242 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 243 |
The difficulties of carrying into effect the proposed scheme of settling the affairs of the bank continuing to increase, a very small body of the creditors determined to resort to legal proceedings. Two or three actions were commenced; and as it was impossible for Mr. Roscoe to satisfy these persons by the payment of their demands, which would have been an act of injustice to the other creditors, he was compelled to confine himself to his house in order to preserve his personal liberty. It now became obvious, that the further prosecution of the plan which had so deeply engaged his thoughts, and so completely occupied his time since the suspension of the payments of the bank, had become impossible; and a commission of bankruptcy having issued, all the partners in the concern were declared bankrupts. Thus the blow which Mr. Roscoe had so long endeavoured to avert at length descended upon him; but his fortitude and submission enabled him to bear with composure the destruction of the hopes he had so long cherished.
244 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“Yesterday, my ever dear friend, my long struggle terminated, and I resigned myself to my inevitable lot, neither sullen nor desponding, but with a calm consciousness that every effort on my part had been made to avert it; and with a firm reliance, that however painful the dispensation may prove, it will be productive of substantial and final good.”
In another letter to Sir James Smith he says, “As to my unfortunate partnership concerns, you will have heard that, after all my labour, I have been obliged to relinquish the management into other hands; but, notwithstanding this, I by no means regret the effort. If I have not been able (chiefly from the wretched state of the times, and the fall in all kinds of property,) to accomplish what I expected, I have done more than could otherwise be effected, and this will be a consolation to me under any circumstances in which I can be placed.”
The final surrender of his property, and of the management of it into other hands, did not prevent those creditors who had resorted to legal proceedings from still pursuing them; and it was only by the allowance of his certificate of conformity that his person could be protected. The
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 245 |
Disengaged at length from the deep anxieties with which for the last four years his life had been attended, he recurred with natural ardour to those pleasant pursuits which had been so often the employment of his happier days. He endeavoured, and not without success, to dismiss from his mind the unavailing regrets which the recollection of the past occasioned, and to apply himself anew to the literary studies for which he still
246 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“During my visit here, I have passed many delightful hours in reading Italian poetry, and have had great pleasure in tracing the similarity of sentiment which exists between minds of a similar character, that derive their chief happiness from the exercise of warm and exalted affections; till at length I have convinced myself that there is a community of feeling amongst them wholly independent of chance or circumstance, presence or absence, time or place. Of this I could adduce many beautiful illustrations; but at present I shall only refer to a little detached piece of the celebrated Dante, in which he seems to have sketched the first idea of his Beatrice, whom he has also introduced in his ‘Paradiso’ as his guide through the celestial regions, and whom he appears to have regarded with a warmth and delicacy of passion far beyond what is found in the writings of any other poet, even of Petrarca himself.
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 247 |
“‘Of loveliest feature and of lightest form, A stranger here, to glad your sight I come, With interview of heaven—pleas’d to perform The task assign’d—then seek my native home— Scattering delight where’er my course I bend, That whoso sees me, and refrains from love, Of love is all insensible,—for when Nature, from Him whose gracious will did send Me here, entreated I might be, oh! then To perfect me with beauty all things strove: The stars rain’d lustre in my eyes, that beam’d With mild attemper’d light, and heavenly charms In earthly mould were first to mortals shown: Yet not alike on all this radiance flam’d; His heart alone the glow celestial warms, Who from another’s bliss derives his own.’— This sentence once ’t was mine to trace, Bright beaming from an angel’s face, But by too ardent passion fir’d I nearly at the sight expir’d; Nor for the deep and hopeless wound, Sent from those eyes of heavenly blue— By one whose power too well I knew, Have I as yet a balsam found.” |
Since the publication of his tract on penal jurisprudence, in the year 1819, the attention of Mr. Roscoe had continued to be directed to the same important and interesting enquiries. The additional information which he had derived from America, so valuable in every respect, and the animadversions which had been made in some quarters upon his opinions, had induced him to
248 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“I fear I shall be able to give you but an indifferent account of the progress of the work to which you have given rise, and in which you take so deep an interest; but the beauty of the season, the salubrity of the air, the pleasure of observing the operations of agriculture, and, above all, the delight of exercising one’s limbs, after having been kept for some time within narrow bounds, have hitherto prevented me from accomplishing as much as I expected from the leisure of which this very retired situation admits. But this is not all. To say the truth, I have been in some degree disheartened by the unfavourable aspect of the times, and the idea of the improbability, not to say absurdity, of supposing that the statement of a few simple truisms, already expressed in a manner far beyond my power to equal, can produce any effect on the violence of party spirit, and the cold, uncharitable, and quarrelsome state of the public mind.
“Under these impressions, I yesterday took a
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 249 |
“Leaving this, however, to events over which I have no control, I could not help applying the same reasoning to another subject, in which I am equally interested; and asking myself whether, in abandoning our projected publication, I was not falling into the same error of which I had before been guilty, and that too on a subject of infinitely greater importance. ‘How do I know,’ I said to myself, ‘that sentiments and
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“Reflections of this kind once more recalled the determination with which I left you, and I now intend to proceed with my undertaking as expeditiously as my circumstances will permit.”
“There are,” says Mr. Roscoe, in his “Life of Pope,” “certain periods in a person’s life, as there are certain stations in the course of a traveller, when he thinks it proper to look back on the track he has passed, for the purpose of reviewing what he has accomplished, and of estimating whether the strength he has left be sufficient to finish what yet remains to be done.” One of these periods had now arrived in the life of Mr. Roscoe, when, after a painful retrospect of the past, it became his duty to determine his course of life for the future.
