ars with the family,
who, still retaining him in their service, had long since learned to
regard and value him as a friend. The poet laureate encouraged him,
therefore, to transmit more of his verses, and the result is the volume
before us--not more than a third of which, however, is occupied with the
'Attempts' of the good old butler of Kirby Hall, the rest being given to
a chapter of our literary history from his editor's own pen, which, we
venture to say, will be not less generally attractive than the "Life of
John Bunyan," reviewed in our last Number.

"There were many," says Mr. Southey, "I thought, who would be pleased at
seeing how much intellectual enjoyment had been attained in humble life,
and in very unfavourable circumstances; and that this exercise of the
mind, instead of rendering the individual discontented with his station,
had conduced greatly to his happiness; and if it had not made him a good
man, had contributed to keep him so. This pleasure should in itself,
methought, be sufficient to content those subscribers who might kindly
patronize a little volume of his verses."

John Jones's own account of the circumstances under which his "Attempts"
have been produced, cannot fail to impress every mind with the moral
lesson thus briefly pointed to by the editor. After a simple chronicle
of his earlier life, he thus concludes:--

"I entered into the family which I am now serving in January, 1804, and
have continued in it, first with the father, and then with the son, only
during an interval of eighteen months, up to the present hour, and
during which period most of my trifles have been composed, and some of
my former attempts brought (perhaps) a little nearer perfection: but I
have seldom sat down to study any thing; for in many instances when I
have done so, a ring at the bell, or a knock at the door, or something
or other, would disturb me; and not wishing to be seen, I frequently
used to either crumple my paper up in my pocket, or take the trouble to
lock it up, and before I could arrange it again, I was often, sir, again
disturbed. From this, sir, I got into the habit of trusting entirely to
my memory, and most of my little pieces have been completed and borne in
mind for weeks before I have committed them to paper. From this I am led
to believe that there are but few situations in life in which attempts
of the kind may not be made under less discouraging circumstances.
Having a wife and three children