[Shelley's next extant publication after St. Irvyne appears to be the tract which led to his expulsion from the University of Oxford. There is much talk about this little work in the books of Hogg, Medwin, and others; but it has not been generally known that any copy of it was extant. Some years ago I ascertained that the late Mr. Hookham had a copy bound up with other pamphlets by Shelley; and from that copy, now in the possession of Sir Percy and Lady Shelley, the tract is here reproduced. I have only succeeded in hearing of one other extant copy. Medwin says (Life of Shelley, Vol. I, pages 139 et seq.) that The Necessity of Atheism was "never offered for sale": it was, he says, "a general issue, a compendious denial of every allegation in order to put the whole case in proof… A formal mode of saying,—'You affirm so and so,—then prove it.'… But those who are anxious to see this syllabus, may find it totidem verbis in the notes to Queen Mab. This syllabus he sent to me among many others, and circulated it largely among the heads of colleges, and professors of the university, forwarding copies it is said to several of the bishops." There are two inaccuracies here, at least: it was offered for sale; and the corresponding note to Queen Mab (that on the words "There is no God") varies much from the tract in detail, as will be seen by the foot-notes. As to its being offered for sale, it is to be observed that Mr. MacCarthy (see Shelley's Early Life, page 108) found in the Oxford University and City Herald of the 9th of February, 1811, under the words Speedily will be published, to be had of the Booksellers of London and Oxford, the title of the tract, and what turns out to be the motto from Bacon given on its title-page (reproduced opposite). Moreover, I have good authority for stating that it was "on sale" in Oxford for twenty minutes. It seems not unlikely that other copies may come to light; but the smallness of the publication renders its existence precarious. It is a single foolscap sheet, folded in octavo; and consists of fly-title as given at the back of this note, title-page, a third leaf bearing the "Advertisement," the text occupying pages 7 to 13, and finally a blank leaf. There are no headlines; and the pages (8 to 13) are numbered centrally in Arabic figures.—H.B.F.]