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 251 |
While the affairs of the bank remained under his management, the only object he had in view was their final and satisfactory adjustment. He was, it is true, a partner in the new banking house, but the active direction of that concern was necessarily left to the other partners. He was now once more the master of his own time, and it became a matter of great consideration, in what manner his future life should be disposed of. Harassed and grieved as he had been at the failure of his plan for the payment of all the creditors in full, and worn down by the incessant labour and anxiety of superintending his affairs, he was strongly tempted to take this opportunity of retiring at once from all active pursuits, and of passing the remainder of his life in the seclusion of Chat Moss. But the reflection that, even at his advanced period of life, his personal exertions might still be rendered available in the service of his family, and of the public, induced him to abandon the idea of retirement, and to return once more to the active duties of life. In the following letter he has disclosed very fully the motives which influenced him to adopt this resolution:—“The question, which ever since the unfortunate result of our bank concerns has occupied my thoughts by night and by day, has been whether it is incumbent on me, in duty to my family, my friends, my character, and my peace of mind, to continue (if practicable) in
252 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“This question I have placed in every point of view of which it is capable; but the fact is, the decision was prematurely sought for, and could not be made until many previous results, of which the great event before alluded to is a principal one, were first ascertained.
“Without troubling you with the reasons on each side, I can now say, that unless I meet with some unfavourable circumstances, of which I am not at present aware, I mean to devote myself to the former, and if I receive encouragement, to resume an active course of life; and in saying this I have the satisfaction of thinking I shall meet the wishes of all those who are nearest and dearest to me. I dare not, however, venture to acknowledge how much this sacrifice costs me. It seems to me the final relinquishment and extinction of all the hopes and prospects of my youth—the abandonment of that state of leisure and retirement, for the enjoyment of which, at its proper period, I had endeavoured to make the best preparation which a busy life had afforded me.
“I will not, however, deny that these feelings, severe as they may be, are counterbalanced by others of an opposite tendency, and that the flattering hope that I may yet be able to render my humble efforts at utility serviceable to those
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 253 |
“The struggle is now over; and I shall willingly persuade myself, that even in the most selfish point of view it is for my own happiness—that a state of retirement would not have satisfied the cravings of a restless mind, and that in the active performance of that, which I cannot but feel to be my duty, I shall find my best reward.
“This determination being once made, brings with it many consequences of considerable importance in the arrangement of my concerns, and clears the way as to my future conduct. Involved as I have been, rather by unsought-for inducements, than by premeditated intention, in several extensive undertakings, I have at least derived from them a conviction of the impolicy of being led into engagements of this nature, in which I have been accountable for the errors of others as well as my own. Since I came to this place, it is true, I have found reason to form
254 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
During the long and tedious inquiry which
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 255 |
It was at this period that, unknown to himself, several of his friends united together for the purpose of raising a sum of money for his use. This object was accomplished with ease, and the sum of 2500l. was contributed, and vested in trustees for the benefit of himself and his family. The office of communicating to him this kind and liberal act, on the part of his friends, was confided to Dr. Traill, who by his judicious repre-
256 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
After the great anxieties which he had lately suffered, a change of scene seemed particularly desirable for him; and he was induced, at the solicitation of his friends, to pay another visit to Holkham, where not only were his spirits relieved by enjoying the society of Mr. Coke, but his thoughts were agreeably occupied in the task which he had undertaken of making a catalogue of the manuscript library. It required, however, no inconsiderable effort to tear himself away so soon from the tranquil comforts of his home, and from the society of those attached friends to whom he had been so lately restored. To one of these he thus wrote, soon after his arrival at Holkham:—
“I cannot suffer our honest bookbinder, Jones, to return from this place to Liverpool without a line to assure you, my ever dear friend, that I have done, and am doing, all in my power to carry into effect the advice so kindly given me on all hands on my departure from home, to banish from my mind all that I left behind me, and to attend only to my own pursuits and amusements. In this attempt I have great assistance not only from the place itself, but from the society around me, some of the
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 257 |
Some account of his occupations at Holkham is given in the following extract from a letter to the same friend:—
258 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“Since my arrival here I have applied myself with the greatest assiduity, as far as my health would admit, to the task I have undertaken, than which few more laborious of the kind have ever been attempted; and I have now the pleasure to inform you that I expect, in the course of a few weeks, to be able so to arrange my materials as to enable me, on my return, to draw up such a catalogue as will not discredit the collection. Lady Anson, who draws most beautifully, has undertaken to copy some of the very curious specimens of designs in gold and colours in the ancient MSS. I do not believe an artist could be found in the kingdom, who could execute them with greater accuracy.
“The Duke of Gloucester is to be here on the 9th of next month, and as he has been so good as to express a wish to meet me here, I shall not be able to leave Holkham till about the middle of the month, after which I must pass a few days at Norwich, Cambridge, and Althorp, before my return, and probably I may go to London, respecting which I cannot yet determine.”
During his residence at Chat Moss, in the spring and summer of the present year, Mr. Roscoe had made some progress in preparing for the press his “Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici,” a volume intended as a reply to the criticisms of M. de Sismondi and other writers upon his work, and which had, at
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 259 |
In addition to these labours, Mr. Roscoe had been requested by the booksellers of London to superintend an edition of Pope’s works, and to add to it fresh notes and a new Life of the poet.
