in elaborating the details of a consistent and interesting novel; but in many respects he is well qualified for the task, and we shall be glad to meet him again on the half-historical ground he has chosen.  His present work, certainly, is not a fair specimen of what he is able to accomplish, and its failure, or partial success, ought only to inspirit him for further effort.”

The “half-historical ground” he had chosen had already led him to the entrance into the broader domain of history.  The “further effort” for which he was to be inspirited had already begun.  He had been for some time, as was before mentioned, collecting materials for the work which was to cast all his former attempts into the kindly shadow of oblivion, save when from time to time the light of his brilliant after success is thrown upon them to illustrate the path by which it was at length attained.

IX.

1850.  AEt. 36.

Plan of A history.—­Letters.

The reputation of Mr. Prescott was now coextensive with the realm of scholarship.  The histories of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella and of the conquest of Mexico had met with a reception which might well tempt the ambition of a young writer to emulate it, but which was not likely to be awarded to any second candidate who should enter the field in rivalry with the great and universally popular historian.  But this was the field on which Mr. Motley was to venture.

After he had chosen the subject of the history he contemplated, he found that Mr. Prescott was occupied with a kindred one, so that there might be too near a coincidence between them.  I must borrow from Mr. Ticknor’s beautiful life of Prescott the words which introduce a letter of Motley’s to Mr. William Amory, who has kindly allowed me also to make use of it.

“The moment, therefore, that he [Mr. Motley] was aware of this condition of things, and the consequent possibility that there might be an untoward interference in their plans, he took the same frank and honorable course with Mr. Prescott that Mr. Prescott had taken in relation to Mr. Irving, when he found that they had both been contemplating a ‘History of the Conquest of Mexico.’  The result was the same.  Mr. Prescott, instead of treating the matter as an interference, earnestly encouraged Mr. Motley to go on, and placed at his disposition such of the books in his library as could be most useful to him.  How amply and promptly he did it, Mr. Motley’s own account will best show.  It is in a letter dated at Rome, 26th February, 1859, the day he heard of Mr. Prescott’s death, and was addressed to his intimate friend, Mr. William Amory, of Boston, Mr. Prescott’s much-loved brother-in-law.”

“It seems to me but as yesterday,” Mr. Motley writes, “though it must be now twelve years ago, that I was talking with our ever-