Part 2 (1/2)
The Earnings of Authors.
Little is known of the remuneration of authors until the days of Dr.
Samuel Johnson. Before his time, literary men, as a rule, depended on the generosity of patrons for their means of support, and as an acknowledgment of their obligations, dedicated their works to them. The dedications were frequently made in most fulsome terms. The position of the writer was certainly a mean one; indeed, it might fitly be p.r.o.nounced degrading; when he had exhausted his possibilities of patronage, he starved. It was Johnson--a giant in the world of letters--who broke through the objectionable custom, and taught the author to look to the reading public for support, and not to a wealthy patron. It is not until the days of Samuel Johnson that the subject of literary earnings is of much importance; yet we may with advantage glance at a few payments made prior to his age.
We do not know the amount Shakespeare received for his plays, but it is certain that his connection with the theatre in London in a few years realised for him a fortune, and, at a comparatively early age, enabled him to return to his own town, a man of independent means. Oldys, in one of his ma.n.u.scripts, says that ”Hamlet” was sold for 5; but he does not mention his authority for the statement. It appears, from a publication of Robert Greene's, in 1592, the price of a drama was twenty n.o.bles, or about 6 13s. 4d. of current coin.
Small must have been the literary pay of Spenser, Butler, and Otway, since they feared to die for want of the simple necessaries of life. Milton sold ”Paradise Lost” for 5 down, to be followed by 15 if a second and third large editions were required. The first edition consisted of 1,500 copies, and in two years 1,300 were sold. The balance was not disposed of until five years later. This powerful poem, when given to the world, met with some adverse criticism. The poet Waller wrote of it thus: ”The old, blind schoolmaster, John Milton, hath published a tedious poem on the fall of man; if its length be not considered a merit, it hath no other.” A greater poet than Waller--Dryden--recognised its merits, and said: ”Undoubtedly, 'Paradise Lost' is one of the greatest, most n.o.ble, and most sublime poems which either this age or nation has produced.” Dryden wrote the following epigram referring to Homer, Virgil, and Milton:--
”Three poets--in three distant ages born-- Greece, Italy, and England did adorn; The first in loftiness of thought surpa.s.sed, The next in majesty, in both the last.
The force of Nature could no further go; To make a third, she joined the former two.”
Milton's poem has been praised by the greatest critics, and it is still very much read. It appears in many forms, and the annual sale is extremely large. Routledge's popular edition sells at the rate of about a couple of thousand a year; and we suppose the sale of other editions is equally great.
Dryden arranged with Jacob Tonson, the famous bookseller and publisher, to write for him 10,000 verses, at sixpence per line. To make up the required number of lines, he threw in the ”Epistle to his Cousin,” and his celebrated ”Ode to Music.”
Gray only received 40 for the whole of his poems. He presented the copyright of his famous ”Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” to Dodsley, feeling that it was beneath the dignity of a gentleman to make money with his pen. The lucky publisher quite agreed with him, and cleared about a thousand pounds by the publication.
Pope's translation of ”Homer” yielded him about 8,000. He was a.s.sisted in the work by William Broome, a scholar who was the author of a volume of verse. John Henley thus refers to the circ.u.mstance:--
”Pope came off clean with Homer; but they say, Broome went before, and kindly swept the way.”
Gay made 1,000 by his ”Poems.” He was paid 400 for the ”Beggar's Opera,”
and for the second part, ”Polly,” 1,000. Rich, the theatrical manager, profited to a far greater extent from the ”Beggar's Opera” than its author. The contemporary jest was that it made Gay rich, and Rich gay.
Dr. Johnson sold the copyright of Goldsmith's ”Vicar of Wakefield” for 60, and he thought that amount fairly represented the value of the work.
”The great lexicographer,” as Miss Pinkerton called him, placed no high value on the performance of his friend, but the publisher found in the ”Vicar of Wakefield” a gold mine. Goldsmith was paid 21 for ”The Traveller.” It was the work that established his reputation. Before it appeared he was regarded as little better than a superior Grub Street hack. Johnson p.r.o.nounced this the finest poem that had been written since the death of Pope. After having read it to the sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds, she said: ”Well, I never more shall think Dr. Goldsmith ugly.”
The following are the prices Goldsmith obtained for others of his works:--”English Grammar,” 5; the ”History of Rome,” in two volumes, 250 guineas; the ”History of England,” in four volumes, 500; the ”History of Greece,” 250; and the ”History of the Earth and Animated Nature,” in eight volumes, 850. ”She stoops to Conquer” yielded between 400 and 500. Five s.h.i.+llings a couplet was paid for ”The Deserted Village.”
To cover the cost of his mother's funeral, Johnson wrote ”Ra.s.selas,” and disposed of it for 100. He sold his ”Lives of the Poets” for 200 guineas.
The sum was considered liberal, but Johnson became so engrossed in his subject that he supplied much more than what was expected from him. It is believed that out of his work, in twenty-five years, the booksellers cleared 5,000. It is still a saleable book, and is to be found in every public and private library of any pretentions.
