did not clearly apprehend the limits of her powers, or the proper field for their exercise. The following correspondence took place between them. Feeling some apprehension lest she should make a mistake in acting on the verbal permission which she had received from the Prince, Jane addressed the following letter to Mr. Clarke :-
'SIR, I must take the liberty of asking you a question. Among the many flattering attentions which I received from you at Carlton House on Monday last was the information of my being at liberty to dedicate any future work to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, without the necessity of any solicitation on my part. Such, at least, I believed to be your words; but as I am very anxious to be quite certain of what was intended, I entreat you to have the goodness to inform me how such a permission is to be understood, and whether it is incumbent on me to show my sense of the honour by inscribing the work now in the press to His Royal Highness; I should be equally concerned to appear either presumptuous or ungrateful.'
The following gracious answer was returned by Mr. Clarke, together with a suggestion which must have been received with some surprise :-
'DEAR MADAM,-It is certainly not incumbent on you to dedicate your work now in the press to His
