consumption that he could breathe only through a silver tube, he was
obliged to be propped up with pillows, and, with shaking hand and dizzy
head, force himself to the task of amusing his readers, that he might
thereby obtain bread for his unhappy wife and children. With all his
reputation, Moore found it difficult to support his family, and all the
comfort of his declining years was due to the charity of his friend, Lord
Lansdowne. In one of his letters from Germany, Campbell expresses himself
transported with joy at hearing that a double edition of his poems had
just been published in London. "This unexpected fifty pounds," says he,
"saves me from jail." Haynes Bayley died in extreme poverty. Similar
statements are furnished us in relation to numerous others who have, by
the use of their pens, largely contributed to the enjoyment and
instruction of the people of Great Britain. It would, indeed, be difficult
to find very many cases in which it had been otherwise with persons
exclusively dependent on the produce of literary labor. With few and
brilliant exceptions, their condition appears to have been, and to be, one
of almost hopeless poverty. Scarcely any thing short of this, indeed,
would induce the acceptance of the public charity that is occasionally
doled out in the form of pensions on the literary fund.

This is certainly an extraordinary state of things, and one that makes to
our charitable feelings an appeal that is almost irresistible.
Nevertheless, before giving way to such feelings, it would be proper to
examine into the real cause of all this poverty, with a view to satisfy
ourselves if real charity would carry us in the direction now proposed.
The skilful physician always studies the cause of disease before he
determines on the remedy, and this course is quite as necessary in
prescribing for moral as for physical disorder. Failing to do this, we
might increase instead of diminishing the evil, and might find at last
that we had been taxing ourselves in vain.