taste, the public, and none but the public, are the proper arbiters of the contest of letters, the dispensers of the prize, and the best patrons of talent and learning. The only Maecenas, whose suffrage the poet, the novelist, and the historian may now condescend to solicit, is the general voice of his lettered country men. Like the private, the public patron may, and will, occasionally-but how much more rarely?-prove an unjust and capricious judge: but such is the exception, not the general rule; and, in literature, public favour and success are, after all, the least questionable standards of merit. The pecuniary ease, and -in some instances of the highest talent-the affluent fortunes, which have rewarded the profession of letters in our age and country, afford substantial and indubitable evidence, that the forced and artificial encouragement of that patronage, which is expended in medals and pensions, may tend to destroy the independence of the literary character, but can be requisite neither for stimultaing industry, nor supporting the cause of national learning.

To what purpose, then, it may reasonably be demanded, is the establishment, at a period like the present, of a Royal Society of Literature? The avowed objects of the institution may be gathered from the preamble of its charter. The society is there declared to be formed for the advancement of literature, by the publication of inedited remains of ancient literature, and of such works as may be of great intrinsic value, but not of that popular character which usually claims the attention of publishers; by the promotion of discoveries in literature; by endeavours to fix the standard, as far as is practicable, and to preserve the purity of the English language; by the critical improvement of English lexicography; by the reading at public meetings of interesting papers on history, philosophy, poetry, philology, and the arts, and the publication of such of those papers as shall be approved of; by the assigning of honorary rewards to works of great literary merit, and to important discoveries in literature; and by establishing a correspondence with learned men in foreign countries, for the purpose of literary inquiry and information.' Now of all these objects, which certainly sound with a very laudable and liberal zeal for the encouragement of learning, there are some which in reality are absolutely useless and frivolous, and none which might not have been better effected with a much less cumbrous and complicated machinery. In the first place, the publication of inedited remains of ancient literature'-or, as it is elsewhere explained, of valuable MSS. discovered in any public or private collection'-is the best purpose of the society: but who can doubt for an instant that, whenever such treasures should be found, the unprompted and always eager curiosity of the British public would sufficiently secure their production to the world? If a MS. be truly valuable, the speculative spirit of our booksellers will at once seize at the opportunity of obtaining it for publication: but the taste of the

world, and the judgment of over-zealous archæologists are not always agreed on the value of such remains; and, for aught we know to the contrary, the common sense conclusions of the public on these matters are most likely to be right. The new society has not yet given the world the first of these discoverable and valuable MSS.; and it therefore remains to be proved, by what measure the questions of novelty and worth will be determined.

But the society are also to bring forward 'such works as may be of great intrinsic value, but not of that popular character which usually claims the attention of publishers." We must confess, that this promise very forcibly reminds us of the precious proposals of a joint-stock company for literary publication, which was seriously formed during the late season of bubbles, and whose benevolent object it was to deliver men of letters from the monopolizing tyranny of the "trade." There was not one of the initiated, who did not at a glance perceive, that the only productions of this joint-stock press would be works of great intrinsic value,' which every publisher in town had previously rejected :—that here, at length, was provided an asylum, in which injured and indignant authors might

and that the goodly company of publication would infallibly be converted into a refuge for the destitute, and an hospital of incurables.

From the Royal Society of Literature we shall expect, with a very suspicious eye, the appearance of those works of great intrinsic value, for which a 'popular character' is so earnestly disclaimed. To the lucubrations of its own members, the public press will be open, if their intrinsic value' be of a degree to justify publication at all; and the world will naturally learn to distrust the merit of a work of any extent, which has no otherwise been able to struggle into light, than through the eleemosynary aid of the society. And what other modern works than its own transactions the society can be called upon to publish, we profess not. exactly to understand. It is not true, that the booksellers will publish no other than productions of a mere popular character; and the implication contained in the charter is not, therefore, well founded. In general, the number of declared and opulent bookcollectors, and possessors of great libraries in England, is sufficient to take off a profitable edition of a high priced, and particularly of a curious and scarce book; and even in very expensive impressions, there is only one circumstance which seems ever to deter the enterprise of publishers from such undertakings. It will be in the memory of most readers, that the presentation of eleven copies to public libraries, and especially out of editions which are always small in the ratio of the costliness and splendour of a work, was declared by many most respectable publishers, before the committee of the Commons on the Copy

right Bill, to have operated as the only, and a most mischievous restraint upon the printing of a few valuable books of plates, which are desiderata in our illustrated literature. The repeal, then, of this scandalous privilege of the eleven libraries, would have done more general service to letters, and would more have increased the facilities of publication, than the foundation of a dozen Royal Societies.'

Of the next object proposed to the society- the promotion of discoveries in literature-it is not easy to speak: since we are at some loss to determine in what manner it can possibly be effected by any corporation; nor does the exposition of the plan of the society here much enlighten our ignorance, by declaring that the said discoveries are to be encouraged by all suitable means.' What such suitable means, or such discoveries are to be, it is prudently left for us to conjecture as we may. Endeavours to fix the standard, as far as is practicable, and to preserve the purity of the English language, and the critical improvement of English lexicography,' are more intelligible, but not more practicable or salutary designs. "Academies," says Johnson, "have been instituted to guard the avenues of their language, to retain fugitives, and repulse intruders; but their vigilance and activity have hitherto been vain; sounds are too volatile and subtle for legal restraints; to enchain syllables, and to lash the wind, are equally the undertakings of pride, unwilling to measure its desires by its strength." And in another place he strongly adds, with prophetic distrust, "if an academy should be established for the cultivation of our style, I, who can never wish to see dependence multiplied, hope THE SPIRIT OF ENGLISH LIBERTY WILL HINDER OR DESTROY THE ATTEMPT."

