“_I am quite certain that nothing of mine ever appeared in ‘The Morning Post,’ except a very, very few sonnets upon political subjects, and one poem called ‘The Farmer of Tilsbury Vale,’ but whether this appeared in ‘The Morning Post’ or ‘The Courier,’ I do not remember._” [The poem cited did appear in _The Morning Post_ on July 21st, 1800.] ===================================================== THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT. ===================================================== RYDAL MOUNT, _April 18th, 1838_. MY DEAR SIR, A strong opposition, which has manifested itself by public meetings and petitions to the House of Commons, having started up among printers, publishers, and others to your Bill for amending the law of copyrights, and no other like counter-movement being made by authors on their part, it has been suggested to me, from quarters entitled to great respect, that it might be of service if, along with a most distinguished literary friend, I should present a petition to Parliament, praying that the Bill may pass, or at least one in favour of its principle. This compliment has no doubt been paid me as one among the oldest of living writers, and one therefore whose heirs must, in course of nature, be injured sooner than those of younger men, if the proposed measure be rejected. You will not be surprised if I feel some scruple in taking a step, though so well recommended, on account of an aversion to appear prominently in any public question, and because I am loth to think so unfavourably of Parliament as to deem that it requires petitions from authors as a ground for granting them a privilege, the justice of which is so obvious. I cannot bring myself to suppose that the mere shadows of argument advanced by printers and publishers against the claims of a class to whom they owe the respectability of their condition, if not their very existence, should avail with any intelligent and disinterested assembly. Yet further am I averse thus to petition Parliament, because I would not ask as an individual suppliant, or with a single associate, what in equity I consider to be the _right_ of a class, and for a much longer period than that defined in your Bill—for ever. Such right, as you have stated in your admirable speech, was acknowledged by the common law of England; and let them who have cried out so loudly against the extension of the term as is now proposed show cause why that original right should not be restored. The onus clearly rests with them to do so; but they have not attempted it, and are glad to take shelter under the statute law as it now stands, which is a composition or compromise between two opinions; the extreme point of one being, that, by giving his thoughts to the world, an author abandons all right to consider the vehicle as private property;