for our dear sister's illness, I should think of nothing else. They are
to be envied, I think, who, from age or infirmity, are likely to be
removed from the afflictions which God is preparing for this sinful
nation. God bless you, my brother. John says you are well; so am I, and
every one here except our sister: but I have witnessed one revolution in
a foreign country, and I have not courage to think of facing another in
my own. Farewell. God bless you again.
Your affectionate Brother,
W.W.[127]
[127] _Memoirs_, ii. 259-60.
80. _Illness of Sister: Reform: Poems: Oxford and Cambridge, &c._
LETTER TO PROFESSOR HAMILTON, DUBLIN.
Moresby, June 25. 1832.
MY DEAR MR. HAMILTON,
Your former letter reached me in due time; your second, from Cambridge,
two or three days ago. I ought to have written to you long since, but
really I have for some time, from private and public causes of sorrow
and apprehension, been in a great measure deprived of those genial
feelings which, thro' life, have not been so much accompaniments of my
character, as vital principles of my existence.
My dear sister has been languishing more than seven months in a
sick-room, nor dare I or any of her friends entertain a hope that her
strength will ever be restored; and the course of public affairs, as I
think I told you before, threatens, in my view, destruction to the
institutions of the country; an event which, whatever may rise out of it
hereafter, cannot but produce distress and misery for two or three
generations at least. In any times I am but at best a poor and
unpunctual correspondent, yet I am pretty sure you would have heard from
me but for this reason; therefore let the statement pass for an apology
as far as you think fit.
The verses called forth by your love and the disappointment that
followed I have read with much pleasure, tho' grieved that you should
have suffered so much; as poetry they derive an interest from your
philosophical pursuits, which could not but recommend the verses even to
indifferent readers, and must give them in the eyes of your friends a
great charm. The style appears to me good, and the general flow of the
versification harmonious; but you deal somewhat more in dactylic endings
and identical terminations than I am accustomed to think legitimate.
Sincerely do I congratulate you upon being able to continue your
philosophical pursuits under such a pressure of personal feeling.
It gives me much pleasure that you and Coleridge have met, and that you
were not disappointed in the conversation of a man from whose writings
you had previously drawn so much delight and improvement. He and my
beloved sister are the two beings to whom my intellect is most indebted,
and they are now proceeding, as it were, _pari passu_, along the path of
sickness, I will not say towards the grave, but I trust towards a
blessed immortality.
It was not my intention to write so seriously: my heart is full, and you
must excuse it.
You do not tell me how you like Cambridge as a place, nor what you
thought of its buildings and other works of art. Did you not see Oxford
as well? Surely you would not lose the opportunity; it has greatly the
advantage over Cambridge in its happy intermixture of streets,
churches, and collegiate buildings.
I hope you found time when in London to visit the British Museum.
A fortnight ago I came hither to my son and daughter, who are living a
gentle, happy, quiet, and useful life together. My daughter Dora is also
with us. On this day I should have returned, but an inflammation in my
eyes makes it unsafe for me to venture in an open carriage, the weather
being exceedingly disturbed.
A week ago appeared here Mr. W.S. Landor, the Poet, and author of the
_Imaginary Conversations_, which probably have fallen in your way. We
had never met before, tho' several letters had passed between us; and as
I had not heard that he was in England, my gratification in seeing him
was heightened by surprise. We passed a day together at the house of my
friend Mr. Rawson, on the banks of Wastwater. His conversation is lively
and original; his learning great, tho' he will not allow it, and his
laugh the heartiest I have heard of a long time. It is not much less
than twenty years since he left England for France, and afterwards
Italy, where he hopes to end his days, nay [he has] fixed near Florence
upon the spot where he wishes to be buried. Remember me most kindly to
your sisters. Dora begs her love and thanks to your sister Eliza for her
last most interesting letter, which she will answer when she can command
a frank.
Ever faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[128]
[Postscript added on first page:] I have desired Messrs. Longman to put
aside for you a copy of the new edition of my poems, compressed into
four vols. It contains nothing but what has before seen the light, but
several poems which were not in the last. Pray direct your Dublin
publisher to apply for it.
[128] _Memoirs_, ii. 260, with important additions from the original.
G.
81. '_Remains of Lucretia Davidson:' Public Events: Miss Jewsbury, &c._
LETTER TO MRS. HEMANS.
Rydal Mount, Nov. 22 [1832].
DEAR MRS. HEMANS,
I will not render this sheet more valueless than at best it will prove,
by tedious apologies for not answering your very kind and welcome letter
long and long ago. I received it in London, when my mind was in a most
uneasy state, and when my eyes were useless both for writing and
reading, so that an immediate reply was out of my power; and, since, I
have been doubtful where to address you. Accept this, and something
better, as my excuse, that I have very often thought of you with
kindness and good wishes for your welfare, and that of your fine boys,
who must recommend themselves to all that come in their way. Let me
thank you in Dora's name for your present of _The Remains of Lucretia
Davidson_, a very extraordinary young creature, of whom I had before
read some account in Mr. Southey's review of this volume. Surely many
things, not often bestowed, must concur to make genius an enviable gift.
This truth is painfully forced upon one's attention in reading the
effusions and story of this enthusiast, hurried to her grave so early.
You have, I understand, been a good deal in Dublin. The place I hope has
less of the fever of intellectual, or rather literary, ambition than
Edinburgh, and is less disquieted by factions and cabals of _persons_.
As to those of parties they must be odious and dreadful enough; but
since they have more to do with religion, the adherents of the different
creeds perhaps mingle little together, and so the mischief to social
intercourse, though great, will be somewhat less.
I am not sure but that Miss Jewsbury has judged well in her
determination of going to India. Europe is at present a melancholy
spectacle, and these two Islands are likely to reap the fruit of their
own folly and madness, in becoming, for the present generation, the two
most unquiet and miserable spots upon the earth. May you, my dear
friend, find the advantage of the poetic spirit in raising you, in
thought at least, above the contentious clouds! Never before did I feel
such reason to be grateful for what little inspiration heaven has
graciously bestowed upon my humble intellect. What you kindly wrote
upon the interest you took during your travels in my verses, could not
but be grateful to me, because your own show that in a rare degree you
understand and sympathise with me. We are all well, God be thanked. I am
a wretched correspondent, as this scrawl abundantly shows. I know also,
that you have far too much, both of receiving and writing letters, but I
cannot conclude without expressing a wish, that from time to time you
would let us hear from you and yours, and how you prosper. All join with
me in kindest remembrance to yourself and your boys, especially to
Charles, of whom we know most. Believe me, dear Mrs. Hemans, not the
less for my long silence,
Faithfully and affectionately yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[129]
82. _Tuition at the University_.
LETTER TO A NEPHEW.
Rydal Mount, June 17. 1833.
MY DEAR C----,
You are welcome to England after your long ramble. I know not what to
say in answer to your wish for my opinion upon the offer of the
lectureship.
* * * * *
I have only one observation to make, to which I should attach importance
if I thought it called for in your case, which I do not. I mean the
moral duty of avoiding to encumber yourself with private pupils in any
number. You are at an age when the blossoms of the mind are setting, to
make fruit; and the practice of _pupil-mongering_ is an absolute blight
for this process. Whatever determination you come to, may God grant that
it proves for your benefit: this prayer I utter with earnestness, being
deeply interested, my dear C----, in all that concerns you. I have said
nothing of the uncertainty hanging over all the establishments,
especially the religious and literary ones of the country, because if
they are to be overturned, the calamity would be so widely spread, that
every mode of life would be involved in it, and nothing survive for
hopeful calculation.
[129] _Memoirs_, ii. 261-2.
We are always delighted to hear of any or all of you. God bless you, my
dear C----.
Most faithfully, your affectionate,
W. WORDSWORTH.[130]
83. _On the Admission of Dissenters to graduate in the University of
Cambridge_.
