It has sometimes been said that this disappointment determined Thackeray to give up painting, and devote himself to literature; but there seems little or no foundation for the statement, though he playfully hints at it in the passage just quoted. He had, for some time before this, been a regular contributor to "Fraser's Magazine;" for in Maclise's picture of the Fraser contributors, prefixed to the magazine for January 1835, Thackeray may be distinguished in the group which, besides the editor and publisher, includes Southey, Coleridge, the Ettrick Shepherd, Lockhart, Carlyle, and about twenty others. At the same time, it may be admitted that, if Thackeray had had his choice, he would rather have been famous as an artist than as a writer. In the same year which witnessed his offer to illustrate Pickwick, he joined his stepfather, Major Henry Carmichael Smyth, in starting a daily newspaper, under the title of the Constitutional and Public Ledger. The first number was issued on the 15th of September, and the last appeared on the 1st of July in the following year. The result of this unfortunate speculation was, that Thackeray lost nearly the whole of his fortune.

It was shortly after the failure of the Constitutional that Mr. Thackeray married, and he was now obliged to depend upon literature for a subsistence. Accordingly, we find that during the next ten years his pen was very busy. He is said to have written for the "Times," contributing among other papers an article on Fielding. It was in "Fraser," however, that his characteristic articles appeared, and under the nom de plume of Michael Angelo Titmarsh, he wrote the celebrated Yellowplush Papers, which combined shrewd observation with keen irony and humour. In the summer of 1840, he collected some of his papers from "Fraser" and other periodicals, and published them under the title of The Paris Sketch Book; and in the year following appeared Comic Tales and Sketches, edited and illustrated by Mr. Michael Angelo Titmarsh. In this same year "Punch" was established, and, from an early date, Thackeray was one of its

chief contributors. His first papers bore the signature of the "Fat Contributor," and these were followed by Jeames's Diary and the Snob Papers, which added not only to his own reputation, but to that of the periodical in which they appeared.

About the year 1846, Thackeray had written a few chapters entitled "Pencil Sketches of English Society," which formed the commencement of a story the length of which he had not determined. The sketches were offered to the publisher of the "New Monthly Magazine," but, after some consideration, were declined as unsuitable. It now occurred to the author to follow the example which Dickens had pursued with such success, and publish his story in monthly parts. The work grew up by degrees, he changed the title to Vanity Fair, and the first number appeared in a yellow wrapper, to distinguish it from Dickens' "two green leaves," on the first of Feb. 1847. When the earlier numbers of this story appeared, Thackeray's name was scarcely known to the general public, but before the story was finished, his name was associated with that of Dickens, and he was looked upon as a powerful rival.

Vanity Fair, which Thackeray always seems to have considered his best novel, was followed in 1849 by the History of Pendennis, which also came out in monthly parts, with illustrations by the author. In the meantime, Thackeray had found time to write several Christmas books, and one of these-The Kickleburys on the Rhine,published in Dec. 1850, involved him in a quarrel with the "Times." The book was reviewed in pompous language, and spoken of as "the rinsings of a void brain after the more important concoctions of the expired year;" and it was asserted that such books as this were only written by the author in order to meet his Christmas bills. This drew from Thackeray a stinging reply under the title of an "Essay on Thunder and Small Beer," prefixed to a second edition of the little book published a few days later. It is said that the "Times" never quite forgave this reply. The next important work written by Thackeray

was the History of Henry Esmond, Esq., written by himself. It did not come out in parts, but was published in 1852, in three volumes. Though not equal, as a work of fiction, to some of his other stories, it is in many respects more interesting. The scene is laid in the time of Queen Anne, and the work contains a complete picture of the manners of that period, as well as of the conspicuous men who then flourished.

In preparing materials for Esmond, Thackeray had to make the reign of Queen Anne, and the literature of that period, the subject of careful study; and it was doubtless these researches that suggested his lectures on the English Humorists of the Eighteenth Century. The lectures were delivered in London, before a brilliant audience in the summer of 1851. They were soon afterwards repeated in the provinces and in Edinburgh. Being invited to deliver the lectures in America, Thackeray crossed the Atlantic in 1852, and everywhere met with a most cordial welcome. The American public were a little sore at the remarks which Dicken's had made about them after his visit a few years before: Thackeray, however, promised that he would not write a book about them when he returned home, and he kept his word.

