assistance in my power in the way of historical illustration, and that I
concluded that you, to whom the work unquestionably belongs, would
contribute a life of the venerable Lawyer and some account of his
family. Mr. Thomson has promised to look through the Manuscript and
collate it with that of Mr. Maule, and is of opinion (as I am) that it
would be very desirable to retrench all the mere law questions which are
to be found in the printed folios. Indeed the Editors of those two
volumes had a purpose in view directly opposed to ours, for they wished
to omit historical and domestic anecdotes and give the law cases as
unmixed as possible, while it would be our object doubtless to exclude
the mere law questions in favour of the other. No doubt many of
the law cases are in themselves such singular examples of the state of
manners that it would be a pity not to retain them even although they
may be found in the printed copy because they are there mixed with so
much professional matter that general readers will not easily discover
them.

'The retrenching of the mere law will entirely advantage the general
sale of the work besides greatly reducing the expense, and in either
point of view it will make it a speculation more like to be
advantageous. I think Constable will be disposed to incur the expense of
publishing at his own risque, allowing you one half of the free profits
which the established mode of accounting amongst authors and booksellers
circumcises so closely that the sum netted by the author seldom exceeds
a 3'd or thereabout. But then you have no risque, and that is a great
matter. My experience does not encourage me to bid you expect much
profit upon an undertaking of this nature, in fact on any that I have
myself tried I have been always rather a loser; but still there may be
some, and I am sure the descendant of Lord Fountainhall is best entitled
to such should it arise on his ancestor's work. I think you had better