May 15. 1834.
MY DEAR C----,
You will wonder what is become of us, and I am afraid you will think me
very unworthy the trouble you took in writing to us and sending your
pamphlet. A thousand little things have occurred to prevent my calling
upon Mrs. Wordsworth, who is ever ready to write for me, in respect to
the question that you have so ably handled. Since the night when the
Reform Bill was first introduced, I have been convinced that the
institutions of the country cannot be preserved.... It is a mere
question _of time_. A great majority of the present parliament, I
believe, are in the main favourable to the preservation of the Church,
but among these many are ignorant how that is to be done. Add to the
portion of those who with good intentions are in the dark, the number
who will be driven or tempted to vote against their consciences by the
clamour of their sectarian and infidel constituents under the Reform
Bill, and you will have a daily augmenting power even in this
parliament, which will be more and more hostile to the Church every week
and every day. You will see from the course which my letter thus far has
taken, that I regard the prayer of the Petitioners to whom you are
opposed as formidable still more from the effect which, if granted, it
will ultimately have upon the Church, and through that medium upon the
Monarchy and upon social order, than for its immediate tendency to
introduce discord in the universities, and all those deplorable
consequences which you have so feelingly painted as preparatory to their
destruction.
I am not yet able to use my eyes for reading or writing, but your
pamphlet has been twice read to me....
God bless you....
Affectionately yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[131]
[130] _Memoirs_, ii. 263-4.
[131] _Ibid._ ii. 267-8.
84. _The Poems of Skelton_.
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
Rydal Mount, Kendal, Jan. 7. 1833.
MY DEAR SIR,
Having an opportunity of sending this to town free of postage, I write
to thank you for your last obliging letter. Sincerely do I congratulate
you upon having made such progress with Skelton, a writer deserving of
far greater attention than his works have hitherto received. Your
edition will be very serviceable, and may be the occasion of calling out
illustrations, perhaps, of particular passages from others, beyond what
your own reading, though so extensive, has supplied. I am pleased also
to hear that 'Shirley' is out.
* * * * *
I lament to hear that your health is not good. My own, God be thanked,
is excellent; but I am much dejected with the aspect of public affairs,
and cannot but fear that this nation is on the brink of great troubles.
Be assured that I shall at all times be happy to hear of your studies
and pursuits, being, with great respect,
Sincerely yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[132]
85. _The Works of James Shirley_.
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
Rydal Mount, March 20. 1833.
MY DEAR SIR,
I have to thank you for the very valuable present of
Shirley's works, just received. The preface is all that I have
yet had time to read. It pleased me to find that you sympathised
with me in admiration of the passage from the Duchess
of Newcastle's poetry; and you will be gratified to be told that
I have the opinion you have expressed of that cold and false-hearted
Frenchified coxcomb, Horace Walpole.
Poor Shirley! what a melancholy end was his! and then to be so treated
by Dryden! One would almost suspect some private cause of dislike, such
as is said to, have influenced Swift in regard to Dryden himself.
[132] _Memoirs_, ii. 274-5.
Shirley's death reminded me of a sad close of the life of a literary
person, Sanderson by name, in the neighbouring county of Cumberland. He
lived in a cottage by himself, though a man of some landed estate. His
cottage, from want of care on his part, took fire in the night. The
neighbours were alarmed; they ran to his rescue; he escaped, dreadfully
burned, from the flames, and lay down (he was in his seventieth year)
much exhausted under a tree, a few yards from the door. His friends, in
the meanwhile, endeavoured to save what they could of his property from
the flames. He inquired most anxiously after a box in which his
manuscripts and published pieces had been deposited with a view to a
publication of a laboriously-corrected edition; and, upon being told
that the box was consumed, he expired in a few minutes, saying, or
rather sighing out the words, 'Then I do not wish to live.' Poor man!
though the circulation of his works had not extended beyond a circle of
fifty miles' diameter, perhaps, at furthest, he was most anxious to
survive in the memory of the few who were likely to hear of him.
The publishing trade, I understand, continues to be much depressed, and
authors are driven to solicit or invite subscriptions, as being in many
cases the only means for giving their works to the world.
I am always pleased to hear from you; and believe me,
My dear Sir,
Faithfully your obliged friend,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[133]
86. _Literary Criticism and News: Men of Science, &c._
LETTER TO PROFESSOR HAMILTON, OF DUBLIN.
Rydal Mount, May 8. 1833.
MY DEAR SIR,
My letters being of no value but as tokens of friendship, I waited for
the opportunity of a frank, which I had reason to expect earlier.
Sincerely do we all congratulate you upon your marriage. Accept our best
wishes upon the event, and believe that we shall always be deeply
interested in your welfare. Make our kind regards also to Mrs. Hamilton,
who of course will be included in every friendly hope and expectation
formed for yourself.
[133] _Memoirs_, ii. 275-6.
We look with anxiety to your sister Eliza's success in her schemes,--but
for pecuniary recompense in literature, especially poetical, nothing can
be more unpromising than the present state of affairs, except what we
have to fear for the future. Mrs. Godwyn, who sends verses to Blackwood,
is our neighbour. I have had no conversation with her myself upon the
subject, but a friend of hers says she has reason to believe that she
has got nothing but a present of books. This however is of no moment, as
Mrs. G. being a person of easy fortune she has not probably bargained
for a return in money. Mrs. Hemans I see continues to publish in the
periodicals. If you ever see her, pray remember me affectionately to
her, and tell her that I have often been, and still am, troubled in
conscience for having left her obliging letter so long unanswered; but
she must excuse me as there is not a motive in my mind urging me to
throw any interest into my letters to friends beyond the expression of
kindness and esteem; and _that_ she does not require from me. Besides my
friends in general know how much I am hindered in all my pursuits by the
inflammation to which my eyes are so frequently subject. I have long
since given up all exercise of them by candle-light, and the evenings
and nights are the seasons when one is most disposed to converse in that
way with absent friends. News you do not care about, and I have none for
you, except what concerns friends. My sister, God be thanked, has had a
respite. She can now walk a few steps about her room, and has been borne
twice into the open air. Southey to whom I sent your Sonnets had, I
grieve to say, a severe attack of some unknown and painful complaint,
about ten days ago. It weakened him much, but he is now I believe
perfectly recovered. Coleridge I have reason to think is confined to his
bed; his mind vigorous as ever. Your Sonnets I think are as good as
anything you have done in verse. We like the 2d best; and I single it
out the more readily as it allows me an opportunity of reminding you of
what I have so often insisted upon, the extreme care which is necessary
in the composition of poetry.
'The ancient image _shall not_ depart
From my soul's temple, the refined gold
Already prov'd _remain_.'
Your meaning is that it shall remain, but according to the construction
of our language, you have said 'it shall not.'
'The refined gold,
Well proved, shall then remain,'
will serve to explain my objection.
Could not you take us in your way coming or going to Cambridge? If Mrs.
H. accompanies you, we should be glad to see her also.
I hope that in the meeting about to take place in Cambridge there will
be less of mutual flattery among the men of science than appeared in
that of the last year at Oxford. Men of science in England seem, indeed,
to copy their fellows in France, by stepping too much out of their way
for titles, and baubles of that kind, and for offices of state and
political struggles, which they would do better to keep out of.
With kindest regards to yourself and Mrs. H., and to your sisters,
believe me ever,
My dear Mr. H.,
Faithfully yours,
W.W.[134]
[134] _Memoirs_, ii. 276-7, with important additions from the original.
87. _Of 'Elia:' Miss Wordsworth_.
LETTER TO CHARLES LAMB, ESQ.
Rydal Mount [Friday, May 17. 1833, or thereabouts].
