[87] "I think Priestley must be considered the author of modern
Unitarianism. I owe, under God, my return to the faith, to my having gone
much farther than the Unitarians, and so having come round to the other
side. I can truly say, I never falsified the scriptures. I always told
them that their interpretations of scripture were intolerable, on any
principles of sound criticism; and that, if they were to offer to
construe the will of their neighbour, as they did that of their Maker,
they would be scouted out of society. I said, plainly and openly, that it
was clear enough, John and Paul were not Unitarians.
I make the greatest difference between 'ans' and 'isms.' I should deal
insincerely, if I said, that I thought _Unitarianism_ was Christianity.
No, as I believe, and have faith in the doctrine, it is not the truth in
Jesus Christ. By-the-by, what do you (Unitarians) mean, by exclusively
assuming the title of Unitarians? As if Trio-Unitarians were not
necessarily Unitarians, as much (pardon, the illustration) as an
apple-pie, must of course be a pie! The schoolmen would perhaps have
called you _Unicists_, but your proper name is _Psilanthropists_,
believers in the mere human nature of Christ.... Unitarianism, is in
effect, the worst of one kind of Atheism, joined to one of the worst
kinds of Calvinism. It has no covenant with God, and it looks upon prayer
as a sort of self-magnetizing;--a getting of the body and temper into a
certain _status_, desirable, _per se_, but having no covenanted reference
to the Being to whom the prayer is addressed.
The _pet_ texts of Socinians are quite enough for their confutation with
acute thinkers. If Christ had been a mere man, it would have been
ridiculous in him to call himself the 'Son of Man;' but being God and
_man_, it then became, in his own assumption, a peculiar and mysterious
title. So, if Christ had been a mere man, his saying, 'My father is
greater than I,' (John xv. 28.) would have been as unmeaning. It would be
laughable, for example, to hear me say, my 'Remorse' succeeded indeed,
but Shakspeare is a greater dramatist than I,' But how immeasurably more
foolish, more monstrous, would it not be for a man, however honest, good,
or wise, to say 'But Jehovah is greater than I.'
"Either we have an immortal soul, or we have not. If we have not, we are
beasts; the first and wisest of beasts it may be, but still true beasts.
We shall only differ in degree, and not in kind; just as the elephant
differs from the slug. But by the concession of all the materialists, of
all the schools, or almost all, we are not of the same kind as beasts;
and this also we say, from our own consciousness. Therefore, methinks, it
must be the possession of a soul within us, that makes the difference.
"Read the first chapter of the Book of Genesis without prejudice, and you
will be convinced at once. After the narrative of the creation of the
earth and brute animals, Moses seems to pause, and says, 'And God said,
Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.' And in the next
chapter, he repeats the narrative.--'And the Lord God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;'
and then he adds these words, 'and man became a living soul.' Materialism
will never explain these last words."
[88] The following notice of Mr. C.'s opium habits, with the reasons for
disclosing them, were prefixed to the "Early Recollections," ten years
ago, but the arguments are equally applicable at this time, 1847.
[89] A Dissenting minister of Bristol.
[90] It is apprehended that this must be a mistake. I sent Mr. Coleridge
five guineas for my Shakespeare ticket, and entertain no doubt but that
some others did the same. But his remark may refer to some succeeding
lecture, of which I have no instinct recollection.
[91] A request of permission from Mr. Coleridge, to call on a few of his
known friends, to see if we could not raise an annuity for him of one
hundred a year, that he might pursue his literary objects without
pecuniary distractions.
[92] A worthy medical Friend of Bristol, who first in that city,
interested himself in the establishment of infant schools.
[93] This long sentence, between brackets, was struck out by Mr. Southey,
in perusing the MS., through delicacy, as it referred to himself; but the
present occasion it is restored.
[94] Some supplemental lecture.
[95] Mr. Coleridge, in his "Church and State," speaks of employing a
drawer in which were "too many of my _unopened letters._"
[96] These four lines in the edition of Mr. C.'s Poems, published after
his death, are oddly enough thrown into the "Monody on Chatterton," and
form the four opening lines. Many readers may concur with myself in
thinking, that the former commencement was preferable; namely;--
"when faint and sad o'er sorrow's desert wild,
Slow journeys onward poor misfortune's child;" &c.
[97] This man must hare been just the kind of vigilant superintendent Mr.
C. desired; ready to fetch a book, or a box of snuff, &c., at command.
The preceding occurrence would not have been introduced, but to
illustrate the supreme ascendancy which opium exercises over its unhappy
votaries.
[98] This statement requires an explanation, which none now can give. Was
the far larger proportion of this £300 appropriated to the discharge of
Opium debts? This does not seem unlikely, as Mr. C. lived with friends,
and he could contract few other debts.
[99] Such were omitted in the published work.
[100] When Coleridge dwelt at the 'Oat and Salutation,' in Newgate
Street, and talked of leaving it, his conversation had brought so many
customers to the house, that the landlord offered him _free-quarters_ if
he would only stay and continue to talk.
[101] Mr. Poole, who requested it as a favour, came all the way from
Stowey to peruse my MS. "Recollections of Coleridge," and who I have good
reason to believe, without any unkind intention, communicated a report to
_C.'s relations._
[102] Mr. Southey's grandfather lived in the old manor-house at
Bedminster, where, in his younger days. Mr. S. passed many of his
happiest hours. When spending a week with me at Bedminster, with a year
of the date of this letter, he went to the old house, and requested
permission of the strangers who inhabited his grandfather's mansion, to
walk round the garden, and renew his acquaintance with the old trees
which he used to climb nearly six years before; a request which was
readily granted. The revival of such interesting associations, had they
occurred at a former period, would doubtless have produced some exquisite
poetical record.
[103] The illness of Mrs. Edith Southey.
[104] Mr. S. deemed it an admirable likeness of Mr. W. as he appeared in
younger life; and said that it bore at the present time, a striking
resemblance to Mr. W.'s son.
[105] The eminent Edinburgh Professor. For three years the private tutor
of Mr. T. Wedgewood.
[106] Westbury, near Bristol, the then residence of Mr. John Wedgewood,
Esq.
[107] The then residence of Mr. Wordsworth.
[108] List of Works and Poems which Mr. Coleridge _intended_ to write,
with the pages in which they are noticed.
[Transcriber's note: After the page number the starting words of the
matching paragraph are given.]
Poem on the Nativity (800 lines), p. 66 ["He speaks in the same
letter"]