Labors Of Green Ones

Byron spent the leisure hours of nearly four yoars in the preparation of the first two cantos of "Childe Harold." Locke is said to have spent over six years in the preparation of his essay on the "Human Understanding." Francis Jcffrey commonly spent two or three weeks on each one of his articles in the Edlnburgh Review. Grote is reported to have spent flfteen years in the work of preparing and writing his "History of Greece." Spenser, from first to last, consumed four years of tolerably steady labor in the preparation of the "Faerie Queen." Mulhall, the great statistician, devoted nearly thirty years to the preparation of his "Dictionary of Statisties." Goldsmith wrote "The Vicar of Wakefield" in six weeks. It is said to have been a story of his own recollections. Charles Lamb wou ld write one of his essays in an evening after a day spent at his desk in the East India office. Newton spent over eight years in experiments and the collection of data for his "Principies of Natural Philosophy." Young wrote his "Night Thoughts" in less than six weeks, as a means of comforting himself under hls bereavement. Machiavolli was many years in gathering material for "The Prince," but the actual work of writing was done in six months.