Page:A history of booksellers, the old and the new.djvu/434

394 394 THOMAS TEGG. 11 To the honourable the Commons of England, in Parliament assembled, the Petition of Thomas Carlyle, a Writer of Books, " Humbly sheweth, "That your petitioner has written certain books, being incited thereto by various innocent or laudable considerations, chiefly by the thought that the said books might in the end be'found to be worth something. " That your petitioner had not the happiness to receive from Mr. Tegg, or any Publisher, Re-publisher, Printer, Book-buyer, or other the like men, or body of men, any encouragement or countenance in the writing of said books, or to discern any chance of receiving such ; but wrote them by effort of his own will, and the favour of Heaven. " That all useful labour is worthy of recompense ; that all honest labour is worthy of the chance of recompense ; that the giving and assuring to each man what recompense his labour has actually merited, may be said to be the business of all Legislation, Polity, Government and social arrangement what- soever among men; a business indispensable to attempt, impossible to accomplish accurately, difficult to accomplish without inaccuracies that become enormous, insupportable, and the Parent of Social Confusion which never altogether end. " That your petitioner does not undertake to say what recompense in money this labour of his may deserve ; whether it deserves any recompense in money, or whether money in any quantity could hire him to do the like. " That this labour has found hitherto in money, or money's worth, small recompense or none ; but thinks that, if so, it will be at a distant time, when he, the