With the view of forwarding these various literary undertakings, Mr. Roscoe paid a visit to London in the autumn of the present year (1820). In a letter to Mrs. Roscoe, informing her of his arrival, he says,—“It was with real pain and vexation I passed Linley Wood without calling. After leaving Will there, I had a very stupid journey, with a great lumbering Flamand from Brussels, whom he will remember putting into the coach, who could not speak a word of English, and with whom I was obliged to converse in bad French, and to translate for him, in case of necessity, as our friend the parson did for the Irishman, who had missed his way, and got into France. At best, a drive of 200
260 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
The progress of his various labours he describes in the following extract from a letter to Mrs. Rathbone:—
“May I hope, my ever dear friend, that I shall not be thought intrusive in giving you a few lines to inform you that I am settled here as comfortably as the general state of my health, and the absence from those enjoyments which lately constituted so great a part of the happiness of my life, will allow. Almost my whole time is closely devoted to study, and I am already engaged in printing the ‘Memoir of Richard Roberts,’ and my ‘Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo,’ both of which I hope to complete before I leave town for Norfolk. I am going this evening to dine with my bookseller, Mr. Cadell,
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 261 |
As his chief object in this visit was to superintend the printing of the two works which he was about to publish, he made few engagements, though he occasionally enjoyed the society of some of his friends. “I dined with Dr. Parr,” he says, in a letter to Mrs. Roscoe, “at William Lowndes’s on Thursday, and again at Mr. Newnham Collingwood’s (who married the eldest daughter of Lord Collingwood) on Friday. To morrow I am engaged to dine with Fuseli; and on Thursday next with Mr. Cadell, which are all my engagements at present, having cautiously kept out of the way of them. Hitherto I have not made any great progress in my undertakings, although I have devoted to them all the time in my power, reserving a little for exercise. Yesterday Robert and I paid a visit to old Palace Yard,
262 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
At the end of November, Mr. Roscoe had proceeded so far with the printing of his new works as to be enabled to leave town for Holkham, where he was anxious to complete the task he had undertaken of preparing a catalogue of the magnificent library of manuscripts belonging to Mr. Coke.
Of his progress in this laborious but interesting work he gives some account in the following letter to Mr. M’Creery:—
“I have long intended to address a few lines to you from this place, but was desirous of being able to give you some information as to my views, and the nature of the task I have undertaken.
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 263 |
264 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“I am sure I need not tell you, that I find Mr. Coke the same firm and upright friend of liberty and reform as when I was here last. Uninfluenced by any party, his only wish is to do justice to all, and to give to every one those rights which he enjoys himself. The pleasure I have had in his society, and in that of his family, has alleviated my daily labours, and enabled me to accomplish what I certainly should not have undertaken had I been aware of its extent and difficulty; but before I see you, I hope to have finished my first sketch of a catalogue, though it will take some time to reduce it into order.”
In a letter to one of his daughters, dated 11th January, 1821, he says, “Accept my best thanks, my dear Jenny, for your last letter; and be assured that nothing can afford me greater pleasure than to hear of the health and happiness of you all, particularly of your mother, whose state of health naturally renders me anxious to hear either from her or of her as frequently as possible. As to myself, I go on precisely in the same way as I have done for some months past, devoting every moment of my time to the task I have undertaken, and only taking as much time to myself as is absolutely requisite for exercise,
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 265 |
During this visit, the birth-day of Lady Anson, who had honoured Mr. Roscoe with her confidence and friendship, was celebrated by him in the following lines:—
“When Anson’s natal day returns,
And Holkham’s halls resound with joy,
And every youthful bosom burns
To share the general ecstasy,
Say, shall the voice of friendship dare
Awhile thy favouring ear detain,
And mingle with the festive cheer
A fainter note, a temper’d strain?
|
“Yes; for whilst mirth and music swell,
The heart will ask a pause of bliss,
Nor on the rapturous moment dwell
With unrestrain’d confidingness:
Then—in that interval of peace
A deeper feeling it will own,
Nor may, perchance, the chord displease,
That vibrates to a softer tone.
|
266 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“Yet think not that the song severe
Would check the tabor’s sprightly sound,
Or bid the cheerful train forbear
The lively dance, the sportive round;
Hard were the heart and dull the soul,
That would the festive scene forego,
And drop in pleasure’s mantling bowl
The tear of retrospective woe.
|
“Then turn, and with a parent’s joy
Survey the gaily circling band,
And meet the glance that from the eye
Bids all the filial soul expand;
And think that thro’ a wider sphere
Thy being’s energies extend,
And every tender feeling share
Of daughter, sister, mother, friend.
|
“But while thou glad’st the social feast,
By all around admir’d, approv’d,
By every charm of nature grac’d,
In blessing blest, in loving lov’d;
And while thy vows in secret prayer,
By all around unseen, unknown,
The breathings of thy spirit bear,
In incense to th’ eternal throne:
|
“O not for this—that favouring Heaven
Thro’ flowery paths thy youth has led,
Thy home in splendid bowers has given,
And pour’d its blessings on thine head;
For many a breast as free from pain
As thine has felt the duteous glow,
Nor could thy grateful heart restrain
Its warm spontaneous overflow.
|
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 267 |
“But deeper benefits than these
Thy deeper gratitude demand,
For He who all thy goodness sees,
Has touch’d thee with his weighty hand;
And thou, with heart resign’d and pure,
Hast bow’d submissive to the stroke,
And taught thy spirit to endure
His strong control, his powerful yoke.
|
“O painful trials! only sent
To those his searching eye approves,
O soul-afflicting chastisement!
Unknown to all but those he loves;
Who from the lowest depths of woe
To higher excellence aspire,
As gold that takes a brighter glow,
When tried amidst the purging fire.
|
“Hence, not in grandeur, pomp, and state,
Those idols of the vulgar mind,
That charm the little and the great,
Canst thou thy genuine pleasures find;
’Tis when that chasten’d cheerfulness
Thy presence gives to all around,
Returns again thyself to bless,
Thy heart enjoys the sweet rebound.
|
“And dearer far to thee the joy
Beside the bed of pain to stand,
And see thy friend, with grateful eye,
Drink health and gladness from thine hand,
Than if, ordain’d in courts to shine,
Thy steps the midnight revel led,
And every gem from India’s mine
Blaz’d radiant on thine high plum’d head!
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268 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“For know, amidst this world of strife,
By Heaven’s immutable decree,
The only draught that sweetens life
Is mixt with human sympathy;
And they who to a selfish sphere
The general bounty would confine,
Those high delights must never share
That only visit hearts like thine.”
