274 A VAIN" WISH, AND PERHAPS HOPE! 



deed it would have been, and how useful, had 

 Southey's library been purchased by the Go- 

 vernment and presented to the town. A few 

 thousands would have accomplished it: the 

 dispersion of his books would have been pre- 

 vented; the collection, next to his writings, 

 would have been his best monument, and his 

 children would have doubly profited by it. 



PISCATOR. Perhaps the time may come when 

 such acts will be witnessed : happy times they 

 will be ; but, I fear they are far distant. Let 

 us drop so chimerical a subject. The hour is 

 near that the coach passes through by which we 

 are to return, so we must hasten to the inn to 

 be in readiness. There is another fishing ex- 

 cursion that I contemplate, and which I am 

 sure you will like, and which will require our 

 return here, when I trust we shall have more 

 leisure and be able to see more of the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood and of the things worthy 

 of being seen both in the town and country. 



