Autograph letter signed : Manchester, to John Villiers, [1821] Apr. 6.

Discussing at length his objections to the establishment of the Royal Society of Literature, noting that his twenty years of experience as a popular writer "may entitle me to speak with some opportunities of knowledge to which few others can lay claim." Emphatically stating that his feelings would deter him from becoming a member, and that the Society, which would be "entirely useless," would be hurtful to both the community of letters and to the sovereign, citing the effects of engendering competition among authors. Furthering his stance that it will be a "grand and mortifying failure" if some authors are excluded "for reasons moral or political" and noting that established authors would not likely join a society that is also open to "obscure pedants of universities and schools-men," and wondering how the two classes could accurately judge and criticize the same work, noting that "in literature you will find twenty people entertaining as many different opinions upon that which is called taste, and musing on the ethics of writing while receiving a stipend. Proudly reporting that he gives between £50 and £100 each year to aid "unfortunate men of literature." Regretting to hear that the plan is so far advanced and advising that "a timely retreat is better than a defeat."