;ET. 24.] THE ' EDINBURGH REVIEW/ 261 



responsibility, the want of which is often complained 

 of in periodical publication. The work was really in 

 one important respect unlike former Eeviews ; it con- 

 tained what these only very rarely had, dissertations 

 on the subject, as well as accounts of and criticisms 

 upon the works reviewed; and this, doubtless, was 

 carried so far as to interfere with the main object of 

 a periodical article. I remember Sackville, Lord 

 Thanet, saying he waited to see the quarterly pam- 

 phlets before he made up his mind on such and such 

 a matter ; for the rival journal pursued the same 

 plan. But this contributed largely to turn men's 

 thoughts towards engaging in written discussion. 

 That most of the writers to whom payment was little 

 or no inducement, thus became authors, there can be 

 no doubt. Horner often said that his dissertation 

 would in all probability have been in his portfolio 

 had the Eeview not existed ; but this was one of 

 the instances in which, as Denman observed, our 

 good friend, being wholly incapable of deceiving 

 others, now and then deceived himself; for there 

 were no such writings found among his papers ; just 

 as Hallam charged him with being the author of a 

 self-denying ordinance, as he called it, that no man at 

 the bar should ever take office, and soon after our 

 friend himself did so contrary to the advice of his 

 oldest friends. He afterwards, on giving up his office, 

 described it as the cause of his having no success at 

 the bar an exaggerated view, undoubtedly; but cer- 

 tainly he had much less success than his talents and 



