214 Metnoir of William Roscoe, Esq. 



latter years of his life ; and to the zeal with which he devoted him- 

 self to plead the cause of the outcasts of society, we have to ascribe 

 the first serious shock to his general health, as I shall by and 

 by have occasion to notice ; but he had the happiness to find, 

 after much angry discussion in the newspapers of the western 

 world, tliat his arguments against solitary confinement, which he 

 stigmatized as the utmost refinement of cruelty, and utterly in- 

 effectual as a punishment, were not lost on the Americans. The 

 infirm state of Mr Roscoe's health at that time brought me much 

 into contact with my venerable friend ; and when he learnt from 

 various quarters that the change which was taking place in the 

 prison discipline of America was in no small degree attributed to 

 his expostulations, I heard him repeatedly declare, " that no 

 literary distinction had ever afforded him half the gratification 

 he received from the reflection on the part he had taken on this 

 great question ; and he expressed his satisfaction that he now 

 might be permitted to think that he had not lived altogether in 

 vain.^ 



I have, in noticing the conclusion of this controversy, anti- 

 cipated some events of his life to which we must now return. 



When released from the harassing cares of business, the 

 mind of Mr Roscoe, with the elasticity and application of youth, 

 diligently entered on various literary projects. Since the first 

 appearance of the Life of Lorenzo, he had obtained from Italy, 

 and elsewhere, various documents illustrative of that work. 

 These he prepared for publication, together with some strictures 

 on the manner in which the character and biography of Lo- 

 renzo had been treated by Sismondi and some other writers. 

 This work appeared in an 8vo. volume in 1822, under the title 

 of " Illustrations of the Life of Lorenzo de"" MedicV The 

 strong terms in which Sismondi accused Mr Roscoe of par- 

 tiality to the Medici Family, and of palliating their crimes, drew 

 forth an able and indignant answer ; yet, it is pleasing to reflect, 

 that when Sismondi, a few years afterwards, visited England, 

 Mr Roscoe formed with him a personal acquaintance in no way 

 affected by their literary controversy. 



About the same period, Mr Roscoe published an amusing 

 " Memoir of Richard Roberts,"" a self-taught linguist, well 



