HONE, WILLIAM, was born in 1779 at Bath, where his father is stated to bare been an occasional preacher among the Dissenters. He is said to have been so rigid in his religious notions that he would not suffer his son to be taught to read out of any other book than the Bible. William was placed at the age of ten in an attorney's office in London ; but after some time his father, finding that he had attached himself to some reforming society, and begun to take part in what he thought very objectionable politics, removed him to another master at Chatham, with whom ho remained between two and three years. He then returned to London, and was engaged for some time as clerk to an attorney of Gray's Inn; but at last he quitted the law, and, having married, set up in July 1800 as a bookseller, with a circulating library, in Lambeth Walk. From this locality be removed to what was then called St. Martin's Churchyard, in the neighbourhood of Charing Cross ; and there he appears to have remained stationary for several years, although it is stated that he was once burnt out, and also underwent many vicissitudes in business. Ile had always been fond of literature, and in 1806 he brought out his first publica tion an edition of Shaw's Gardener.' After this he devoted much of his time to an attempt which he made in conjunction with a friend to establish a savings bank in Blackfriars-road, which however failed. He then entered into partnership as a bookseller with this friend, Mr. John Bone, but the speculation ended in bankruptcy. When he got upon his feet again be established himself in a shop in May's Buildings, whence ho removed to High-street, Bloomsbury, and there ho appears to have remained till 1811, when on the retirement of Mr. John Walker be was selected by the booksellers to be what is called the trade auctioneer,' and placed in a counting-house in Ivy lane. Before this he had been employed to compile the Index to the new edition of Lord Bensers's Translation of Froissart. But ho had no genius for business, and, having now taken to the investigation of the abuses in lunatic asylums, be soon became bankrupt again. Ho had now seven children, whom he took to a humble lodging in the Old Bailey, and endeavoured for a time to support by contributing to periodical publications, especially the ' Critical Review' and the British Lady's Magazine.' At length however he found means to set up once more as a bookseller in a small shop in Fleet-street. Here ho was again unfortunate in having his premises twice broken into and plundered, much of the stock that was carried off having been borrowed ; but he seems to have weathered these disasters; and in 1815 he became publisher of the Traveller' newspaper. In that year he exerted
himself with praiseworthy humanity and spirit in the investigatiob of the case of the unhappy Elizabeth Fenning, executed on a charge of poisoning of which there can scarcely be a doubt that she was innocent; and he published a very striking account of the case.
In 1816 ho commenced a weekly paper called 'The Reformists' Register '• ' but it does not seem to have gone on long. The next year however he brought himself into great notoriety by a series of political satires, published as separate pamphlets, which had immense success, the effect partly of their literary merit, partly also of the wood-cut embellishments from the humorous designs of Mr. George Cruikshank [GRIIIKSHANK, GEORGE], whom they first made generally known to the public. One of them, The Political House that Jack Built,' went through fifty editions, besides producing a host of inferior imitations. Another, entitled 'A Slap at Slop,' was a scourging attack upon tho since defunct daily morning paper called The New Times,' its editor Dr. (afterwards Sir John) Stoddart, and the Constitutional Association, or 'Bridge-Street Gang,' as Hone designated it. But those of the series that turned out the most productive for the author were three com posed in the manner of parodies upon various parts of the Book of Common Prayer. For the printing and publishing of these parodies Hone was brought to trial on three several indictments in the Court of King's Bench, on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of December 2817 ; the first day before Mr. Justice Abbot (afterwards Lord Tenterden), the second and third days before Lord Ellenborough. He defended him self on all the three trials (which were before special juries); and, notwithstanding the best exertions of the bench to procure a con viction, was acquitted ou each indictment. His address to the jury on the third day especially, which lasted seven hours and a half, when, although fatigued by his previous exertions, ho was inspirited by success, was remarkably effective. The feeling of the public was that the alleged libels were really prosecuted for their political tendency, and that if they bad been on the other side of the question, written in defence of the ministry instead of in ridicule of it, they never would have been questioned. There is also, we believe, no reason to think, however objectionable their may have .been, that Hone had any design to bring religion into contempt.