of the expenditure on condition of the work being allowed to come forth in his name, preferring to submit to poverty rather than to share with any one the glory of so great an enterprise. Our own countryman, the most learned Dr. EDMUND CASTELL, expended his whole fortune, amounting to twelve thousand pounds, on his Lexicon Heptaglotton,' which appeared in 1669, as a companion to Bishop Walton's Polyglot Bible;' and he, besides, lost his sight in preparing the work, to which he is said to have devoted eighteen hours a day for seventeen years.

·

MILES DAVIES, a writer on antiquities in the earlier part of last century, and some of whose works show considerable learning, is said to have hawked his productions himself from door to door. A work, entitled Essays on the most important Subjects of Natural and Revealed Religion,' which appeared at Edinburgh in 1772, was both composed and printed by the late Mr. JAMES TYTLER, while he resided in the Sanctuary of Holyrood House, without ever having been written, the sentences being merely formed in the first instance in the mind of the author, and then directly put in types. This reminds us of what Franklin tells us of Keimer, the first master with whom he served at Philadelphia, whom he found, on being introduced to him, employed in printing an Elegy on a young poet of the place, who had recently died. " Keimer," says he, “made verses too, but very indifferently. He could not be said to write them, for his method was to compose them in the types directly out of his head; there being no copy, but one pair of cases, and the elegy probably requiring all the letter, no one could help him.”

But perhaps the most extraordinary instance of literary industry and perseverance on record is afforded us in the history of a work entitled 'A System of Divinity,' by the Reverend WILLIAM DAVY,

A. B., a clergyman of the church of England. Mr. Davy was born in 1743, near Chudleigh in Devonshire, where his father resided on a small farm, his own freehold. From a very early age he gave proofs of a mechanical genius, and when only eight years old, he cut out with a knife and put together the parts of a small mill, after the model of one that was then building in the neighbourhood, the progress made in constructing which he used to observe narrowly every day, while he proceeded with equal regularity in the completion of his own little work. When the large mill was finished, it was found not to work exactly as it ought to have done, and the defect at first eluded the detection even of the builder. It is said that while they were endeavouring to ascertain what was wrong, the young self-taught architect made his appearance, and, observing that his mill went perfectly well, pointed out, after an examination of a few minutes, both the defect and the remedy.

Being intended for the Church, he was placed at the Exeter Grammar School; and here he distinguished himself by his proficiency in classical learning, while he still retained his early attachment to mechanical pursuits, and exercised his talents in the construction of several curious and ingenious articles. At the age of eighteen, he entered at Oxford, where he took the degree of A. B. at the usual time. It was during his residence at the University that he conceived the idea of compiling a system of divinity, to consist of selections from the best writers, and began to collect, in a common-place book, such passages as he thought would suit his purpose.

On leaving college, he was ordained to the curacy of Moreton, in the diocese of Exeter, and not long after he removed to the adjoining curacy of Lustleigh, with a salary of 40l. a-year. In the year 1786, he published, by subscription, six volumes of ser

mons, by way of introduction to his intended work; but this proved an unfortunate speculation, many of the subscribers forgetting to pay for their copies, and he remained in consequence indebted to his printer above a hundred pounds. This bad success, however, did not discourage him : he pursued his literary researches and completed the work. But when his manuscript was finished, he found that, from its extent, it would cost two thousand pounds to get it printed. In these circumstances, he again contemplated publication by subscription, and issued his proposals accordingly; but the names he collected were too few to induce any bookseller to risk the expense of an impression of the work. Determined

