The Spirit of "The Book
"(1811), and
The Liberal Critic, or Henry Percy
(1812). He was a man of more ability than character, but possessed little of either. His
Memoirs
(1815) describe his literary undertakings, one at least of which was of a blackmailing kind, and are interspersed with protestations of his desire for independence, and of regrets for the wretched stuff that dropped from his pen.
His first novel,
The Spirit of "The Book,"
gained some success from its subject. In 1806-7 Lady Douglas brought certain charges against the Princess of Wales, which were answered on her behalf by Spencer Perceval. The extraordinary secrecy with which this defence, called "The Book," was printed, and its complete suppression, excited curiosity, which was increased by the following advertisement in the
Times