The sum of 700 was paid to Fielding for ”Tom Jones,” and for ”Amelia,”
1,000.
Very large amounts have been given for biographical works. Hayley received for his ”Life of Cowper,” 11,000; and Southey, 1,000 for his life of the same poet. The life of ”William Wilberforce” was sold for 4,000; ”Bishop Heber's Journals,” for 5,000; ”General Gordon's Diary,” for 5,250; and the ”Life of Hannah More,” for 2,000.
The income of Scott was, perhaps, the largest ever made by authors.h.i.+p, yet he said that the pursuit of literature was a good walking-stick, but a bad crutch! His reputation was first made as a poet, and the following are particulars of his profits from poetry: ”The Lay of the Last Minstrel,”
published in 1805, 769 6s.; ”Ballads and Lyrical Pieces,” published in 1806, 100; for ”Marmion,” published 1808, Messrs. Constable offered 1,000 guineas soon after the poem was begun. It proved a very profitable speculation to its publishers. During the first month after its appearance, 2,000 copies were sold, the price being 31s. 6d. the quarto volume. Next came the ”Lady of the Lake” (1810), 2,100. This found even greater favour with the public than its predecessors, and with it Scott's poetical fame reached its zenith. A new poet who appeared on the scene, Byron, completely eclipsed Scott. Scott tried, with two more poems, to win back his lost place, as the popular poet of the period, and produced ”Rokeby,” and the ”Bridal of Triermain;” the latter was issued anonymously, but both were failures. When Scott saw that his poetry did not attract many readers, he turned his thoughts and energy into another channel, and commenced his immortal novels. He had by him an unfinished story, the work of former years, which he completed, giving it to the world under the t.i.tle of ”Waverley.” Constable offered 700 for the copyright--an amount deemed very large in those days for a novel to be published without the name of the author. Seven hundred sovereigns did not, however, satisfy Scott; he simply said, ”It is too much if the work should prove a failure, and too little if it should be a success.” It was a brilliant book, and entranced the reading world. Scott had now found his real vocation. He received for eleven novels, of three volumes each, and nine volumes of ”Tales of My Landlord,” the sum of 110,000. For one novel he was paid 10,000. Between November, 1825, and June, 1827, he earned 26,000--an amount representing 52 6s. 3d. per working day. From first to last, Sir Walter Scott made by his literary labours about 300,000.
Lord Byron's dealings with Mr. Murray were in every respect satisfactory, but this did not prevent the pleasure-loving lord from having a little joke at the expense of his publisher. He delighted Mr. Murray with a gift of a Bible, but the recipient's pleasure was fleeting, for on examining the book it was discovered that it contained a marginal correction. ”Now Barabbas was a robber,” was altered to ”Now Barabbas was a publisher.”
This was a cruel stab, seeing that Byron had received for his poetry 19,340, and might have increased this sum if he had been more anxious about remuneration.
In Mrs. Oliphant's book on ”William Blackwood and His Sons,” a letter is quoted from Mr. Murray relating to the poet. ”Lord Byron is a curious man,” says Murray, ”he gave me, as I told you, the copyright of his two poems, to be printed only in his works. I did not receive the last until Tuesday night. I was so delighted with it that even as I read it I sent him a draught for a thousand guineas. The two poems are altogether no more than twelve hundred and fifteen hundred lines, and will altogether sell for five and sixpence. But he returned the draught, saying that it was very liberal--much more than they were worth; that I was perfectly welcome to both poems to print in his (collected) works without cost or expectation, but that he did not think them equal to what they ought to be, and that he would not admit of their separate publication. I went yesterday, and he was rallying me upon my folly in offering so much that he dared to say I thought now I had a most lucky escape. 'To prove how much I think so, my lord,' said I 'do me the favour to accept this pocket book'--In which I had brought with me my draught, changed into two bank notes of 1,000 and 50; but he would not take it. But I am not in despair that he will yet allow their separate publication, which I must continue to urge for mine own honour.”
Mr. Murray treated Crabbe in a most liberal manner. He paid for the ”Tales of the Hall,” and the copyright of his other poems, 3,000. It was given to the poet in bills, and we read that ”Moore and Rogers earnestly advised him to deposit them, without delay, in some safe hands--but no; he must take them with him to Trowbridge, and show them to his son John. They would hardly believe his good luck at home, if they did not see the bills.” On his way to Trowbridge, a friend at Salisbury, at whose house he rested (Mr. Everett, the banker), seeing that he carried his bills loosely in his waistcoat pocket, requested to be allowed to take charge of them; but Crabbe thankfully declined, saying that ”There was no fear of his losing them, and he must show them to his son John.”
Without seeing a line of Thomas Moore's ”Lalla Rookh,” Messrs. Longman undertook to pay 3,000 for it. The terms drawn up were simple, and read as follows: ”That upon your giving into our hands a poem of yours, the length of 'Rokeby,' you shall receive from us the sum of 3,000. We also agree to the stipulation, that the few songs which you may introduce into the work shall be considered as reserved for your own selling.”