MY DEAR LAMB,
I have to thank you and Moxon for a delightful volume, your last (I hope
not) of 'Elia.' I have read it all except some of the 'Popular
Fallacies,' which I reserve.... The book has much pleased the whole of
my family, viz. my wife, daughter, Miss Hutchinson, and my poor dear
sister, on her sick bed; they all return their best thanks. I am not
sure but I like the 'Old China,' and the 'Wedding,' as well as any of
the Essays. I read 'Love me and my Dog' to my poor sister this morning.
* * * * *
I have been thus particular, knowing how much you and your dear sister
value this excellent person, whose tenderness of heart I do not honestly
believe was ever exceeded by any of God's creatures. Her loving-kindness
has no bounds. God bless her for ever and ever! Again thanking you for
your excellent book, and wishing to know how you and your dear sister
are, with best love to you both from us all,
I remain, my dear Lamb,
Your faithful friend,
W. WORDSWORTH.[135]
88. _'Specimens of English Sonnets:' Criticisms, &c._
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
[No date to this Letter, but written in 1833.]
MY DEAR SIR,
The dedication[136] which you propose I shall esteem as an honour; nor
do I conceive upon what ground, but an over-scrupulous modesty, I could
object to it.
[135] _Memoirs_, ii. 277-8.
[136] I had requested permission to dedicate a little book, _Specimens
of English Sonnets_, to Mr. W. _A.D._
Be assured that Mr. Southey will not have the slightest unwillingness to
your making any use you think proper of his 'Memoir of Bampfylde:' I
shall not fail to mention the subject to him upon the first opportunity.
You propose to give specimens of the best _sonnet-writers_ in our
language. May I ask if by this be meant a selection of the _best
sonnets, best_ both as to _kind_ and _degree_? A sonnet may be excellent
in its kind, but that kind of very inferior interest to one of a higher
order, though not perhaps in every minute particular quite so well
executed, and from the pen of a writer of inferior genius. It should
seem that the best rule to follow would be, first, to pitch upon the
sonnets which are best _both_ in kind and perfectness of execution, and,
next, those which, although of a humbler quality, are admirable for the
finish and happiness of the execution, taking care to exclude all those
which have not one or other of these recommendations, however striking
they might be, as characteristic of the age in which the author lived,
or some peculiarity of his manner. The 10th sonnet of Donne, beginning
'Death, be not proud,' is so eminently characteristic of his manner, and
at the same time so weighty in the thought, and vigorous in the
expression, that I would entreat you to insert it, though to modern
taste it may be repulsive, quaint, and laboured. There are two sonnets
of Russell, which, in all probability, you may have noticed, 'Could,
then, the babes,' and the one upon Philoctetes, the last six lines of
which are first-rate. Southey's 'Sonnet to Winter' pleases me much; but,
above all, among modern writers, that of Sir Egerton Brydges, upon 'Echo
and Silence.' Miss Williams's 'Sonnet upon Twilight' is pleasing; that
upon 'Hope' of great merit.
Do you mean to have a short preface upon the construction of the sonnet?
Though I have written so many, I have scarcely made up my own mind upon
the subject. It should seem that the sonnet, like every other legitimate
composition, ought to have a beginning, a middle, and an end; in other
words, to consist of three parts, like the three propositions of a
syllogism, if such an illustration may be used. But the frame of metre
adopted by the Italians does not accord with this view; and, as adhered
to by them, it seems to be, if not arbitrary, best fitted to a division
of the sense into two parts, of eight and six lines each. Milton,
however, has not submitted to this; in the better half of his sonnets
the sense does not close with the rhyme at the eighth line, but
overflows into the second portion of the metre. Now it has struck me
that this is not done merely to gratify the ear by variety and freedom
of sound, but also to aid in giving that pervading sense of intense
unity in which the excellence of the sonnet has always seemed to me
mainly to consist. Instead of looking at this composition as a piece of
architecture, making a whole out of three parts, I have been much in the
habit of preferring the image of an orbicular body,--a sphere, or a
dew-drop. All this will appear to you a little fanciful; and I am well
aware that a sonnet will often be found excellent, where the beginning,
the middle, and the end are distinctly marked, and also where it is
distinctly separated into _two_ parts, to which, as I before observed,
the strict Italian model, as they write it, is favourable. Of this last
construction of sonnet, Russell's upon 'Philoctetes' is a fine specimen;
the first eight lines give the hardship of the case, the six last the
consolation, or the _per-contra_.
Ever faithfully
Your much obliged friend and servant,
W. WORDSWORTH.
P.S. In the case of the Cumberland poet, I overlooked a most pathetic
circumstance. While he was lying under the tree, and his friends were
saving what they could from the flames, he desired them to bring out the
box that contained his papers, if possible. A person went back for it,
but the bottom dropped out, and the papers fell into the flames and were
consumed. Immediately upon hearing this, the poor old man expired.[137]
89. _The Poems of Lady Winchelsea, Skelton, &c._
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
Lowther Castle, Sept. 23 [qu. Aug. 1833.
No date of the Year.]
MY DEAR SIR,
I have put off replying to your obliging letter till I could procure a
frank; as I had little more to say than to thank you for your attention
to Lady Winchelsea,[138] and for the extracts you sent me.
[137] _Memoirs_, ii. 278-81.
[138] _i.e._ To Mr. W.'s request that I would, if possible, furnish him
with some particulars about her. _A.D._
I expected to find at this place my friend, Lady Frederick Bentinck,
through whom I intended to renew my request for materials, if any exist,
among the Finch family, whether manuscript poems, or anything else that
would be interesting; but Lady F., unluckily, is not likely to be in
Westmoreland. I shall, however, write to her. Without some additional
materials, I think I should scarcely feel strong enough to venture upon
any species of publication connected with this very interesting woman,
notwithstanding the kind things you say of the value of my critical
remarks.
I am glad you have taken Skelton in hand, and much wish I could be of
any use to you. In regard to his life, I am certain of having read
somewhere (I thought it was in Burns's 'History of Cumberland and
Westmoreland,' but I am mistaken), that Skelton was born at Branthwaite
Hall, in the county of Cumberland. Certain it is that a family of that
name possessed the place for many generations; and I own it would give
me some pleasure to make out that Skelton was a brother Cumbrian.
Branthwaite Hall is about six miles from Cockermouth, my native place.
Tickell (of the _Spectator_), one of the best of our minor poets, as
Johnson has truly said, was born within two miles of the same town.
These are mere accidents, it is true, but I am foolish enough to attach
some interest to them.
If it would be more agreeable to you, I would mention your views in
respect to Skelton to Mr. Southey: I should have done so before, but it
slipped my memory when I saw him. Mr. Southey is undoubtedly much
engaged, but I cannot think that he would take ill a letter from you on
any literary subject. At all events, I shall, in a few days, mention
your intention of editing Skelton, and ask if he has anything to
suggest.
I meditate a little tour in Scotland this autumn, my principal object
being to visit Sir Walter Scott; but as I take my daughter along with
me, we probably shall go to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and take a peep at the
western Highlands. This will not bring us near Aberdeen.[139] If it
suited you to return to town by the Lakes, I should be truly glad to see
you at Rydal Mount, near Ambleside. You might, at all events, call on
Mr. Southey in your way; I would prepare an introduction for you, by
naming your intention to Mr. S. I have added this, because my Scotch
tour would, I fear, make it little likely that I should be at home about
the 10th September. Your return, however, may be deferred.
Believe me, my dear Sir,
Very respectfully, your obliged,
W. WORDSWORTH.
P.S. I hope your health continues good. I assure you there was no want
of interest in your conversation on that or any other account.[140]
[139] Where I then was. _A.D._
[140] _Memoirs_, ii. 281-3.
90. _'Popularity' of Poetry_.
LETTER TO E. MOXON, ESQ.
Lowther Castle, Westmoreland, Aug. 1833.
