I imagine that they who seem so naturally to fall into the proprieties of elocution have generally taken a great deal of trouble beyond that which the mere finding of their words has cost them.

It is clearly to the matter of what he then gave the world, and not to the manner, that we must look for what interest is to be found in the lectures.
Those on _The English Humorists_ were given first.

The second set was on _The Four Georges_.

In the volume now before us _The Georges_ are printed first, and the whole is produced simply as a part of Thackeray's literary work.

Looked at, however, in that light the merit of the two sets of biographical essays is very different.