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Yet, even amidst the pleasures of Holkham, Mr. Roscoe looked forward with anxiety to the time when he should be restored to that tranquil domestic society, to which, as the infirmities of age increased upon him, he felt doubly attached. “As I find,” he says, in a letter to Mrs. Rathbone, “that you have been so good as to call sometimes at the Mount, you will perhaps have heard how closely I have been employed in getting through the tasks which compelled me to the painful measure I have taken, and which, I assure you, have proved quite as formidable as I had supposed. I find, however, a still greater difficulty in keeping down my own restless and impatient temper, which I endeavour to do, at some times by reasoning with myself on the folly of rebelling against my fate, and at others by promising myself, that when these heavy undertakings are accomplished, I may enjoy some degree of leisure and tranquillity, and may, perhaps, once more wander through the delightful gardens of Greenbank, without the cares and
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 269 |
“I have now been here upwards of a week, and am sorry to say that my progress is so small that I can form no conjecture as to the time my undertaking will occupy, and begin to fear that another journey will be necessary before it can be accomplished.”
Early in the year 1821 Mr. Roscoe returned to his residence at Liverpool, and resumed with much ardour his literary occupations. Soon after his arrival at home he received a communication from Mr. A. J. Valpy, informing him of his intention to publish a series of Italian authors, in about thirty or thirty-five volumes, and requesting to know whether it would be convenient to him to assume the conduct of the work, so far as related to the selections of the authors, or parts of authors, to be printed. In reply to this communication, Mr. Roscoe, after adverting to the conditions of his engaging in the undertaking, thus proceeds:—
“With the selections that have already been made of the Italian writers I am pretty well acquainted, but know of none that answers the idea of what I conceive such a collection should be. The sketch you have sent me is not less remote from the plan I should be inclined to propose. It is time the world should be made better acquainted with the Italian writers, and par-
270 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
In the following letter to Sir James Smith he adverts to this undertaking:—“You will probably have seen, by the public papers, that I have undertaken to give my assistance to Mr. Valpy, in publishing a collection of the Italian poets, in forty-eight volumes, in which it is intended that the works of each author should be introduced by biographical and critical dissertations, extracted from the best literary historians and critics of Italy; a mode which I proposed. You will, perhaps, be more surprised to hear that I have also acceded to a proposal made to me to write a new life of Pope, and publish a new edition of his works; an undertaking of much more labour than the other, and at the present time, in which a sharp contest is carrying on, both as to his moral and poetical character, attended with some peculiar difficulties. From a pretty close examination of the larger editions of his works, I am not, however, greatly discouraged; nor can I help thinking that, however deficient I may be found in some respects, I shall be able to give an edition more just to the character of the author, and more accommodated to the use
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 271 |
Unfortunately, for want of proper encouragement, Mr. Valpy’s scheme languished and died.
Soon after Mr. Roscoe’s return to Liverpool, the “Illustrations, historical and critical, of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici, called the Magnificent,” issued from the press. The object of this work is thus stated by its author, in his prefatory observations:—
“Upwards of twenty-five years have elapsed since the publication of the ‘Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici.’ During that time considerable additions have been made to the political and literary history of Italy; many original and valuable documents have been produced, and the labours of several distinguished writers, as well here as abroad, have given a greater interest to the subject.
“Under these circumstances the history of the life of Lorenzo has occasionally been the object of reference and of criticism; and whilst the merits and talents of that distinguished individual have on the one hand been more fully illustrated, attempts have been made on the other to depreciate his character, and doubts have been thrown out as to his being entitled to the high rank which he has so long held in the general estimation. To collect and to place under one point of view the information which
272 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
Amongst the foreign writers to whom Mr. Roscoe here refers, the principal was the learned and celebrated M. de Sismondi, who, in his “Histoire des Républiques Italiennes du moyen Age,” has attempted to show that the character of Lorenzo de’ Medici, drawn by his English biographer, is partial and incorrect; that, in his political conduct, he was guilty of oppression towards his countrymen, and that, so far from meriting the high eulogiums that had been pronounced upon him, he was not even to be considered as possessing superior merits in poetry, in philosophy, or in art. The other writers, whose criticisms, chiefly relating to the literary merits of Lorenzo de’ Medici, are noticed and replied to in the Illustrations, are Lorenzo Pignotti, in his “Storia della Toscana;” Professor Pozzetti, in his “Due dissertazioni sopra alcuni passi della vita di Lorenzo de’ Medici, scritta
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 273 |
“In laying before the public,” he says, at the conclusion of his prefatory observations, “such additional proofs and documents as the kindness of my friends, or my own researches, have placed within my power, for vindicating the representations which I have already given to the public of the life and character of Lorenzo de’ Medici, I trust it will not be understood, that I conceive that the work to which they relate stands in need of any other evidence, to satisfy any impartial and candid mind, than such as it bears within itself, and is confirmed by the very numerous authorities to which I have there diligently referred. From these it will sufficiently appear, that the man, whose character I have attempted to illustrate, was not only distinguished above
* Vide ante, vol. i. |
274 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 275 |
The nature of this publication, consisting of a series of detached criticisms, not connected by any continued narrative, was not such as to render it generally popular. It must, however, always be regarded as an indispensable appendage to the “Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici,” and as conferring no inconsiderable additional value upon that work.