MY DEAR MR. MOXON,
* * * * *
There does not appear to be much genuine relish for poetical
publications in Cumberland, if I may judge from the fact of not a copy
of my poems having been sold there by one of the leading booksellers,
though Cumberland is my native county. Byron and Scott are, I am
persuaded, the only _popular_ writers in that line,--perhaps the word
ought rather to be that they are _fashionable_ writers.
My poor sister is something better in health. Pray remember me very
affectionately to Charles Lamb, and to his dear sister, if she be in a
state to receive such communications from her friends. I hope Mr. Rogers
is well; give my kindest regards to him also.
Ever, my dear Mr. Moxon,
Faithfully yours,
W. WORDSWORTH.[141]
91. _Sonnets, and less-known female Poets: Hartley Coleridge, &c._
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE. /$ Rydal Mount, Dec. 4. 1833.
MY DEAR SIR, $/
Your elegant volume of Sonnets,[142] which you did me the honour to
dedicate to me, was received a few months after the date of the
accompanying letter; and the copy for Mr. Southey was forwarded
immediately, as you may have learned long ago, by a letter from himself.
Supposing you might not be returned from Scotland, I have deferred
offering my thanks for this mark of your attention: and about the time
when I should otherwise probably have written, I was seized with an
inflammation in my eyes, from the _effects_ of which I am not yet so far
recovered as to make it prudent for me to use them in writing or
reading.[143]
[141] _Memoirs_, ii. 283.
[142] _Specimens of English Sonnets. A.D._
[143] This letter is in the handwriting of Miss D. Wordsworth, but
signed by Mr. W. _A.D._
The selection of sonnets appears to me to be very judicious. If I were
inclined to make an exception, it would be in the single case of the
sonnet of Coleridge upon 'Schiller,' which is too much of a rant for my
taste. The one by him upon 'Linley's Music' is much superior in
execution; indeed, as a strain of feeling, and for unity of effect, it
is very happily done. I was glad to see Mr. Southey's 'Sonnet to
Winter.' A lyrical poem of my own, upon the disasters of the French army
in Russia, has so striking a resemblance to it, in contemplating winter
under two aspects, that, in justice to Mr. Southey, who preceded me, I
ought to have acknowledged it in a note; and I shall do so upon some
future occasion.
How do you come on with Skelton? And is there any prospect of a new
edition of your _Specimens of British Poetesses_? If I could get at the
original works of the elder poetesses, such as the Duchess of Newcastle,
Mrs. Behn, Orinda, &c., I should be happy to assist you with my judgment
in such a publication, which, I think, might be made still more
interesting than this first edition, especially if more matter were
crowded into a page. The two volumes of _Poems by Eminent Ladies_, Helen
Maria Williams's works, Mrs. Smith's Sonnets, and Lady Winchelsea's
Poems, form the scanty materials which I possess for assisting such a
publication.
It is a remarkable thing, that the two best ballads, perhaps, of modern
times, viz. 'Auld Robin Grey' and the 'Lament for the Defeat of the
Scots at Flodden-field,' are both from the pens of females.
I shall be glad to hear that your health is improved, and your spirits
good, so that the world may continue to be benefited by your judicious
and tasteful labours.
Pray let me hear from you at your leisure; and believe me, dear Sir,
Very faithfully yours,
W. WORDSWORTH.
P.S. It is a pity that Mr. Hartley Coleridge's Sonnets had not been
published before your Collection was made, as there are several well
worthy of a place in it. Last midsummer I made a fortnight's tour in the
Isle of Man, Staffa, Iona, &c., which produced between thirty and forty
sonnets, some of which, I think, would please you.
Could not you contrive to take the Lakes in your way, sometimes, to or
from Scotland? I need not say how glad I should be to see you for a few
days.
What a pity that Mr. Heber's wonderful collection of books is about to
be dispersed![144]
[144] _Memoirs_, ii. 284-6.
92. _Proposed Dedication of Poems to Wordsworth_.
LETTER TO MRS. HEMANS.
Rydal Mount, April 1834.
MY DEAR MRS. HEMANS,
* * * * *
You have submitted what you intended as a dedication of your poems to
me. I need scarcely say that, as a _private letter_, such expressions
from such a quarter could not have been received by me but with pleasure
of _no ordinary kind_, unchecked by any consideration but the fear that
my writings were overrated by you, and my character thought better of
than it deserved. But I must say, that a _public_ testimony, in so high
a strain of admiration, is what I cannot but shrink from: be this
modesty true or false, it is in me; you must bear with it, and make
allowance for it. And, therefore, as you have submitted the whole to my
judgment, I am emboldened to express a wish that you would, instead of
this dedication, in which your warm and kind heart has overpowered you,
simply inscribe them to me, with such expression of respect or gratitude
as would come within the limits of the rule which, after what has been
said above, will naturally suggest itself. Of course, if the sheet has
been struck off, I must hope that my shoulders may become a little more
Atlantean than I now feel them to be.
My sister is not quite so well. She, Mrs. W., and Dora, all unite with
me in best wishes and kindest remembrances to yourself and yours; and
Believe me, dear Mrs. Hemans,
To remain faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[145]
[145] _Memoirs_, ii. 286-7.
93. _Verse-Attempts_.
LETTER TO LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR WM. M. GOMM.
Rydal Mount, April 16. 1834.
MY DEAR SIR,
Your verses, for which I sincerely thank you, are an additional proof of
the truth which forced from me, many years ago, the exclamation, 'O,
many are the poets that are sown by nature!'[146] The rest of that
paragraph also has some bearing upon your position in the poetical
world. The thoughts and images through both the poems, and the feelings
also, are eminently such as become their several subjects; but it would
be insincerity were I to omit adding, that there is here and there a
want of that skill in _workmanship_, which I believe nothing but
continued practice in the art can bestow. I have used the word _art_,
from a conviction, which I am called upon almost daily to express, that
poetry is infinitely more of an art than the world is disposed to
believe. Nor is this any dishonour to it; both for the reason that the
poetic faculty is not rarely bestowed, and for this cause, also, that
men would not be disposed to ascribe so much to inspiration, if they did
not feel how near and dear to them poetry is.
[146] _Excursion_, book i.
With sincere regards and best wishes to yourself and Lady Gomm,
Believe me to be very sincerely yours,
W. WORDSWORTH.[147]
[147] _Memoirs_, ii. 287-8.
94. _The Poems of Mrs. Hemans_.
LETTER TO MRS. HEMANS.
Rydal Mount, Sept. 1834.
MY DEAR MRS. HEMANS,
I avail myself gladly of the opportunity of Mr. Graves's return, to
acknowledge the honour you have done me in prefixing my name to your
volume of beautiful poems, and to thank you for the copy you have sent
me with your own autograph. Where there is so much to admire, it is
difficult to select; and therefore I shall content myself with naming
only two or three pieces. And, first, let me particularise the piece
that stands second in the volume, 'Flowers and Music in a Sick Room.'
This was especially touching to me, on my poor sister's account, who has
long been an invalid, confined almost to her chamber. The feelings are
sweetly touched throughout this poem, and the imagery very beautiful;
above all, in the passage where you describe the colour of the petals of
the wild rose. This morning, I have read the stanzas upon 'Elysium' with
great pleasure. You have admirably expanded the thought of
Chateaubriand. If we had not been disappointed in our expected pleasure
of seeing you here, I should have been tempted to speak of many other
passages and poems with which I have been delighted.
Your health, I hope,[148] is by this time reÎstablished. Your son,
Charles, looks uncommonly well, and we have had the pleasure of seeing
him and his friends several times; but as you are aware, we are much
engaged with visitors at this season of the year, so as not always to be
able to follow our inclinations as to whom we would wish to see. I
cannot conclude without thanking you for your Sonnet upon a place so
dear to me as Grasmere: it is worthy of the subject. With kindest
remembrances, in which unite Mrs. W., my sister, and Dora, I remain,
dear Mrs. Hemans,
Your much obliged friend,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
I have written very hastily to spare my eyes; a liberty which you will
excuse.[149]
[148] This hope, alas! was not realised. Mrs. Hemans died in the
following year, May 16, 1835.