In 1855, The Newcomes came out in a serial form. This story is a continuation of Pendennis, though complete in itself, and by many is considered the best of Thackeray's novels. In the following year he paid a second visit to the United States, in order to deliver his course of lectures on the Four Georges. The journey was as successful and as profitable as the previous one. In 1857, he was invited to contest the city of Oxford, in opposition to Mr. (now Lord) Cardwell. His opinions were those of advanced Liberalism, and after a gallant contest fairly fought, he was defeated.

The year 1858 was marked by an unfortunate occurrence, which cooled for a time the warm friendship which had hitherto existed between Thackeray and Dickens. On the 12th of June of that year, appeared an article in a periodical called "Town Talk," which professed to give

an account of Mr. Thackeray-his appearance, career, and The following extract will show the nature of

success.

the paper:

"Mr. Thackeray is forty-six years old, though, from the silvery whiteness of his hair, he appears somewhat older. He is very tall, standing upwards of six feet two inches; and as he walks erect, his height makes him conspicuous in every assembly. His face is bloodless, and not particularly expressive, but remarkable for the fracture of the bridge of the nose, the result of an accident in youth. He wears a small grey whisker, but otherwise is clean shaven. No one meeting him could fail to recognise in him a gentleman: his bearing is cold and uninviting, his style of conversation either openly cynical or affectedly goodnatured and benevolent; his bonhommie is forced, his wit biting, his pride easily touched, but his appearance is invariably that of the cool, suave, well-bred gentleman, who, whatever may be rankling within, suffers no surface display of his emotion. His success, commencing with 'Vanity Fair,' culminated with his 'Lectures on the English Humorists of the Eighteenth Century,' which were attended by all the Court and fashion of London. The prices were extravagant, the lecturer's adulation of birth and position was extravagant, the success was extravagant. No one succeeds better than Mr. Thackeray in cutting his coat according to his cloth: here he flattered the aristocracy, but when he crossed the Atlantic, George Washington became the idol of his worship, the Four Georges' the object of his bitterest attacks."

When we remember that these remarks were written by a man much younger than Thackeray, and who belonged to the same club, one cannot wonder at their being considered offensive and unfriendly. Thackeray also declared that, so far as they attributed to him unworthy sentiments, they were also slanderous and untrue. The writer of the paper was on friendly terms with Charles Dickens, and he offered his services as mediator. Thackeray declined the offer, and referred the matter to the club. The committee accordingly met and decided that the writer of the attack complained of was bound to make an ample apology, or to retire from the club. We believe he chose the latter alternative. One result of this painful affair was a coolness between the two great novelists. It is gratifying to know that the difference was ended before Thackeray's death. Only a few days before,

the two great authors met by accident in the lobby of a club. They suddenly turned and saw each other, and both, as by one impulse, held out the hand of forgiveness and friendship.

In January 1860, appeared the first number of the "Cornhill Magazine." The great success which had attended "Household Words, conducted by Charles Dickens, suggested to Messrs. Smith, Elder, & Co., the project of a magazine with Thackeray as editor. But few expected such a bold venture as the first number displayed. The contents were by writers of first-rate excellence, and the quantity of matter given for one shilling equal to what was contained in the old-established magazines at half-a-crown. The venture, however, was a great success, and though a host of other shilling magazines have since that time entered the field, the "Cornhill " still keeps its high position. For two years Thackeray remained at his post as editor; but he found the position in many respects an unenviable one. It entailed upon him a great deal of responsibility and considerable drudgery; and when he had done his best to be impartial, he could not avoid giving offence. He therefore resigned the editorship in March 1862, though he still continued to contribute.

Among the papers from his pen which appeared in the earlier numbers of "Cornhill," were the Roundabout Papers, the Lectures on the Four Georges, the story of Lovel the Widower, and the Adventures of Philip on his way through the world. The scenes in the story of Philip, like the History of Pendennis, are said to have been founded in great part upon the author's own history and experience.

The death of Mr. Thackeray was somewhat sudden. More than a dozen years before, while engaged in writing Pendennis, the work was stopped by a serious illness, and he was reduced almost to the brink of the grave. He was saved this time by the skill and attention of Dr. Elliotson, to whom he dedicated the novel when he finished it. Ever after that illness, however, he was subject