LETTERS. TO HIS BROTHER NEVILLE. Nottingham, September, 1799. IN DEAR BROTHER, consequence of your repeated solicitations, I now sit down to write to you, although I never received an answer to the last letter which I wrote, nearly six months ago; but, as I never heard you mention it in any of my mother's letters, I am induced to think it has miscarried, or been mislaid in your office. It is now nearly four months since I entered into Mr Coldham's office; and it is with pleasure I can assure you, that I never yet found any thing disagreeable, but, on the contrary, every thing I do seems a pleasure to me, and for a very obvious reason,-it is a business which I like— a business which I chose before all others; and I have two good-tempered, easy masters, but who will, nevertheless, see that their business is done in a neat and proper manner. The study of the law is well known to be a dry difficult task, and requires a comprehensive, good understanding; and I hope you will allow me (without charging me with egotism) to have a tolerable one; and I trust with perseverance, and a very large law library to refer to, I shall be able to accomplish the study of so much of the laws of England, and our system f jurisprudence, in less than five years, as to enable me to be a country attorney; and then, as I shall have two more years to serve, I hope I shall attain so much knowledge in all parts of the law, as to enable me, with a little study at the inns of court, to hold an argument on the nice points in the law with the best attorney in the kingdom. A man that understands the law is sure to have business; and in case I have no thoughts, in case, that is, that I do not aspire to hold the honourable place of a barrister, I shall feel sure of gaining a genteel livelihood at the business to which I am articled. I attend at the office at eight in the morning, and leave at eight in the evening; then attend my Latin until nine, which, you may be sure, is pretty close confine ment. Mr Coldham is clerk to the commercial commissioners, which has occasioned us a deal of extraordinary work. I worked all Sunday, and until twelve o'clock on Saturday night, when they were hurried to give in the certificates to the bank. We had also a very troublesome cause last assizes. The Corporation versus Gee, which we (the attornies for the corporation) lost. It was really a very fatiguing day, (I mean the day on which it was tried.) I never got any thing to eat, from five in the afternoon the preceding day, until twelve the next aight, when the trial ended. TO HIS BROTHER NEVILLE. DEAR BROTHER, Nottingham, 26th June, 1800. My mother has allowed me a good deal lately for books, and I have a large assortment, (a retailer's phrase.) But I hope you do not suppose they consist of novels ;no-I have made a firm resolution never to spend above one hour at this amusement. Though I have been obliged to enter into this resolution in consequence of a vitiated taste acquired by reading romances, I do not intend to banish them entirely from my desk. After long and fatiguing researches in Blackstone or Coke, when the mind becomes weak, through intense application, Tom Jones or Robinson Crusoe will afford a pleasing and necessary relaxation. A-propos-now we are speaking of Robinson Crusoe, I shall observe, that it is allowed to be the best novel for youth in the English language. De Foe, the author, VOL. 1. |