[149] _Memoirs_, ii. 291-2.
95. _Of the Church of England, &c._
LETTER TO THE VENERABLE ARCHDEACON WRANGHAM.
Rydal Mount, Feb. 2. 1835.
MY DEAR WRANGHAM,
Sincere thanks are due from me for the attention you paid to Mrs. W.'s
letter, written during my absence. You know the favourable opinion I
entertain of Mr. Graves; and I was under a promise to let him know, if
any vacancy occurred in the neighbourhood, and to do all I could,
without infringing upon prior or stronger claims, to promote the
attainment of his wishes.
* * * * *
The mind of every thinking man who is attached to the Church of England
must at this time be especially turned to reflections upon all points of
ecclesiastical polity, government, and management, which may tend to
strengthen the Establishment in the affections of the people, and
enlarge the sphere of its efficiency. It cannot, then, I feel, be
impertinent in me, though a layman, to express upon this occasion my
satisfaction, qualified as it is by what has been said above, in
finding from this instance that our diocesan is unwilling to station
clergymen in cures with which they are locally connected. Some years
ago, when the present Bishop of London, then of Chester, was residing in
this neighbourhood, I took the liberty of strenuously recommending to
him not to ordain young men to curacies where they had been brought up,
or in the midst of their own relatives. I had seen too much of the
mischief of this, especially as affecting the functions and characters
of ministers born and bred up in the lower classes of society. It has
been painful to me to observe the false position, as the French would
call it, in which men so placed are. Their habits, their manners, and
their talk, their acquaintanceships, their friendships, and, let me say,
their domestic affections, naturally and properly draw them one way,
while their professional obligations point out another; and,
accordingly, if they are sensible of both, they live in a perpetual
conflict, and are liable to be taxed with pride and ingratitude, as
seeming to neglect their old friends, when they only associate with them
with that reserve, and under those restraints, which their sacred
profession enjoins. If, on the other hand, they fall into unrestrained
familiarity with the associates of their earlier life and boyish days,
how injurious to their ministry such intercourse would be, must flash
upon every man's mind whose thoughts have turned for a moment to the
subject. Allow me to add a word upon the all-important matter of
testimonials. The case of the Rector of ---- and of ---- presses it
closely upon my mind. Had the individuals who signed those documents
been fitly impressed with the awfullness of the act they were about to
engage in, they could not have undertaken it.... Would it not be a good
plan for bishops to exclude testimonials from relatives and near
connections? It is painful to notice what a tendency there is in men's
minds to allow even a slight call of private regard to outweigh a very
strong claim of duty to the public, and not less in sacred concerns than
in civil.
Your hands, my dear friend, have failed, as well as my eyes, so that we
are neither of us in very flourishing trim for active correspondence: be
assured, however, I participate the feelings you express. Last year has
robbed me of Coleridge, of Charles Lamb, James Losh, Rudd, of Trinity,
Fleming, just gone, and other schoolfellows and contemporaries. I cannot
forget that Shakspeare, who scarcely survived fifty (I am now near the
close of my sixty-fifth year), wrote,
'In me that time of life thou dost behold,
When yellow leaves, or few, or none, do hang
Upon the bough.'
How much more reason have we to break out into such a strain! Let me
hear from you from time to time; I shall feel a lively interest in all
that concerns you. I remain faithfully yours,
W.W.[150]
[150] _Memoirs_, ii. 292-4.
96. _Of 'The Omnipresence of the Deity,' &c._
LETTER TO THE REV. ROBERT MONTGOMERY.
Feb. 1835.
MY DEAR SIR,
On my return home, after an absence of some length, I have had the
pleasure of receiving your two volumes.
* * * * *
With your 'Omnipresence of the Deity'[151] I was acquainted long ago,
having read it and other parts of your writings with much pleasure,
though with some abatement, such as you yourself seem sufficiently aware
of, and which, in the works of so young a writer, were by me gently
judged, and in many instances regarded, though in themselves faults, as
indications of future excellence. In your letter, for which also I thank
you, you allude to your Preface, and desire to know if my opinion
concurs with yours on the subject of sacred poetry. That Preface has
been read to me, and I can answer in the affirmative; but at the same
time allow me frankly to tell you that what _most_ pleased me in that
able composition is to be found in the few concluding paragraphs,
beginning 'It is now seven years since,' &c.
[151] Mr. Montgomery informed the (now) Bishop of Lincoln that 'this
poem when forwarded to Wordsworth was not in the condition in which it
is now, but that it had been almost rewritten, and was also his earliest
poem--composed when he was nineteen.' G.
* * * * *
I cannot conclude without one word of literary advice, which I hope you
will deem my advanced age entitles me to give. Do not, my dear Sir, be
anxious about any individual's opinion concerning your writings, however
highly you may think of his genius or rate his judgment. Be a severe
critic to yourself; and depend upon it no person's decision upon the
merit of your works will bear comparison in point of value with your
own. You must be conscious from what feeling they have flowed, and how
far they may or may not be allowed to claim, on that account, permanent
respect; and, above all, I would remind you, with a view to tranquillise
and steady your mind, that no man takes the trouble of surveying and
pondering another's writings with a hundredth part of the care which an
author of sense and genius will have bestowed upon his own. Add to this
reflection another, which I press upon you, as it has supported me
through life, viz. that Posterity will settle all accounts justly, and
that works which deserve to last will last; and if undeserving this
fate, the sooner they perish the better.
Believe me to be faithfully,
Your much obliged,
W. WORDSWORTH.[152]
[152] _Memoirs, ii_. 294-6.
97. _A new Church at Cockermouth_.
LETTER TO JAMES STANGER, ESQ.
MY DEAR SIR,
The obstacle arising out of conflicting opinions in regard to the
patronage, one must be prepared for in every project of this kind.
Mutual giving-way is indispensable, and I hope it will not ultimately be
wanting in this case.
The point immediately to be attended to is the raising a sufficient sum
to insure from the Church Building Societies a portion of the surplus
fund which they have at command, and which I know, on account of claims
from many places, they are anxious to apply as speedily as possible. If
time be lost, that sum will be lost to Cockermouth.
In the question of the patronage as between the bishop and the people, I
entirely concur with you in preference of the former. Such is now the
force of public opinion, that bishops are not likely to present upon
merely selfish considerations; and if the judgment of one be not good,
that of his successor may make amends, and probably will. But elections
of this sort, when vested in the inhabitants, have, as far as my
experience goes, given rise to so many cabals and manoeuvres, and caused
such enmities and heart-burnings, that Christian charity has been
driven out of sight by them: and how often, and how soon, have the
successful party been seen to repent of their own choice!
The course of public affairs being what it is in respect to the Church,
I cannot reconcile myself to delay from a hope of succeeding at another
time. If we can get a new church erected at Cockermouth, great will be
the benefit, with the blessing of God, to that place; and our success
cannot, I trust, but excite some neighbouring places to follow the
example.
The little that I can do in my own sphere shall be attempted
immediately, with especial view to insure the cooperation of the
societies. Happy should I be if you and other gentlemen would
immediately concur in this endeavour.
I remain, &c.
WM. WORDSWORTH.[153]
98. _Of the Same_.
Rydal Mount, Jan. 1836.
MY DEAR C----,
Now let me tell you, but more for your father's sake than yours, that in
a letter which I received from Lord Lonsdale yesterday he generously
proposes to endow a new church at Cockermouth with 150_l._ per annum.
From a conversation with him in the autumn, I expected he would do as
much, though he did not then permit me, as he has done now, to mention
it publicly.[154]
99. _Classic Scenes: Holy Land_.
