"Diodati, Sept. 29. 1816.
"I am very much flattered by Mr. Gifford's good opinion of the
MSS., and shall be still more so if it answers your expectations
and justifies his kindness. I liked it myself, but that must go for
nothing. The feelings with which most of it was written need not be
envied me. With regard to the price, _I_ fixed _none_, but left it
to Mr. Kinnaird, Mr. Shelley, and yourself, to arrange. Of course,
they would do their best; and as to yourself, I knew you would make
no difficulties. But I agree with Mr. Kinnaird perfectly, that the
concluding _five hundred_ should be only _conditional_; and for my
own sake, I wish it to be added, only in case of your selling a
certain number, _that number_ to be fixed by _yourself_. I hope
this is fair. In every thing of this kind there must be risk; and
till that be past, in one way or the other, I would not willingly
add to it, particularly in times like the present. And pray always
recollect that nothing could mortify me more--no failure on my own
part--than having made you lose by any purchase from me.
"The Monody[110] was written by request of Mr. Kinnaird for the
theatre. I did as well as I could; but where I have not my choice
I pretend to answer for nothing. Mr. Hobhouse and myself are just
returned from a journey of lakes and mountains. We have been to the
Grindelwald, and the Jungfrau, and stood on the summit of the
Wengen Alp; and seen torrents of nine hundred feet in fall, and
glaciers of all dimensions: we have heard shepherds' pipes, and
avalanches, and looked on the clouds foaming up from the valleys
below us, like the spray of the ocean of hell. Chamouni, and that
which it inherits, we saw a month ago: but though Mont Blanc is
higher, it is not equal in wildness to the Jungfrau, the Eighers,
the Shreckhorn, and the Rose Glaciers.
"We set off for Italy next week. The road is within this month
infested with bandits, but we must take our chance and such
precautions as are requisite.
"Ever, &c.
"P.S. My best remembrances to Mr. Gifford. Pray say all that can be
said from me to him.
"I am sorry that Mr. Maturin did not like Phillips's picture. I
thought it was reckoned a good one. If he had made the speech on
the original, perhaps he would have been more readily forgiven by
the proprietor and the painter of the portrait * * *."
[Footnote 110: A Monody on the death of Sheridan, which was spoken at
Drury Lane theatre.]
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