218 



TABLE-TALK AM) VARIETIES. 



Coleridge was eminently simple in 

 his manner. Thinking and speak- 

 ing were his delight ; and he would 

 sometimes seem, during the most 

 fervid moments of discourse, to be 

 abstracted from all, and everything 

 around and about him, and to be 

 basking in the sunny warmth oi 

 his own radiant imagination." 



THE TERM "WE." 



The plural style of speaking 

 ( :c we v ) among kings was begun by 

 King John of England, A.D. 1119. 

 Before that time sovereigns xised 

 the singular person in their edicts. 

 The German and the French sove- 

 reigns followed the example oi 

 King John in 1200. When editors 

 began to say " we " is not known. 



KNOCKING OUT AN I. 



Mr. Curran, the late celebrated 

 Irish advocate, was walking one 

 day with a friend, who was ex- 

 tremely punctilious in his conver- 

 sation. Hearing a person near him 

 say curosity, for curiosity, he ex- 

 claimed, " How that man murders 

 the English language ! " " Not so 

 bad," replied Curran, " Le has only 

 knocked an i out ! " 



PROFITS OF RECENT AUTHORSHIP. 



The late Mr. Tegg, the publisher 

 in Cheapside, gave the following 

 list of remunerative payments to 

 distinguished authors in his time ; 

 and he is believed to have taken 

 considerable pains to verify the 

 items : Fragments of History, by 

 Charles Fox, sold by Lord Holland, 

 for 5000 guineas. Fragments of 

 History, by Sir James Mackintosh, 

 .500. Lingard's History of ^Eng- 

 land, 4683. Sir Walter Scott's 

 Bonaparte was sold, with the 

 printed books, for 18,000; the 

 net receipts of copyright on the 

 first two editions only must have 

 been 10,000. Life of Wilberforce, 

 by his sons, 4000 guineas. Life of 

 Byron, by Moore, 4000. Lite of 



Sheridan, by Moore, 2000. Life 

 of Hannah More, 2000. Life of 

 Cowper, by Southey, 1000. Life 

 and Times of George IV., by Lady 

 C. Bury, 1000. Byron's Works, 

 20,000. Lord of the Isles, half 

 share, 1500. Lalla Eookh, by 

 Moore, 3000. Eejected Addresses, 

 by Smith, 1000. Crabbe's Works, 

 republication of, by Mr. Murray, 

 3000. Wordsworth's Works, re- 

 publication of, .by Mr. Moxon, 

 1050. Bulwer's Eienzi, 1600. 

 Marryat's Novels, 500 to 1500 

 each. Trollope's Factory Boy, 1800. 

 Hannah More derived 30,000 per 

 annum for her copyrights, during 

 the latter years of her life. Hun- 

 dell's Domestic Cookery, 2000. 

 Nicholas Nickleby, 3000. Eus- 

 tace's Classical Tour, 2100. Sir 

 Robert Inglis obtained for the 

 beautiful and interesting widow of 

 Bishop Heber, by the sale of his 

 Journal, 5000. 



JAMES BOSWELL. 



The moment Johnson's voice 

 burst forth, the attention which it 

 excited in Mr. Boswell amounted 

 almost to pain. His eyes gdggled 

 with eagerness ; he leaned his ear 

 almost on the shoulder of the doc- 

 tor, and his mouth dropped open 

 to catch every syllable that might 

 be uttered; nay, he seemed not 

 only to dread losing a word, but 

 to be anxious not to miss a breath- 

 ing, as if hoping from it latently, 

 or mystically, some information. 



On one, occasion, the doctor de- 

 tected Boswell, or Bozzy, as he 

 called him, eavesdropping behind 

 his chair, as he was conversing 

 with Miss Burney at Mr. Thrale's 

 table. "What are you doing there, 

 sir?" cried he, turning round an- 

 grily, and clapping his hand upon 

 his knee. " Go to the table, sir !" 



Boswell obeyed with an air of af- 

 fright and submission, which raised 

 a smile on every face. Scarce had 

 tie taken his seat, however, at a 



