20 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 



public distinction, giving his views of the opinions 

 associated with their names. This collection he 

 cherished as the treasure of his mental history. 

 Sometimes when leaving home he used to warn his 

 family that if the house took fire in his absence, next 

 to saving themselves they should save these writings. 

 Composition coming so readily to him, and friends 

 often hinting the propriety of the step, he betook 

 himself, after the period of middle life, to prepare an 

 autobiography, a species of personsal narrative always 

 interesting, no matter what may have been the 

 limited sphere of existence of the writer. The work 

 in his hands grew from less to great, so that some 

 years before his death it amounted to the contents 

 of two goodly volumes. 



It contains much racy description of local occur- 

 rences and manifestations of village character, be- 

 ginning with life at Langnewton, and following on 

 in narration of the fate, fortunes, and families of his 

 acquaintance. The publication of the work will, we 

 trust, be not long deferred ; . and we venture to de- 

 scribe it such as will form a genuine accession to 

 autobiographic literature. 



Shoemaking was but a poor trade to a man strug- 

 gling with a family, and pulled at by needy friends ; 

 and it was to be regretted that so much literary 



