He was master of the political intrigues of Queen Anne's reign no less completely than of the circumstances which gave rise to _Absalom and Achitophel_, and the fact that his notes are less voluminous in the _Swift_ is probably to be accounted for by the comparative absence of quaintness in the literary and social fashions of the eighteenth century.
The peculiar conditions under which Swift's writings had appeared, and his remarkable indifference to literary fame, gave the editor opportunity to look for material which had not before been included in his works.

The diligent search of Scott and his various correspondents enabled him to add about thirty poems, between sixty and seventy letters from Swift, and about sixteen other small pieces.

The most noteworthy item among these additions was the correspondence between Swift and Miss Vanhomrigh, of which only a very small part had previously been made public.[188] Scott's notes seem to indicate that most of the necessary searching through newspapers and obscure pamphlets for forgotten work of Swift was performed by "obliging correspondents," and that the editor himself had only to pass judgment on what was brought to his attention.

This impression may arise largely from his cordiality in expressing indebtedness to his helpers, but it is certain that his position as a popular poet gave Scott the assistance of many people who would not have been enlisted in the work by an ordinary editor.

But Scott had the difficult task of deciding whether the unauthenticated pieces were to be assigned to Swift.