have written is not by any means in a state fit for publication; but I should be glad if some friend of mine would look over it; and if he thought that there were any extracts or detached parts of it which it might be useful to publish, either as furnishing good observations, or affording hints which might be serviceable to others who may treat on the subject, that so much of them should be printed with my name. That such a publication may be injurious to my reputation as an author or a lawyer I am quite indifferent about; if it can be any way useful, that is all I desire."

Every perusal of their father's manuscripts impressed the Editors with the belief that the publication of another portion of them, that which forms the principal part of these volumes, would, though in a different way, fulfil the spirit of his wishes, and accomplish the objects he had in view, without diminishing or impeding any benefit which might flow from a compliance with the request he had expressed. And they further felt a conviction. that, although he perhaps did not contemplate the possibility of these Memoirs being known to others than his children and their descendants, yet that, if he had believed that a more extended knowledge of them could in any way tend to the advancement of human happiness, he would, had it been possible to consult his wishes, have consented to their publication.

Strongly as the Editors felt this conviction, they distrusted their own judgment in a case where they felt personally so deep an interest, and would probably have refrained from acting upon it, if they had

not been supported by other authority; but their opinions were confirmed and enforced by those of the late Mr. Dumont, the earliest of the friends who survived their father, and who, after an attentive consideration of these papers, urged their publication in the following manner, in a letter * intended to be addressed to the friend to whom Sir Samuel Romilly had entrusted the care of his children, and who, as far as it was possible for any one to do so, has supplied to them the place of their father.

"I propose, my dear Whishaw, to set down the principal observations which have occurred to me in reading the memoirs of the friend whose virtuous intentions we wish to fulfil, and whose objects we desire to accomplish, by devoting to the public good those writings which breathe, in a peculiar manner, the spirit of patriotism and benevolence.

"The private memoirs being written only for himself and his family, and he never having thought of publishing them, it may be asked if his friends have the right to do so; that is, if they would be authorised by him thus to reveal his inmost thoughts, and to display the privacies of life, the very secrecy of which endears them to us? Should I wish it, were I in his place? and I, who knew him so well, who was thoroughly acquainted with his most intimate disposition, can I

*This letter was, in fact, never sent, but was found amongst Mr. Dumont's papers after his death. The passage in the text is a translation of that portion of it which relates to the private memoirs and the parliamentary journal; the rest of the letter refers to other manuscripts of Sir Samuel Romilly, which are not of an autobiographical

character.

believe that he would approve of their publication? I believe to answer my own question that, always true, always seeking in the public good for the sources of his actions, he would say, 'If my friends think that this publication can injure no one, and that it may be of public utility, I resign myself to their judgment, and sacrifice my own inclination.' I think also that it must have occurred to him, as to every one who writes his own life, that these recollections might be one day published either by his friends, or from some accidental cause; and this appears to me the more probable from the habitual reserve which is preserved towards the persons mentioned in them.

"There is, I think, no other work of this kind which could produce the same moral effects upon a youthful mind. On one side we see great talents, great reputation, and ample fortune; and, on the other, an obscure origin, scarcely any education, years lost,-and all these disadvantages overcome by unwearied application, and by efforts constantly directed towards the same end. It is a lesson composed entirely of facts, worth more than volumes of moral sentiments; to which none of those pretences, by which young people commonly reconcile to themselves their own nothingness, can be suggested as an answer. Nor does the example stop here. During twenty years, no one enjoyed happiness surpassing his, and this of a kind to be described by him alone who felt it. Although his natural disposition was not without a tinge of melancholy, this had ceased at the moment of his marriage, and left only that

serious turn of mind which gave weight to all his thoughts. I, who knew him from the age of twoand-twenty, could describe how vividly his flexible imagination dwelt on the pleasures derived from the beauties of nature, from literature, from the fine arts, and from the society of his friends; and how he made all these enjoyments keep their proper place in the disposal of his time. But never did I see in him any trace of those habits of despondency which produce discontent with one's self and with the world. A charm, too, is spread over the whole work, and it leaves in the mind a feeling of affection for the author; and this because he displays himself without pretension, and because the picture he draws relates only to those moral feelings, those private virtues, which every one can imitate, and to that domestic life, the happiness of which, as it is derived from the purest and most amiable feelings, creates jealousy in the breast of no one. Mere men of the world will probably disbelieve it: in their eyes it will appear a romance, but one that will not offend them; and, by the middling ranks, the most numerous class of society, these Memoirs will be read with the same feeling as that which dictated their composition.

"As to the Memoirs of his Parliamentary life, I should have still fewer doubts about them. I know that he wrote them only for his private use; but, at the same time, the only objection that he could have made to their publication is derived from their imperfect state, the consequence of the little care he was able to bestow upon them. But it appears to me that we are able to appreciate

the force of this objection. If these Memoirs present a very interesting summary; if they will be read (and as far as I can myself judge this will be the case) with very great pleasure; if they contain a parliamentary history, instructive in the highest degree with regard to the course of public affairs, to the incidents which determine their issue, to the difficulties which lie in the way of all reforms, and to the precautions necessary to ensure success; if they contain abundance of novel and striking observations on many parts of civil and penal legislation; if, as I believe, all this is true, then I think that the publication of these Memoirs, although in some respects and on certain subjects they be but mere sketches, will confer an essential benefit on the public.

"Above all, it appears to me that no one ever saw a more perfect model of all that ought to contitute a public man in the character of a member of parliament. And all this appears by a simple statement, with no pretension, no exaggeration, no display of feeling, not a word of satire, not an expression which denotes a man hurt by his want of success, but, on the contrary, representing him never discouraged, always ready to renew his defeated projects, and always entertaining the hope that reason would one day triumph.

"To me, these Memoirs appear a precious monument: and when I reflect that this laborious undertaking was the work of a man always occupied to the utmost extent, who gave up to it, as well as to all his legislative labours, that time from whence he might have derived very considerable professional