Dear Emerson,—­I am really grieved to have hurt the feelings of Mr. Phillips;* a gentleman to whom I, on my side, had no feelings but those of respect and good will!  I pray you smooth him down again, by all wise methods, into at least good-natured indifference to me.  He may depend upon it I could not mean to irritate him; there lay no gain for me in that!  Nor is there anything of business left now between us.  It is doubly and trebly evident those Stereotype Plates are not to him worth their prime cost here, still less, their prime cost plus any vestige of definite motive for me to concern myself in them:—­whereupon the Project falls on its face, and vanishes forever, with apologies all round.  For as to that other method, that is a game I never thought, and never should think of playing at!  You may also tell him this little Biographical fact, if you think it will any way help.  Some ten or more years ago, I made a similar Bargain with a New York House (known to you, and now I believe extinct):  “10” or something “percent,” of selling price on the Copies Printed, was to be my return—­not for four or five hundred pounds money laid out, but for various things I did, which gratis would by no means have been done; in fine, it was their own Offer, made and accepted in due form; “10 percent on the copies printed.”

---------
* This refers to a proposed arrangement, which fell through, for
the publication in America by Messrs. Phillips and Sampson, of
Boston, of a complete edition of Carlyle’s works, to be printed
from the stereotype plates of the English edition then in course
of issue by Messrs. Chapman and Hall.
---------

And how many were “printed,” thinks Mr. Phillips?  I saw one set; dreadfully ugly Books, errors in every page;—­and to this hour I have never heard of any other!  The amount remains zero net; and it would appear there was simply one copy “printed,” the ugly one sent to myself, which I instantly despatched again somewhither!  On second thought perhaps you had better not tell Mr. Phillips this story, at least not in this way. His integrity I would not even question by insinuation, nor need I, at the point where we now are.  I perceive he sees in extraordinary brilliancy of illumination his own side of the bargain; and thinks me ignorant of several things which I am well enough informed about.  In brief, make a perfect peace between us, O friend, and man of peace; and let the wampums be all wrapped up, and especially the tomahawks entirely buried, and the thing end forever!  To you also I owe apologies; but not to you do I pay them, knowing from of old what you are to me.  Enough, enough!