Mr. Roscoe having transmitted a copy of the “Illustrations” to his learned correspondent, the Canonico Moreni of Florence, it was by that accomplished scholar placed in the hands of one of his friends, Signor V. Pecchioli, by whom a version of it into Italian was published at Florence in the year 1823, with the omission of the Appendix. On receiving a copy of this translation, Mr. Roscoe addressed the following letter to Signor Pecchioli:—
276 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
“I am extremely sorry that my numerous concerns and journeys from home, and particularly my having undertaken to furnish the London booksellers with a new edition of the works of Pope, to be accompanied by an original life of him on an extended scale, has so long prevented me from perusing and examining, with the attention which was necessary, your translation of my ‘Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici,’ with a copy of which you some time since honoured me, and of which I have within these few days received a duplicate, accompanying your obliging letter of the 27th April. Having now just completed my very laborious engagement, and relieved myself from the importunity of the booksellers, I have devoted some days to the perusal and examination of your work; and am, upon the whole, much pleased with the easy, natural, and unassuming style in which it is executed, and with the impartiality and reserve so properly adhered to in the expression of your own opinion on the various subjects of controversy to which it relates. At the same time, I regret to say, that I have met with some passages which appear to me to be either not fully understood or not correctly expressed, and which it will therefore be necessary to alter, in case of another edition. Of these I have made out a list, as far as the prefatory observations extend, and, if you desire it, will
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 277 |
“For the information in your last, on the state of literature and literary publications in Italy, which I am sorry to find is not so favourable as might be wished, accept my best thanks. With respect to the intended publication of a new edition of the Cav. Mecherini’s translation of the ‘Life of Lorenzo,’ it does not at present occur to me that I have any alterations or remarks to suggest, further than such as are contained in the Illustrations already published. I have, however, undertaken to examine this work in the original English, and also the ‘Life of Leo X.,’ preparatory to new editions of them, which are immediately going to the press, having been long out of print; and if I should discover any thing of sufficient importance to deserve your notice, will lose no time in communicating it to you.
“I wish it were in my power to answer your inquiries respecting the prospect which a master in the Italian language would have of a favour-
278 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
A copy of the “Illustrations” was forwarded to M. de Sismondi, who acknowledged the receipt of it in the following letter:—
“Je rectus, il y a quelque tems, de votre part, les ‘Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici.’ J’en éprouvai quelque étonnement, mais j’en fus flatté en même temps, et je vous en remercie. Vous paroissiez me dire ainsi que vous sentiez que j’aimois assez la vérité pour qu’elle me plût même dans une refutation.
“Mais est-ce bien la vérité? Vous verrez, Monsieur, par la petite feuille ci-jointe, que je
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 279 |
“Agréez, Monsieur, l’expression de la haute considération avec laquelle j’ai l’honneur d’être,
280 | LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. |
To this letter Mr. Roscoe immediately sent the following reply:—
“I had the honour of receiving, a few days since, your letter of the 2d July last, and am happy to find that the differences of opinion which subsist between us on some particular points, have not prevented those favourable sentiments of general respect which ought to subsist between those whose only object is the investigation of truth. At the same time, I cannot but regret that the efforts I have made in my ‘Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici,’ to remove the opinions you entertain of his character, have failed of their effect; and this regret is increased by the reflection that this work was purposely intended to conciliate your favourable opinion, and to attract your powerful support to what I consider as the cause of truth. If, on any occasion, I have exceeded the limits of literary courtesy and respect, you will, I trust, do me the justice to attribute it to my earnestness to accomplish this purpose, and not to any feelings of an adverse nature towards one whose productions I so highly admire, and in whose sentiments, on almost all the great questions of human interest, I so fully concur. You will also, I hope, believe that, in making this effort, I was not influenced by any degree of literary competition, to which I know myself too well to pretend, or even by the defence of
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“With respect to your notes, intended for the new edition of your history, and of which you have done me the honour to transmit me a copy, I have only to observe, that they appear to me to have carried our debate to a sufficient length, and that I shall willingly leave it to the public to decide between us without a further reply. If I should deviate from this course, it will, I think, extend only to your last note, in which you have again endeavoured to show that Lorenzo de’ Medici maintained an usurped authority by bloody executions. * * * * * I might also, perhaps, complain of the conclusion of this note, where you declare you know not whether I have had blood enough to satisfy me; but I consider this as intended merely to give effect to the preceding representations; it being impossible you could either think that I thirsted for
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“In turning to more agreeable subjects, it is with great pleasure I can assure you that your excellent work on the Literature of the South of Europe, which has been translated into English by one of my sons, and lately published, has been very favourably received, and that a new edition is shortly expected.”
Some time after this correspondence, Mr. Roscoe had the pleasure of becoming personally acquainted with M. de Sismondi, who, during a visit to England, passed a few days at the house of Mr. W. S. Roscoe, near Liverpool. The intelligent conversation and the courteous and friendly manners of this distinguished foreigner attracted the warm regard of Mr. Roscoe; and no one who witnessed the mutual pleasure they found in one another’s society, would have recognised the meeting of two literary controversialists.
Nearly at the same time with the Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the little memoir of the extraordinary person already referred to appeared, under the title of a “Memoir of Richard Roberts Jones, of Aberdaron, in the county of Carnarvon, in North Wales, exhibiting a remarkable instance of a partial power and cultivation of intellect.” This most singular person, who is still living, and who con-
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“Your letter found me in conversation with one of the most extraordinary beings that ever occurred to my notice—a poor Welsh fisher-lad, as ragged as a colt, and as uncouth as any being that has a semblance of humanity. But beneath such an exterior is a mind cultivated not only beyond all reasonable expectation, but beyond all probable conception. In his fishing boat on the coast of Wales, at an age little more than twenty, he has acquired the Greek, the Hebrew, and the Latin languages, has read the Iliad, Hesiod, Theocritus, &c. studied the refinements of Greek pronunciation, and examined the connection of that language with the Hebrew. He reads Latin with the utmost facility, and translates it either into Welsh or English. I
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“He is well disposed, modest, truly pious, and intelligent, but in his exterior motions is certainly like no other creature on earth. He has just entered the room with a wallet of books in all languages, and on my speaking to him, he saluted me with a sort of curtsey, instead of a bow. Yet, the expression of his features speaks his mind; and if shaved and docked, he might not perhaps appear so frightful as at present. He has now left his country, where he says he is persecuted, and thrown himself upon our benevolence, of which he thinks he had some proof, on one of his visits here with fish. What I shall do with him, I know not; but I have promised him help and protection, which he shall have; and if I find I can assist in rendering the very extraordinary talents with which God has been pleased to endow this humble child of indigence useful to himself or others, I shall have no small pleasure in doing it. If, on further experience, I find him as deserving as he seems to be at present, I shall most probably take advantage of your friendship, and intrude upon you for your advice respecting him. At present, I assure you, I think it one of the most extraordinary circumstances that ever fell in my way; but as first
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This extraordinary being was immediately taken by Mr. Roscoe under his protection. His rags were replaced by decent clothing, and a comfortable bed was prepared for him at night. So little, however, was he accustomed to the usages of civilised life, that, instead of getting into the bed, he crept under it. Such, also, was his attachment to the squalid habits in which he had lived, that it was with the utmost difficulty he could be persuaded to submit to those ablutions which were absolutely necessary to render a near conversation with him agreeable or, indeed, safe. One of Mr. Roscoe’s first objects was to provide him with some employment to which he had been accustomed, and upon enquiry, it appeared that he had been brought up to the occupation of a sawyer. The sequel is thus told in the memoir.
