"The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance." London: Printed for COX & SON, St. Thomas's Street, Sold also by SIMPKIN & Co. Stationers' Court; SEELEY, Fleet PREFACE. IF any apology be deemed necessary for obtruding this little work on public notice, the only one the Compiler has to offer is simply this: It had long been the wish of many who knew Mr. Morris to possess an account of his early life; their requests, however, were unavailing till he was nearly in a dying state, when he dictated at intervals, and a friend wrote. It would have been very inconvenient to have so many copies as were needed written. At the joint request, therefore, of Mr. Morris and his friends, the writer of this undertook to prepare it for the press, after it had been declined by one who knew and respected Mr. M., but whose time and talents were almost incessantly occupied by an institution which is the glory of our land. It was thought proper to continue the Memoirs to Mr. M's. death; and by the desire of many the Appendix is added. With regard to the plan, the compiler conceived that some advantages might attend throwing the Memoirs into the form of letters, as it afforded suitable pauses to the Narrative, and gave opportunity for some reflections which may be of service to the younger part of his readers: besides, as the writer is not accustomed to appear in this capacity before the public, he felt himself more at home in the epistolary style. As the work is not of a nature to make any pretensions to literary excellence, and scarcely a proper subject of criticism, he does not feel much alarmed at venturing it into the world; especially as he has no expectations that it will extend much beyond the circle of Mr. Morris's acquaintances, for whose sake principally it was drawn up; and he is confident that, whatever be its deficiencies, it will be favourably received by them. It may be proper to remark, that the circumstance alluded to in the first letter is not feigned. |