But we pass to a less mischievous, though equally ridiculous piece of this chartered quackery. The 'reading of papers at public meetings,' is an obsolete process of solemn trifling, which experience and common sense might have been expected to discard from any modern institution. Nothing on earth can be more intolerably tiresome than these formal readings; and they have ever the additional objection of being wholly useless, since the subsequent publication of such papers as have any merit to recommend them, is a necessary part of the scheme. The remaining objects of the society, as detailed in the preliminary manifesto of their charter, scarcely need any comment. They are at least harmless: the assignment of honorary rewards to works of great literary merit,' which have already successfully undergone the ordeal of public judgment, is an innocent piece of supererogation; and the establishment of a correspondence with learned men in foreign countries, for the purpose of literary inquiry and information,' may doubtless serve agreeably to beguile the elaborate idleness of a few dilettanti. Considering the difficulties of our public communication with foreign nations, the absence of all interchange of literature and science, which so deplorably characterizes the present state of

[ against the Scepticism of David Hume.' The unknown subject of] Europe, and the lamentable want of periodical journals, both in our own country, and on the continent, it is impossible not to foresee the most novel and stupendous consequences to the "spread of knowledge," from the foreign correspondence of this society. We trust, however, that its epistolatory researches will not be restricted to the narrow sphere of Europe: we anticipate its accumulation of letters and science from the uttermost regions of the earth; and we shall impatiently await the period, when the transactions of the society will be graced by dissertations on the affinities of language, from the pen of some mandarin of the third class in the celestial empire, or by essays on political economy, from the royal institute of the Sandwich Islands.

But it is time that we proceed to examine the contents of this half volume before us, which the Society has given to the world as the first specimen of its transactions. The literary papers in the collection are prefaced by an account of the foundation and constitution of the Society itself, a list of its members, and a copy of its charter of incorporation. A few particulars of this introductory matter will, probably, be new to many of our readers; so little of the public attention has the society hitherto been able to command; and the details may not here be altogether out of place. The society was first instituted, under the presidency of the present bishop of Salisbury, and with the immediate patronage of the king, in the year 1821; but its incorporation, by royal charter, dates only from September, 1825. A piece of ground, near St. Martin's church, has been assigned as the scite of a hall, library, and other offices, for its use; and a contribution has been made, by some of its members, towards defraying the expense of erecting the buildings. By the terms of the charter, the society is to have a perpetual succession, a common seal, power to sue and to be sued, capability of property in goods to any amount whatever, and the right of holding a hall, or college, and other tenements and landed property, not exceeding, in the whole, the annual value of one thousand pounds rental.

The representation of the society is seated in the whole number of its members; but the direction of its affairs is confided to a council, composed of a president, of ten vice-presidents, and of not less than five, nor more than sixteen, other members, and chosen periodically, by the whole body, by ballot with a treasurer, librarian, auditors, secretaries, and other officers. All new members are likewise chosen by ballot, in general meetings, a majority of two-thirds of the number of votes being requisite for their election; and a small annual contribution is demanded of each member. Honorary members, foreign and native, are also admissible in like manner. But by far the most significant part of the institution remains behind with a munificence, the generous intention of which is above all praise, whatever may be deemed of its practical tendency, his majesty was graciously

pleased to endow the society with an annual grant of one thousand guineas, to be assigned, in equal portions, to ten royal associates, who 'shall be persons of eminent learning, and authors of some distinguished work of literature.' At the same time, the royal bounty was evinced in the farther donation of two gold medals, of the value of fifty guineas each, to be awarded annually, to authors of works of eminent merit, or for important discoveries in literature.' The first ten associates have been elected by the council, and all vacancies in the number are filled in the following manner: a second class of honorary associates is formed of 'persons eminent for the pursuit of literature;' and out of their number are the royal and endowed associates to be chosen. But the election, both of honorary and royal associates, as well as the adjudication of medals, is vested, not in the free and public suffrage, by ballot, of the general body of members, but in the council alone; and the influence of this principle is obvious. It must tend, virtually, if not wholly, in form, to throw all the patronage of the society into the hands of a petty oligarchy, which will generally be renewed of the same leading members; and thus is provided a certain machinery for the working of all the intrigues and cabals, which have ever been the reproach and the curse of such institutions.

This brief abstract of the constitution of the society, as it is detailed in the account before us, may suffice to explain the particular character and spirit which are likely to prevail in its proceedings. The quality of its present contributions, to the national learning and literature, may next demand notice. The papers which, after the introductory matter, occupy the demi-volume before us, and constitute the first published portion of the society's transactions, are sixteen in number. There is no evidence of high talent in the whole collection; nor is there even a single essay which may be remarked for ingenious argument, acute observation, or even very deep learning. In the debut of this royal and erudite body, therefore, there is assuredly nothing very brilliant or imposing, considering that it is necessarily learned and literary, by virtue of its charter; but the appearance of its transactions is, on the whole, respectable; and, with the exception of a few most unreadable papers, the driest dust of small antiquarian matter, the articles are, in general, such as would probably have been accepted by some of the magazines and scientific journals of the day.

The first paper which we shall select, for a short examination, is that on which the critical judgment of the council would appear to set the highest value, since it has been taken, by that learned committee of taste, out of the order in which it was read before the society, and placed at the head of the whole series. It is the production of Mr. Granville Penn; and is rather oddly entitled an Account of an Unknown Manuscript, of 1422: Illustrating the last Declaration of King Henry V., and vindicating its veracity