“A recommendation was given him to a person who employed many hands in sawing, and Richard was put down in the sawpit. He accordingly commenced his labours, and proceeded for some time with a fair prospect of success. It was not long, however, before his efforts re-
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Other attempts were made to discover a suitable employment for Richard, but in vain. He was placed in the office of a printer in Liverpool, where it was supposed his complete knowledge of the dead languages might render his services useful; but his inaptitude for business, and his inattention to the common decencies of personal cleanliness, soon terminated the engagement. At Allerton, many persons of distinguished learning had an opportunity of witnessing the extraordinary attainments of Richard Roberts, who never failed to leave a deep impression of the
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“One of his friends happened to have a party to dinner, several of whom were persons of considerable literary distinction; when, by the misunderstanding of a message* after dinner, the door opened; and, to the equal surprise of both the host and his guests, Richard entered the room, his whole dress and appearance being grotesque in the highest degree. The curiosity of the company was excited; and, after the mistake to which his introduction was owing had been explained, he was asked several questions in French, to which he gave ready and correct answers. The conversation was then changed to Italian, in which he acquitted himself with equal readiness. To this succeeded an inquiry into his knowledge of Latin and Greek, in which languages he read and translated some passages to the satisfaction of the persons present. One of the party then proceeded to examine him
* The mistake which Mr. Roscoe alludes to was this. Having been conversing with the friends around him on the subject of the instinct of animals, he mentioned to them the singular habits of a Brazilian weasel (the Coati Mondi), which had been presented to him. One of his sons, sitting at the other end of the table, was desired “to bring in the beast;” but, unluckily, not having heard the previous conversation, he conducted Richard Roberts into the dining-room. |
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“Q. As you seem to have made no little proficiency in languages, pray tell me what means you take in acquiring a language?
“A. It is according to what the nature of the language is.
“Q. How would you set about acquiring a modern language?
“A. If it was Spanish, for instance, I would take a vocabulary of the language, and examine what words corresponded with, or resembled the words in any other language with which I was acquainted; as, for instance, the Latin, French, or Italian; and those words I would strike out of the vocabulary, learning only such as were the original or peculiar words of the Spanish tongue; and then, by the assistance of a grammar, I should soon be able to attain a knowledge of that language.
“All the party admitted, that this was a most judicious and excellent method; and Richard withdrew, with expressions of approbation from all present.”
It was on a previous day, during the same visit, that Richard had an interview with Dr. Parr, who immediately plunged into the darkest recesses of ancient learning. The refinements of the Greek language, and the works of the critics who had illustrated it were entered into,
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Many are the singular and amusing anecdotes recorded of Richard in this Memoir, which concludes with a short comparison between the subject of it and the famous Moses Mendelsohn and the learned Magliabechi. The portrait of Richard, prefixed to it, is from a drawing by Williamson, formerly a portrait painter at Liverpool, of considerable ability. The plate is etched by Mrs. Dawson Turner, of Yarmouth, whose efforts in this branch of art have excited so much admiration amongst her friends. The following letter to Mr. Dawson Turner, relating to this plate, contains an anecdote highly illustrative of Richard’s habits and peculiar turn of mind:—
“I had the pleasure of receiving your kind favour of the 18th July enclosing an impression of the etching of my Welsh friend by Mrs. Turner, for which I cannot sufficiently express my thanks. The likeness is admirable; so that it is impossible that any person who has seen him
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“With respect to the inscription to be placed under it, I must give you a singular anecdote. A day or two after I received the etching, Richard called, as he is in the frequent habit of doing, and I showed it him, and asked him if he knew it, when, after some strange turns of his head from side to side, he said, ‘It is my portrait.’ I then told him I wished him to give me an inscription of his name, &c. to put under it; when, suddenly opening his waistcoat, he began to unwind from around his body a piece of white calico, at least five or six feet long by three broad, at the top of which there appeared, in large letters inscribed by himself, ‘Verbum Dei Libertas,’ and towards the bottom the following inscription:—
“‘R. Johannis, Caernarvonensis, Linguæ
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“This seemed to me the more extraordinary as he had not the least idea of his head being engraved or any such inscription wanted, nor am I satisfied that it would be proper to adopt the above; but on this you shall hear again from me.”