We often think with much interest of your sister Eliza, and with a
thousand good wishes that her bold adventure may turn out well. If she
finds herself at liberty to move about, her sensitive, imaginative, and
thoughtful mind cannot but be profitably excited and substantially
enriched by what she will see in that most interesting part of the world
(Smyrna, and the coast of Asia Minor). How should I like, old as I am,
to visit those classic shores and the Holy Land, with all its
remembrances so sweet and solemn![155]
[153] _Memoirs_, ii. 296-7.
[154] Extract: _Memoirs_, ii. 298.
[155] Extract of letter to Sir W.R. Hamilton, Dublin, Jan. 11, 1836.
Here first printed.
100. _American Edition of Poems, &c_ LETTER TO PROFESSOR HENRY REED, OF
PHILADELPHIA.
London, August 19 [1837].
My Dear Sir,
Upon returning from a tour of several months upon the Continent, I find
two letters from you awaiting my arrival, along with the edition of my
Poems you have done me the honour of editing. To begin with the former
letter, April 25, 1836: It gives me concern that you should have thought
it necessary (not to _apologise_, for that you have not done, but) to
explain at length why you addressed me in the language of affectionate
regard. It must surely be gratifying to one, whose aim as an author has
been the hearts of his fellow-creatures of all ranks and in all
stations, to find that he has succeeded in any quarter; and still more
must he be gratified to learn that he has pleased in a distant country
men of simple habits and cultivated taste, who are at the same time
widely acquainted with literature. Your second letter, accompanying the
edition of the Poems, I have read, but unluckily have it not before me.
It was lent to Serjeant Talfourd, on account of the passage in it that
alludes to the possible and desirable establishment of English copyright
in America. I shall now hasten to notice the edition which you have
superintended of my Poems. This I can do with much pleasure, as the
book, which has been shown to several persons of taste, Mr. Rogers in
particular, is allowed to be far the handsomest specimen of printing in
double columns which they have seen. Allow me to thank you for the pains
you have bestowed upon the work. Do not apprehend that any difference in
our several arrangements of the poems can be of much importance; you
appear to understand me far too well for that to be possible. I have
only to regret, in respect to this volume, that it should have been
published before my last edition, in the correction of which I took
great pains, as my last labour in that way, and which moreover contains
several additional pieces. It may be allowed me also to express a hope
that such a law will be passed ere long by the American legislature, as
will place English authors in general upon a better footing in America
than at present they have obtained, and that the protection of copyright
between the two countries will be reciprocal. The vast circulation of
English works in America offers a temptation for hasty and incorrect
printing; and that same vast circulation would, without adding to the
price of each copy of an English work in a degree that could be grudged
or thought injurious by any purchaser, allow an American remuneration,
which might add considerably to the comforts of English authors, who may
be in narrow circumstances, yet who at the same time may have written
solely from honourable motives. Besides, Justice is the foundation on
which both law and practice ought to rest.
Having many letters to write on returning to England after so long an
absence, I regret that I must be so brief on the present occasion. I
cannot conclude, however, without assuring you that the acknowledgments
which I receive from the vast continent of America are among the most
grateful that reach me. What a vast field is there open to the English
mind, acting through our noble language! Let us hope that our authors of
true genius will not be unconscious of that thought, or inattentive to
the duty which it imposes upon them, of doing their utmost to instruct,
to purify, and to elevate their readers. That such may be my own
endeavour through the short time I shall have to remain in this world,
is a prayer in which I am sure you and your life's partner will join me.
Believe me gratefully,
Your much obliged friend,
W. WORDSWORTH.[156]
101. _Of the Poems of Quillinan, and Revision of his own Poems_.
LETTER TO EDWARD QUILLINAN, ESQ.
Brinsop Court, Sept. 20. 1837.
MY DEAR MR. QUILLINAN,
We are heartily glad to learn from your letter, just received, that, in
all probability, by this time, you must have left the unhappy country in
which you have been so long residing. I should not have been sorry if
you had entered a little more into Peninsular politics; for what is
going on there is shocking to humanity, and one would be glad to see
anything like an opening for the termination of these unnatural
troubles.
[156] _Memoirs_, ii. 344-6.
The position of the Miguelites, relatively to the conflicting, so
called, liberal parties, is just what I apprehended, and expressed very
lately to Mr. Robinson....
He came down with us to Hereford with a view to a short tour on the
banks of the Wye, which has been prevented by an unexpected attack of my
old complaint of inflammation in the eye; and in consequence of this,
Dora will accompany me home, with a promise on her part of returning to
London before the month of October is out. Our places are taken in
to-morrow's coach for Liverpool; so that, since we must be disappointed
of seeing you and Jemima here, we trust that you will come on to Rydal
from Leeds. This very day Dora had read to me your poem again: it
convinces me, along with your other writings, that it is in your power
to attain a permanent place among the poets of England. Your thoughts,
feelings, knowledge, and judgment in style, and skill in metre, entitle
you to it; and, if you have not yet succeeded in gaining it, the cause
appears to me merely to lie in the subjects which you have chosen. It is
worthy of note how much of Gray's popularity is owing to the happiness
with which his subject is selected in three places, his 'Hymn to
Adversity,' his 'Ode on the distant Prospect of Eton College,' and his
'Elegy.' I ought, however, in justice to you, to add, that one cause of
your failure appears to have been thinking too humbly of yourself, so
that you have not reckoned it worth while to look sufficiently round you
for the best subjects, or to employ as much time in reflecting,
condensing, bringing out and placing your thoughts and feelings in the
best point of view as is necessary. I will conclude this matter of
poetry and my part of the letter, with requesting that, as an act of
friendship, at your convenience, you would take the trouble--a
considerable one, I own--of comparing the corrections in my last edition
with the text in the preceding one. You know my principles of style
better, I think, than any one else; and I should be glad to learn if
anything strikes you as being altered for the worse. You will find the
principal changes are in 'The White Doe,' in which I had too little of
the benefit of your help and judgment. There are several also in the
Sonnets, both miscellaneous and political: in the other poems they are
nothing like so numerous; but here also I should be glad if you would
take the like trouble. Jemima, I am sure, will be pleased to assist you
in the comparison, by reading, new or old, as you may think fit. With
love to her, I remain,
My dear Mr. Quillinan,
Faithfully yours,
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.[157]
102. _On a Tour_.
LETTER TO THE EARL OF LONSDALE.
After having had excellent health during my long ramble [in
Herefordshire], it is unfortunate that I should thus be disabled at the
conclusion. The mischief came to me in Herefordshire, whither I had gone
on my way home to see my brother-in-law, who, by his horse falling with
him some time ago, was left without the use of his limbs.
I was lately a few days with Mr. Rogers, at Broadstairs, and also with
the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Addington Park; they were both well,
and I was happy to see the Archbishop much stronger than his slender and
almost feeble appearance would lead one to expect. We walked up and down
in the park for three hours one day, and nearly four the next, without
his seeming to be the least fatigued. I mention this as we must all feel
the value of his life in this state of public affairs.
The cholera prevented us getting as far as Naples, which was the only
disappointment we met with. As a man of letters I have to regret that
this most interesting tour was not made by me earlier in life, as I
might have turned the notices it has supplied me with to more account
than I now expect to do. With respectful remembrances to Lady Lonsdale,
and to your Lordship, in which Mrs. W. unites,
I remain, my dear Lord, faithfully,
Your much obliged servant,
WM. WORDSWORTH,[158]
[157] _Memoirs_, ii. 347-8.
[158] _Ibid._ ii. 349.
103. _Of Bentley and Akenside_.
LETTER TO THE REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.
Dec. 23. 1837.
MY DEAR SIR,
I have just received your valuable present of Bentley's works, for
which accept my cordial thanks, as also for the leaf to be added to
Akenside.
