The story of his early life and struggles is not exceeded in interest, perhaps, by that of anybody except that of Henri Murger or that of Honoré de Balzac. The _hard_ life he once led has left his features somewhat _hard_, but it has not soured his disposition. There is nothing of the cynic in him. He is still careless of everything but his art, generous to a fault not only with his money, but with his lavish praises of the work of those who aspire to be his rivals. High and low, everybody speaks of him as "dear old Phil," and the applause, even of princes, has not made him a snob. His talents and his temptations would have made many a boy of more severe training a pickpocket, burglar, or a gaol bird, as François Villon was. It made Phil May an artist, and his story is one to be remembered as an encouragement instead of a warning. Of the one hundred and twenty drawings collected in this volume, there is little to say, for they speak for themselves. For some of them, I am indebted to Mr. Louis Meyer of 13a Pall Mall, who has enabled me to complete the series of drawings done at a time when Phil May was, as I have described him above, a poor, struggling artist. Youth and enthusiasm, made these drawings bolder than most of his later work, and the lack of pence, when every line meant pennies, made them more elaborately finished than those which of late he has made us accustomed to. But though everyone is satisfied with his present work, I can only trust that the artistic majority will think with me that he has never done better than these drawings which are here collected. That at least is why I have published them. AUGUSTUS M. MOORE --------------------------------------- [Illustration: THE LEGITIMATE "'Ow's business, Jacko?" "Damned bad. What can you expect with this bloomin' opposition!"] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: A QUESTION OF HOSE] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: FALLEN GREATNESS NATIVE: "Well, yer see, mum, I was once in a very 'igh persition, my missus used to do all the washin' for the Royal Hotel."] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: "NOT GOLDEN, BUT GILDED"] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: NEW VERSION THE TEMPTATION OF ANTHONY] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: ON THE BRAIN MRS. MARTHA RICKS--"AUNT MARTHA"] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: FATE! "Owth's Ikey?" "Vy, Ikeyth's dead." "You don't thay so. Vy I thor him goin' ter the thinagogue lathst week." "Vell, ith's all along of that thinagogue that Ikeyth's dead. They was a-justh coming out, ven someone outside shouted out, 'Sale goin' ter commenth,' and Ikey was killed in the crush!"] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: ON THE BRAIN H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: THE NOBLE ART] --------------------------------------- [Illustration: ON THE BRAIN