The profits of the Memoir were employed in supporting the subject of it*; and this little fund was increased by the contributions of some benevolent persons to whom the publication was the means of making him known. The money thus raised, however, has since been exhausted; and Richard, who is still residing in Liverpool, pursuing his learned occupations with unceasing zeal, is sup-
* The following advertisement was prefixed to the Memoir:— “Any profits that may arise from this publication will be applied to make a provision for the person who is the subject of it, and whose destitute situation requires the benevolent aid of those who may be disposed to afford him their assistance. “Subscriptions will be received, and the application of them directed, by the under mentioned. William Wallace Currie,” Ambrose Lace, Samuel Parkes, William Rathbone, William Stanley Roscoe, J. Ashton Yates, of Liverpool.’ |
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The following sonnet was written by Mr. Roscoe while engaged in preparing for the press the “Memoir of Richard Roberts:”—
Child of affliction! hapless was the hour That gave thee birth! Thine infancy, distress; Thy young companions, scorn and wretchedness; And pain and penury thine only dower. Yet amidst this, thine utter helplessness, There is an eye beholds thee; that can see Thy patient sufferings, deep humility, And thy life-pang of conscious uselessness— Nor yet will He, the mighty One, who gave Thy shrouded talents, unaccomplished leave The work his forming hand so well begun; But in his own good time will pour the light Thro’ the thick film that veils thy mental sight, And manifest Himself—an uneclipsed sun. |
In the summer of 1822 Mr. Roscoe left his residence in Liverpool, and took a house in Lodge Lane, Toxteth Park, about a mile from the town. In the following letters to one of his daughters he gives some description of his new abode:—
“I have to thank you for your very acceptable letter, and for the account you give of your proceedings; from which I am happy to find you avail yourself of the opportunities of enjoyment which the kindness of your friends affords you. I hope I shall not interrupt so pleasant a dream by informing you what you are
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“Since you left us, I have been very closely employed in a new work which I have just finished, and am sending to M’Creery to be printed, under the title of Additional Observations on Penal Jurisprudence, being a sharp criticism on an article in the Edinburgh Review on Prison Discipline, and on the proposed plan of punishing criminals in America, by solitary
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“I shall leave a little space for Mary Anne to tell you any further news, and with kind remembrances to Mr. and Mrs. Hutton, and all our friends, I remain,” &c.
In the course of the present year, Mr. Roscoe lost one of his earliest, and, indeed, one of his latest literary friends, in Dr. Aikin, who died at his house in Stoke Newington, after a long and painful illness. The intimacy had arisen at a very early period of life, during the residence of Dr. Aikin with his father, at the Warrington academy, to which place Mr. Roscoe paid several visits for the purpose of enjoying the society of Dr. Aikin and Dr. Enfield. On the removal of the former from Warrington, he occasionally corresponded with Mr. Roscoe on subjects of literary interest, and the letters of both the parties evince, in a very pleasing manner, their mutual attachment and respect. On the publication of his ‘Memoirs of Huet,’ Dr. Aikin took the opportunity of testifying more publicly his esteem for his friend, in a dedication prefixed to that work, a mark of friendship which Mr. Roscoe acknowledged in the following letter:—
* * * “Allow me to assure you that, however my vanity may be gratified in being thus
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Of the literary correspondence between Dr. Aikin and Mr. Roscoe, the following letter, written by the latter immediately after the perusal of the ‘Life of Huet,’ is a pleasing specimen:—
“I have now gone through the ‘Memoirs of
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“Of your part in this publication, I can only say that it has all the characteristic excellencies of your other writings. The translation reads with all the ease and freedom of an original, and your very numerous and satisfactory anecdotes give double interest to the work. It is with pleasure I trace in this department the same candid spirit and sound judgment as in your other works, but mellowed and improved by the observation and reflection of riper years. I cannot, however, help observing, that if time has mellowed the fruits of your genius, it has not destroyed their original flavour; as a proof of which, I may refer to vol. ii. p. 143., in which I find you still the advocate of ‘those kindly affections by which mankind are held together;’ a cause which I hope we shall neither of us give up but with life.
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“You do me the honour of asking me whether I can point out any other subject of a similar nature to your last, and what I think of a ‘Life of Muratori?’ at the same time suggesting that I may probably have some idea of prosecuting my inquiries into the literature of Italy. If that were the case, there is no one whom I should sooner choose for a fellow-labourer than yourself; but, in fact, I have laid aside all such intentions, and if I can accomplish a little memoir of our ever-lamented friend Currie, shall never more present myself before the public. I am, however, inclined to think that Muratori would not afford you a sufficient foundation on which to build your intended superstructure. Although a man of diversified talent and sound learning, yet I do not know that his connections with persons of great eminence were very extensive; and his epistolary correspondence, of which I have two volumes, is chiefly confined to researches for the materials of his great work on the ‘Antiquities of Italy.’ Even the period, though distinguished by some celebrated characters, and particularly by several excellent lyric poets, would, as I apprehend, be found inferior in point of interest, not only to former times in Italy, but to the contemporary state of literature both in France and England. On this, however, I speak with great hesitation; and should be sorry to deter you from a work which, in your hands,
LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 299 |
During the publication of the ‘Athenæum,’ a
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The feelings of Mr. Roscoe on the death of Dr. Aikin are expressed in the following letter to Miss Aikin:—
“Although much later than my feelings dictated, you will, I am sure, excuse a few lines to express to you how truly I have sympathised with you, on the loss of your excellent father and my old and highly valued friend. Not because I conceive that I can say any thing to relieve what I well know you must feel on the occasion, but because it is a satisfaction to my own mind to express to one so dear to him the sincere and affectionate attachment I entertained for him, and the gratitude I owe to him for the advantages derived from his friendship and society at an early period of my life. My long acquaintance with him is indeed connected with the most pleasing recollections. From having accompanied him to his little botanical garden in the vicinity of Warrington, I first imbibed a relish for these pursuits; and I well remember that on his recommendation I first was led to the perusal of the modern writers of Latin poetry—occupations which have since afforded me an inexhaustible source of pleasure. To this I might
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“In the sincere sorrow that must attend the loss of such a man, it is, however, delightful to recollect how much of his spirit yet remains. Whether we regard him in a scientific or a literary light, we still find him in his best disciples, his own children, to whom the world will now look for a continuation of those labours which have hitherto been so eminently successful. That you, my dear friend, will not disappoint us, you have already given us sufficient earnest; and I think I know you too well, to doubt of your perseverance. It is true the reign of Charles, compared with that of James, is like a serious history compared with a course of fantastic adventures; but you have shown that you are capable of just reflection on the gravest subjects, and that the most important concerns of states are not less within the scope of your powers than the lighter touches of lively and interesting anecdote.”
