abide by the bargain when it is made than the author is; perhaps
because he has the best of it. But he has not always the best of
it; I have known publishers too generous to take advantage of the
innocence of authors; and I fancy that if publishers had to do
with any race less diffident than authors, they would have won a
repute for unselfishness that they do not now enjoy. It is
certain that in the long period when we flew the black flag of
piracy there were many among our corsairs on the high seas of
literature who paid a fair price for the stranger craft they
seized; still oftener they removed the cargo, and released their
capture with several weeks' provision; and although there was
undoubtedly a good deal of actual throat-cutting and scuttling,
still I feel sure that there was less of it than there would have
been in any other line of business released to the unrestricted
plunder of the neighbor. There was for a long time even a comity
among these amiable buccaneers, who agreed not to interfere with
each other, and so were enabled to pay over to their victims some
portion of the profit from their stolen goods. Of all business
men publishers are probably the most faithful and honorable, and
are only surpassed in virtue when men of letters turn business
men.

Publishers have their little theories, their little
superstitions, and their blind faith in the great god Chance,
which we all worship. These things lead them into temptation and
adversity, but they seem to do fairly well as business men, even
in their own behalf. They do not make above the usual
ninety-five per cent. of failures, and more publishers than
authors get rich. I have known several publishers who kept their
carriages, but I have never known even one author to keep his