_The Butler and his Man William._--These mythological personages, the
grotesque creation of Mr. Grosvenor Bedford's fertile imagination, are
frequently referred to and dilated on in the letters addressed to him by
Southey (_Life of Southey_, by his Son, vol. ii. p. 335., &c.), when
urging Mr. Bedford to write a Pantagruelian romance on their lives and
adventures, which however was never accomplished. What therefore is the
meaning of the following paragraph, which appears at the conclusion of
the review of volume ii. of Southey's _Life_, contained in the _Gent.'s
Mag._ for April, 1850, p. 359.?
"We will only add, that with respect to the _Butler_ mentioned at
p. 335., the editor seems but imperfectly informed. His portrait,
and that of his _man William_, are now hanging on the walls of our
study. His Life is on our table. He himself has long since returned
to the 'august abode' from which he came."