r than
the best of that time, our worst is perhaps not worse; and the novel
occupies a far higher place in general estimation than it did then.
Indeed it has been observed by the sarcastic that to some readers of
novels, and even to some writers of them, "novel" and "book" seem to be
synonymous terms, and that when such persons speak of "literature," they
mean and pretty distinctly indicate that they mean novel-writing, and
novel-writing only. This at least shows that the seed which Scott sowed,
or the plant which he grafted, has not lost its vitality.

Certainly not less, perhaps even more, distinctive of the time in
history must be that development and transformation of what is broadly
called the newspaper, of which the facts and details have occupied two
more of these chapters. It is true that at times considerably earlier
than even the earliest that here concerns us, periodical writing had
been something of a power in England as regards politics, had enlisted
eminent hands, and had even served once or twice as the means of
introduction of considerable works in _belles lettres_. But the
Addisonian Essay had been something of an accident; Swift's
participation in the _Examiner_ was another; Defoe's abundant journalism
brought him more discredit than profit or praise; and though Pulteney
and the Opposition worked the press against Walpole, the process brought
little benefit to the persons concerned. Reviewing was meagrely done and
wretchedly paid; the examples of _Robinson Crusoe_ earlier and _Sir
Launcelot Greaves_ later are exceptions which prove the rule that the
_feuilleton_ was not in demand; in fact before our present period
newspaper-writing was rather dangerous, was more than rather
disreputable, and offered exceedingly little encouragement to any one to
make it the occasion of work in pure literature, or even to employ it as
a means of livelihood, while attempting other and higher, though less
paying kinds.

The period of the French Revolution, if not the French Revolution
itself, changed all this, assisted no doubt by the natural and
inevitable effects of the spread of reading and the multiplication of
books. People wanted to see the news; papers sprang up in competition to
enable them to see the news; and the competitors strove to make
themselves more agreeable than their rivals by adding new attractions.
Again, the activity of the Jacobin party, which early and of course
directed itself to the press, nece