Classicly

About half the verses that follow were written quite lately.  The rest are older, having been held over in MS. when past volumes were published, on considering that these would contain a sufficient number of pages to offer readers at one time, more especially during the distractions of the war. 

The unusually far back poems to be found here are, however, but some that were overlooked in gathering previous collections.  A freshness in them, now unattainable, seemed to make up for their inexperience and to justify their inclusion.  A few are dated; the dates of others are not discoverable.