shed of anything
like the power or promise of this."

Lockhart's suggestion was submitted to Mr. Taylor, who gratefully
acknowledged his criticism, and amended his play.

Mr. Taylor made a very unusual request. He proposed to divide the loss
on his drama with the publisher! He wrote to Mr. Murray:

"I have been pretty well convinced, for some time past, that my book
will never sell, and, under these circumstances, I cannot think it
proper that you should be the sole sufferer. Whenever, therefore, you
are of opinion that the book has had a fair trial, I beg you to
understand that I shall be ready to divide the loss equally with you,
that being, I conceive, the just arrangement in the case."

Though Mr. Lockhart gave an interesting review of "Isaac Comnenus" in
the _Quarterly_, it still hung fire, and did not sell. A few years
later, however, Henry Taylor showed what he could do, as a poet, by his
"Philip van Artevelde," which raised his reputation to the highest
point. Moore, after the publication of this drama, wrote in his "Diary":
"I breakfasted in the morning at Rogers's, to meet the new poet, Mr.
Taylor, author of 'Philip van Artevelde': our company, besides, being
Sydney Smith and Southey. 'Van Artevelde' is a tall, handsome young
fellow. Conversation chiefly about the profits booksellers make of us
scribblers. I remember Peter Pindar saying, one of the few times I ever
met him, that the booksellers drank their wine in the manner of the
heroes in the hall of Odin, out of authors' skulls." This was a sharp
saying; but Rogers, if he had chosen to relate his own experiences when
he negotiated with Mr. Murray about the sale of Crabbe's works, and the
result of that negotiation, might have proved that the rule was not of
universal application.

"The Family Library" has already been mentioned. Mr. Murray had long
contemplated a serial publication, by means of which good literature and
copyright works might be rendered cheaper and accessible to a wider
circle of readers than they had hitherto been.

The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge was established in
1828, with Henry Brougham as Chairman. Mr. Murray subscribed L10 to this
society, and agreed to publish their "Library of Entertaining
Knowledge." Shortly afterwards, however, he withdrew from this
undertaking, which was transferred to Mr. Knight, and reverted to his
own proposed publication of cheap works.

The first volume of "The Family Library" ap