estimating the value of this as a basis for the early history of the language. He had also faced the problem of editing, and 'had prepared a few of the A words for printing, so far as the material sent in to him allowed'; this had been carried as far as the printing of a specimen page containing affect-affection. If this was premature, as it proved to be, it was because the magnitude of the work had not yet become apparent. Clear evidence of this is furnished by the set of specially made pigeon-holes which he considered would be large enough to contain the materials required at the outset. These provide about 260 inches of linear space, which would take no more than about 85,000 'slips'. As many as this were ultimately required for even one of the minor letters of the alphabet. Specimens of the articles prepared by Coleridge were printed in 1862, at the end of Part III of the 'Basis of Comparison', and extracts from others were read at a meeting of the Society on 24 April of the same year.

With Coleridge's death, the editorship passed to Furnivall, then in his thirty-sixth year. He immediately took up the duties, and on 23 May 'made a statement as to the present condition of the collections for the Society's Dictionary, and the course he proposed to pursue with regard to the scheme'. The lines of that course are clearly indicated in the 'Preliminary Notice' mentioned above. He was convinced that the time for editing was still at a distance. 'I have determined to put aside all idea of printing the first part of the Dictionary for four or five years unless some great unexpected help is forthcoming; and I propose, if all go well, to finish this Third-Period Basis early next year; then to compile Two Concise Dictionaries of Early and Middle English, which shall include severally all the materials sent in for the First and Second Periods.'

The magnitude of the task was thus becoming clearer, but in some points its extent was still underrated. 'Meantime,' Furnivall wrote, 'the etymological material will, I trust, be ready.' This was to be done by Dr Carl Lottner on the basis of Worcester's Dictionary, with the precaution that 'his work will be submitted to the Etymological Committee, perhaps before it is printed'. It had not yet become obvious that in many instances only the accumulation of material for the particular word could enable the editor to suggest or establish real origin.

Another of Furnivall's first tasks was the compilation of a 'List of Books already read, or now (12 July 1861) being read for the Philological Society's New English Dictionary', covering 24 pages and published as an appendix to the Transactions for 1860-1. The numbers given here are: First Period, 143 Works and Authors; Second Period, 486; Third Period, 81. Among the principal readers a Furnivall and Coleridge, Revd. J. Eastwood, H. H. Gibbs, E. S. Jackson, Revd. Dr Stocker. W. C. Hazlitt, Mr Sprange, etc. The last page contains an intimation 'that the reading of any books not named in the foregoing List will be of service to the Dictionary. A list of those specially recommended to the notice of contributors is in preparation'.

part 4 of 10