not to be defrauded of the honours of authorship, Mr. Davy now resolved to become a printer himself. So, having constructed his own press, and purchased from a printer, at Exeter, a quantity of worn and cast-off types, he commenced operations, having no one to assist him except his female servant, and having of course to perform alternately the offices of compositor and pressman. Yet in this manner did the ingenious and persevering man, sustained by the anticipation of the literary fame awaiting him, proceed until he had printed off forty copies of the first three hundred pages, his press only permitting him to do a single page at a time. Confident that he had now produced so ample a specimen of the work as would be certain to secure for it the general patronage of the learned, he here suspended his labours for a while; and having forwarded copies to the Royal Society, the universities, certain of the bishops, and the editors of the principal reviews, waited with eager expectation for the notice and assistance which he conceived himself sure of receiving from some of these quarters. He waited, however, in vain; the looked-for encouragement came not. Still, although thus a second time disap

pointed, he was not to be driven from his purpose, but returned with unabated courage to his neglected labours. He no doubt thought that posterity would repair the injustice of his contemporaries. In one respect, however, he determined to alter his plan. His presents to the bishops, critics, and learned bodies, had cost him twenty-six of his forty copies; and for the completion of these, so thanklessly received, he naturally enough resolved that he would give himself no farther trouble, but limit the impression of the remainder of the work, so as merely to complete the fourteen copies which he had reserved, in this way saving both his labour and his paper. And he had at last, after thirteen years of unremitting toil, the gratification of bringing his extraordinary undertaking to a conclusion. The book, when finished, the reader will be astonished to learn, extended to no fewer than twenty-six volumes 8vo., of nearly 500 pages each! In a like spirit of independence he next bound all the fourteen copies with his own hands; after which he proceeded in person to London, and deposited one in each of the principal public libraries there. We may smile at so preposterous a dedication of the labours of a life-time as this; but, at least, the power of extraordinary perseverance was not wanting here, nor the capability of being excited to arduous exertion, and long sustained under it, by those motives that act most strongly upon the noblest natures-the consciousness of honourable pursuit, and a trust in the verdict of posterity. It is true this temper of mind might have been more wisely exercised; and the patience, ingenuity, and toil which were expended upon a performance of no great use in itself, bestowed upon something better fitted to benefit both the zealous labourer and his fellow-men. Yet this consideration does not entitle us to refuse our admiration to so

rare an example of the unwearied and inflexible prosecution of an object, in the absence of all those vulgar encouragements which are generally believed and felt to be so indispensable.*

There is nothing more depressing to the spirit than protracted exile or imprisonment; yet we have many instances of the successful pursuit of literary labours under these heavy inflictions. The case of OVID

*There is a short notice of Mr. Davy in the 'Quarterly Review,' vol. VIII. and another containing some additional particulars in Gorton's 'Biographical Dictionary;' but the account that has been here given is principally from the communication of a valued correspondent, to whom the reverend gentleman was known. "A few years after the completion of his work," continues our authority, "I became acquainted with him. Though advanced in years, and much disappointed at the neglect he conceived he had experienced, he still hoped that a time would come when his labours would be noticed. His genius was decidedly mechanical, and his industry great. He had formed a curious garden among the rocks close to his house, and his health and strength were unabated. He shewed me the only copy of his work in his possession. It was a curious one, being interspersed with manuscript remarks. The printing was not elegant, but fair and legible. He still entertained hopes that the whole would be reprinted, as well as an index which he had completed to it in two volumes. In the year 1823 he recommenced his printing, and worked off a new volume of sermons; and in 1825, he published at Exeter, an abridgment of his system of divinity in two volumes, being then in his eighty-second year. (These volumes, however, the first of which contains a print of the author, were not, we believe printed by himself.) In the following year he was presented by the Bishop of Exeter to the vicarge of Winckleigh, Devon. He was exceedingly gratified by this circumstance, and, contrary to the wishes of his friends, he removed to his living. The exertion was too much for him, and he died on the 13th of June, 1826, in his eighty-third year, and is buried at Winckleigh, having possessed his living only a few months. Having acquired some property during the latter part of his life, he founded a school for the poor at Lustleigh, and endowed it with a meadow, worth about three hundred pounds. He likewise subscribed towards building a school-room, and gave some handsome communion plate to the Church."