During the whole of the spring and summer of the year 1823 Mr. Roscoe was closely engaged in preparing for the press the new edition of Pope,
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“As I presume Mary Anne may have thrown out some hints of my having been so far indisposed on my way to Holkham, as to have got myself into the hands of a doctor, and narrowly escaped ‘losing a little blood,’ I think it may be some satisfaction to you to have a certificate under my own hand that I am yet in the land of the living; and I hope I may also add, recovering from the effects of a feverish attack, which came upon me some days before I left London, but which I hoped would have been removed by the journey. This, however, was not the case; so that I was obliged to stop a night at Fakenham, and to be put under a regular course of discipline, attended by physician, apothecary, &c.; and on the following day, the doctor paid me a visit in state, at Holkham, with which you will judge how greatly I was delighted. This, however, was his last visit; and to cut short the subject, I hope I may consider myself beyond the necessity of further assistance, although, I must acknowledge, I think the prescriptions were of considerable service to me.”
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The following letters to Mrs. Roscoe will give an idea of the engagements and occupations of Mr. Roscoe during this visit to London:—
“As J. C. sets out in the morning on his return to Liverpool, I could not let him depart without a line to inform you that I continue in tolerable health and spirits, and as fully employed as it is possible for me to be. We are now making great progress towards finishing the works of Pope, which will be quite ready by the time desired by the booksellers, and to this almost all my efforts have hitherto been directed. I have also finally settled my agreement with Mr. Graves, for lithographing, printing, and colouring my plants, at a price which I consider very reasonable. On Sunday, Henry and I went to Essex Street Chapel, and heard a Mr. Cannon preach a very good sermon, after which we called on Mr. Belsham, and found him, as he hopes, recovering from his long indisposition. On Tuesday I dined with a scientific party at Dr. Bostock’s; and yesterday I met a literary one at Mr. Cadell’s, and was highly entertained by the conviviality, wit, and excellent singing of Mr. James Smith, Mrs. Cadell’s brother, and one of the authors of the ‘Rejected Addresses.’ On Sunday we are to dine with Miss Duckworth, so that you have the whole of our proceedings. * * * As to what is going on here, I am a perfect stranger, except as far as appears from
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“Notwithstanding the kindness I have experienced through all my peregrinations, I am not sorry to reflect that more than one half of the time proposed for my absence is now over, and that within the course of another month I may have the pleasure of seeing you again, when, if I should find you in a state of health equal to my daily wishes and prayers, it will be the greatest blessing that can happen to me.”
In another letter, written a few weeks after the preceding, he says, “Our frolic is now nearly over, and we have taken places in the Liverpool mail for to-morrow evening. We shall not, however, proceed direct to Liverpool, having received an invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell to stop at Linley Wood, which we have promised to do; so that we shall not reach home before Saturday. I will not attempt to express to you the extreme hurry in which I have lived since my arrival in London, where I have scarcely had a moment to myself, and am obliged to write in great haste this line, to acquaint you with our plans. This morning I breakfasted with Sir Thomas Lawrence, am going to dine at Mr. Duckworth’s, and pass the evening at
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A number of the gentlemen of Liverpool, friends to the abolition of slavery, having shortly before this time formed themselves into a society to promote this great object, Mr. Roscoe was requested by them to fill the office of president of the society, a request to which he cheerfully yielded. It having been thought proper, in the spring of the present year, that a Declaration of the objects which the society had in view should be published, Mr. Roscoe consented to prepare this document, which was printed in the shape of a small tract, under the title of “A Declaration of the Objects of the Liverpool Society for promoting the Abolition of Slavery.”*
The tone of this Declaration, though firm, is moderate, and the measures which it recommends seem to offer the most practicable means of accomplishing the final extinction of slavery in our colonies:—
* Liverpool: printed by James Smith; published by Hatchard & Son, and J. & A. Arch, London. |
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“The system of slavery has been too long continued, and its devoted objects have been degraded too low in the scale of humanity, to allow it to be supposed that the act of a moment can repair the injuries and abuses of ages, or that deep-founded habits and inveterate prejudices can be removed, without the adoption of such measures as are indispensably requisite for that purpose. With every disposition on the part of the colonial proprietors to adopt a different system, how would it be possible to accomplish it without some necessary precautions, some deliberate and gradual process, which should progressively give to the slave the feeling of independence without the danger of licentiousness, and enable him to perceive that the necessity of providing for his own subsistence, though less degrading, is not less imperative, than that under which he had before been compelled to return to his daily task.”
In the following passage a reference is made to a former publication of Mr. Roscoe, the “General View of the African Slave Trade.”
“Although little has hitherto been said of the particular mode in which this great object might be most safely and beneficially accomplished, yet it has not wholly escaped the notice of the advocates for the abolition of slavery. So long ago as the year 1788, a plan was published by a member of this society for the gradual im-
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“Had this or any plan of a similar nature been carried into effect, the consequence would have been, that an immediate alteration would have taken place in the condition of the slave, which, by a gradual process, would have rendered him capable of still higher improvement; that seven years before the declared abolition of the slave trade by the British legislature, that trade would have been effectually abolished, and the colonies at this day would have been able to resist the competition of any other part of the world; whilst, with the continuance of slavery, they are now in a much more unfavourable state than when such publication took place.
“Whether it may be thought proper to resort to these or similar measures, for gradually relaxing the bonds of slavery, and giving to its unfortunate victims the rank and feelings of human beings, it must rest with the legislature of Great Britain, and the prudence and good sense of the colonial proprietors, to determine. That since the publication of the tract last mentioned, many instances have occurred of the manumission of slaves, some of them on an extensive scale, and with acknowledged advantage to their former owners, is certain; nor is it improbable that measures might be adopted which might render such result general, within a much shorter time than that before mentioned. To contribute, as far as its efforts can be rendered available, to-
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