Is it recorded in your Memoir of Akenside,--for I have not leisure nor
eyesight at present to look,--that he was fond of sitting in St. James's
Park with his eyes upon Westminster Abbey? This, I am sure, I have
either read or heard of him; and I imagine that it was from Mr. Rogers.
I am not unfrequently a visitor on Hampstead Heath, and seldom pass by
the entrance of Mr. Dyson's villa on Goulder's Hill, close by, without
thinking of the pleasure which Akenside often had there.
I cannot call to mind a reason why you should not think some passages in
'The Power of Sound' equal to anything I have produced. When first
printed in the 'Yarrow Revisited,' I placed it at the end of the volume,
and, in the last edition of my Poems, at the close of the Poems of
Imagination, indicating thereby my _own_ opinion of it.
How much do I regret that I have neither learning nor eyesight
thoroughly to enjoy Bentley's masterly 'Dissertation upon the Epistles
of Phalaris'! Many years ago I read the work with infinite pleasure. As
far as I know, or rather am able to judge, it is without a rival in that
department of literature; a work of which the English nation may be
proud as long as acute intellect, and vigorous powers, and profound
scholarship shall be esteemed in the world.
Let me again repeat my regret that in passing to and from Scotland you
have never found it convenient to visit this part of the country. I
should be delighted to see you, and I am sure Mr. Southey would be the
same: and in his house you would find an inexhaustible collection of
books, many curious no doubt; but his classical library is much the
least valuable part of it. The death of his excellent wife was a
deliverance for herself and the whole family, so great had been her
sufferings of mind and body.
You do not say a word about Skelton; and I regret much your
disappointment in respect of Middleton.
I remain, my dear Sir,
Faithfully, your much obliged,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[159]
[159] _Memoirs_, ii. 350-1.
104. _Presidency of Royal Dublin Society: Patronage of Genius: Canons of
Criticism: Family News_.
LETTER TO SIR WILLIAM R. HAMILTON.
Rydal Mount, Dec. 21 [1837].
MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM,
The papers had informed me of the honour conferred upon you, and I was
intending to congratulate you on the occasion, when your letter arrived.
The electors have done great credit to themselves by appointing you, and
not a little by rejecting the ultra-liberal Archbishop, and that by so
decided a majority. We are much pleased that your sister, who we
conclude is well, has sent her Poems to press, and wish they may obtain
the attention we are sure they will merit. Your own two Sonnets, for
which I thank you, we read, that is Mrs. W. and myself (Dora is in the
South), with interest. But to the main purport of your letter. You pay
me an undeserved compliment in requesting my opinion, how you could best
promote some of the benefits which the Society, at whose head you are
placed, aims at. As to patronage, you are right in supposing that I hold
it in little esteem for helping genius forward in the fine arts,
especially those whose medium is words. Sculpture and painting _may_ be
helped by it; but even in those departments there is much to be dreaded.
The French have established an Academy at Rome upon an extensive scale;
and so far from doing good, I was told by every one that it had done
much harm. The plan is this: they select the most distinguished students
from the school or academy at Paris and send them to Rome, with handsome
stipends, by which they are tempted into idleness, and of course into
vice. So that it looks like a contrivance for preventing the French
nation and the world at large profiting by the genius which nature may
have bestowed, and which left to itself would in some cases, perhaps,
have prospered. The principal, I was indeed told the only, condition
imposed upon these students is, that each of them send annually some
work of his hands to Paris. When at Rome, I saw a good deal of English
artists. They seemed to be living happily and doing well, tho', as you
are aware, the public patronage any of them receive is trifling.
Genius in poetry, or any department of what is called the Belles
Lettres, is much more likely to be cramped than fostered by public
support: better wait to reward those who have done their work, tho' even
here national rewards are not necessary, unless the labourers be, if not
in poverty, at least in narrow circumstances. Let the laws be but just
to them and they will be sure of attaining competence, if they have not
misjudged their own talents or misapplied them.
The cases of Chatterton, Burns, and others, might, it should seem, be
urged against the conclusion that help beforehand is not required; but I
do think that in the temperament of the two I have mentioned there was
something which, however favourable had been their circumstances,
however much they had been encouraged and supported, would have brought
on their ruin. As to what Patronage can do in Science, discoveries in
Physics, mechanic arts, &c., you know far better than I can pretend to
do.
As to 'better canons of criticism and general improvement of scholars,'
I really, speaking without affectation, am so little of a Critic or
Scholar, that it would be presumptuous in me to _write_ upon the subject
to you. If we were together and you should honour me by asking my
opinion upon particular points, that would be a very different thing,
and I might have something to say not wholly without value. But where
could I begin with so comprehensive an argument, and how could I put
into the compass of a letter my thoughts, such as they may be, with
anything like order? It is somewhat mortifying to me to disappoint you.
You must upon reflection I trust perceive, that in attempting to comply
with your wish I should only lose myself in a wilderness. I have been
applied to to give lectures upon Poetry in a public institution in
London, but I was conscious that I was neither competent to the office,
nor the public prepared to receive what I should have felt it my duty to
say, however [inadequately?].
I have [had] a very pleasant and not profitless tour on the Continent,
tho' with one great drawback, the being obliged on account of the
cholera to return without seeing Naples and its neighbourhood. Had it
not been for the state of my eyes, which became inflamed after I got
back to England, I should have been able to take Liverpool in my way
home, at the time you were there. The attack continued for a long time,
and has left a weakness in the organ which does not yet allow me either
to read or write; but with care I hope to come about.
My sister continues in the same enfeebled state of mind and body. Mrs.
W. is well; but your godson, we hear, is suffering from derangement of
the stomach, so that at present he is not a thriving child, but his
elder brother is now remarkably so, and he about the same age was
subject to the same trials. We trust that your little family are all
flourishing, and with our united affectionate regards believe me,
faithfully,
Dear Sir W., yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
I am sorry that I cannot send this thro' Lord Northampton, because he
tells me he is coming northward.[160]
[160] Here first printed. G.
105. _Prose-writing: Coleridge: Royal Dublin Society: Select Minds:
Copyright: Private Affairs_.
LETTER TO SIR WILLIAM R. HAMILTON.
Rydal Mount, Jan. 4. 1838.
MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM,
From a hope of something starting up in my mind which might prevent my
letter being an utter disappointment, I have not answered yours, as I
wished to do, by return of post. But I am really still as much at a loss
how to make my letter worth reading as if I had replied immediately.
Allow me, however, to thank you for your last, which has completely done
away with the vagueness of the former; I now distinctly understand you,
and as to one of your leading points, viz. availing myself of
publication through your Society, I may say that if there had been among
my papers anything of the kind you wish for, I should have gladly
forwarded it to you. But it is not so, nor dare I undertake to promise
anything of the kind for the future. Though prevailed upon by Mr.
Coleridge to write the first Preface to my Poems, which tempted, or
rather forced, me to add a supplement to it, and induced by my
friendship for him to write the Essay upon Epitaphs now appended to 'The
Excursion,' but first composed for 'The Friend,' I have never felt
inclined to write criticism, though I have talked, and am daily talking,
a great deal. If I were several years younger, out of friendship to you
mainly, I would sit down to the task of giving a body to my notions
upon the essentials of Poetry; a subject which could not be properly
treated, without adverting to the other branches of fine art. But at
present, with so much before me that I could wish to do in verse, and
the melancholy fact brought daily more and more home to my conviction,
that intellectual labour, by its action on the brain and nervous system,
is injurious to the bodily powers, and especially to my eyesight, I
should only be deceiving myself and misleading you, were I to encourage
a hope that, much as I could wish to be your fellow-labourer, however
humbly, I shall ever become so.
