hat subject except those immediately
connected with Mary Stuart and the Chevalier."--_Life_, vol. ix. pp.
186-7.

[112] It may be remarked at this point how the value of these works has
been sustained by the public demand during the term of legal copyright
and since that date. That of _Waverley_ expired in 1856, and the others
at forty-two years from the date of publication.

On December 19, 1827, the copyright of the Novels from _Waverley_ to
_Quentin Durward_ was acquired, as mentioned in the text, for L8400 as a
joint purchase. Five years later, viz., in 1832, Mr. Cadell purchased
from Sir Walter's representatives, for about L40,000, the author's share
in stock and entire copyrights!

Nineteen years afterwards, viz., on the 26th March 1851 (after Mr.
Cadell's death), the stock and copyrights were exposed for sale by
auction in London, regarding which a Trade Journal of the date says--

"Mr. Hodgson offered for sale the whole of the copyrights of Sir Walter
Scott's works, including stereotypes, steels, woodcuts, etc., to a very
large meeting of the publishers of this country. After one or two of our
leading firms had retired from the contest, the lot was bought in for,
we believe, L15,500. This sum did not include the stock on hand, valued
at L10,000. However, the fact is that the Trustees have virtually
refused L25,000 for the stock, copyrights, etc., of Scott's works."

Messrs. A. & C. Black in 1851 purchased the property at nearly the same
price, viz.:--Copyright, L17,000; stock, L10,000--in all, L27,000. Mr.
Francis Black, who has kindly given me information regarding the sale of
these works, tells me that of the volumes of one of the cheaper issues
about three millions have been sold since 1851. This, of course, is
independent of other publishers' editions in Great Britain, the
Continent, and America.

[113] In _Henry IV._, Act v. Sc. 3.

[114] In an interesting letter to Scott from Fenimore Cooper, dated
Sept. 12th, 1827, he tells him "that the French abuse you a little, but
as they began to do this, to my certain knowledge, five months before
the book was published, you have no great reason to regard their
criticism.

It would be impossible to write the truth on such a subject and please
this nation. One frothy gentleman denounced you in my presence as having
a low, vulgar style, very much such an one as characterised the pen of
Shakespeare!"

[115] A proverb having its rise from an exclamation made