Having disposed of this rather painful part of the subject of your
letter, let me say, that though it is principally matters of science in
which publication through your Society would be serviceable, and indeed
in that department eminently so, I concur with you in thinking, that the
same vehicle would be useful for bringing under the notice of the
thinking part of the community critical essays of too abstract a
character to be fit for popularity. There are obviously, even in
criticism, two ways of affecting the minds of men--the one by treating
the matter so as to carry it immediately to the sympathies of the many;
and the other, by aiming at a few select and superior minds, that might
each become a centre for illustrating it in a popular way. Mr.
Coleridge, whom you allude to, acted upon the world to a great extent
thro' the latter of these processes; and there cannot be a doubt that
your Society might serve the cause of just thinking and pure taste
should you, as president of it, hold up to view the desirableness of
first conveying to a few, thro' that channel, reflections upon
literature and art, which, if well meditated, would be sure of winning
their way directly, or in their indirect results to a gradually widening
circle.
May I not encourage a hope that during the ensuing summer, or at the
worst at no distant period, you and I might meet, when a few hours'
conversation would effect more than could come out of a dozen letters
dictated, and hastily, as I am obliged to dictate this, from an
unexpected interruption when Mrs. W. and I were sitting down with the
pen in her hand?
You are right in your recollection that I named to you the subject of
foreign piracy, as injurious to English authors; and I may add now that
if it could be put a stop to, I believe that it would rarely happen that
successful writers, on works of imagination and feeling at least, would
stand in need of pensions from Government, or would feel themselves
justified in accepting them. Upon this subject I have spoken a great
deal to M.P.'s of all parties, and with several distinguished Americans.
I have also been in correspondence with the present Chancellor of the
Exchequer upon it, and dwelt upon the same topic in a letter which I had
occasion to write to Sir Robert Peel. Mr. Lytton Bulwer, as perhaps you
know, drew the attention of Parliament to it during the late Session.
Lord Palmerston said in answer to him, that the attention of Government
had already been directed to the measure, and that it would not be lost
sight of, or something to that purpose. I may claim some credit for my
exertions in this business, and full as much, or more, for the pains
which I have taken for many years, to interest men in the H[ouse] of
C[ommons] in the extension of the term of copyright--a measure which I
trust is about to be brought to a successful close by the exertions of
my admirable friend Serjeant Talfourd. To him I have written upon the
argument more than once. When this is effected, I trust the other part
of the subject will be taken up with spirit, and if the Foreign
Secretary, in whose department the matter lies, should be remiss, I
trust he will be stimulated thro' Parliament, to which desirable end the
services of distinguished societies like yours, and the notice of the
question, by men of letters, in reviews or otherwise, would greatly
contribute. Good authors, if justice were done to them by their own and
foreign countries, now that reading is spread and spreading so widely,
would very few of them be in need, except thro' their own fault.
When I was in town last August, the American minister, Mr. Stephenson,
spoke to me with much indignation of the law and practice by which
copyright was secured in England for American authors, while there was
no reciprocity for English writers in America.
But I must conclude, or I shall miss the post. The father of your godson
is here, and begs to be remembered to you.
Did I ever mention to you that owing to the sea having swallowed up his
father-in-law's coal-pits, ... income is much reduced; and he therefore
feels it necessary to endeavour to procure a couple of pupils, who could
afford to pay rather handsomely for the advantages they would have under
his roof? By this time he would have succeeded, but parents in the
South have an unaccountable objection to sending their sons so far
North. As the same might not be felt in Ireland, I take the liberty of
mentioning his wish to you, being persuaded that if you can you will
assist him in his views. If your address to your Society should be
published, could you send it me, and acquaint me with what you have
done?
Affectionately yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[161]
[161] Here first printed. G.
106. _Of his own Poems and posthumous Fame_.
LETTER TO HENRY REED, ESQ., PHILADELPHIA.
Rydal Mount, Dec. 23. 1839.
MY DEAR SIR,
The year is upon the point of expiring; and a letter of yours, dated May
7th, though not received till late in June (for I was moving about all
last spring and part of the summer), remains unacknowledged. I have also
to thank you for the acceptable present of the two volumes which reached
me some time afterwards.
* * * * *
Your letters are naturally turned upon the impression which my poems
have made, and the estimation they are held, or likely to be held in,
through the vast country to which you belong. I wish I could feel as
lively as you do upon this subject, or even upon the general destiny of
those works. Pray do not be long surprised at this declaration. There is
a difference of more than the length of your life, I believe, between
our ages. I am standing on the brink of that vast ocean I must sail so
soon; I must speedily lose sight of the shore; and I could not once have
conceived how little I now am troubled by the thought of how long or
short a time they who remain on that shore may have sight of me. The
other day I chanced to be looking over a MS. poem, belonging to the year
1803, though not actually composed till many years afterwards. It was
suggested by visiting the neighbourhood of Dumfries, in which Burns had
resided, and where he died; it concluded thus:
'Sweet Mercy to the gales of heaven
This minstrel led, his sins forgiven;
The rueful conflict, the heart riven
With vain endeavour,
And memory of earth's bitter leaven
Effaced for ever.'
Here the verses closed; but I instantly added, the other day,
'But why to him confine the prayer,
When kindred thoughts and yearnings bear
On the frail heart the purest share
With all that live?
The best of what we do and are.
Just God, forgive!'
The more I reflect upon this last exclamation, the more I feel (and
perhaps it may in some degree be the same with you) justified in
attaching comparatively small importance to any literary monument that I
may be enabled to leave behind. It is well, however, I am convinced,
that men think otherwise in the earlier part of their lives; and why it
is so, is a point I need not touch upon in writing to you.
Before I dismiss this subject let me thank you for the extract from your
intelligent friend's letter; and allow me to tell you that I could not
but smile at your Boston critic placing my name by the side of Cowley. I
suppose he cannot mean anything more than that the same measure of
reputation or fame (if that be not too presumptuous a word) is due to us
both.
German transcendentalism, which you say this critic is infected by,
would be a woeful visitation for the world.
The way in which you speak of me in connection with your possible visit
to England was most gratifying; and I here repeat that I should be truly
glad to see you in the delightful spot where I have long dwelt; and I
have the more pleasure in saying this to you, because, in spite of my
old infirmity, my strength exceeds that of most men of my years, and my
general health continues to be, as it always has been, remarkably good.
A page of blank paper stares me in the face; and I am not sure that it
is worth while to fill it with a sonnet which broke from me not long ago
in reading an account of misdoings in many parts of your Republic. Mrs.
Wordsworth will, however, transcribe it.
'Men of the Western World! in Fate's dark book,
Whence these opprobrious leaves, of dire portent?'
To turn to another subject. You will be sorry to learn that several of
my most valued friends are likely to suffer from the monetary
derangements in America. My family, however, is no way directly
entangled, unless the Mississippi bonds prove invalid. There is an
opinion pretty current among discerning persons in England, that
Republics are not to be trusted in money concerns,--I suppose because
the sense of honour is more obtuse, the responsibility being divided
among so many. For my own part, I have as little or less faith in
absolute despotisms, except that they are more easily convinced that it
is politic to keep up their credit by holding to their engagements. What
power is maintained by this practice was shown by Great Britain in her
struggle with Buonaparte. This lesson has not been lost on the leading
monarchical states of Europe. But too much of this.
Believe me to remain,
Faithfully yours,
Wm. Wordsworth.[162]
107. _the Sheldonian Theatre_.
LETTER TO JOHN PEACE, ESQ., CITY LIBRARY, BRISTOL.
Rydal Mount, Aug. 30. 1839.
MY DEAR SIR,
It was not a little provoking that I had not the pleasure of shaking you
by the hand at Oxford when you did me the honour of coming so far to
'join in the shout.' I was told by a Fellow of University College that
he had never witnessed such an outburst of enthusiasm in that place,
except upon the occasions of the visits of the Duke of Wellington--one
unexpected. My Nephew, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, was
present, as well as my son, William, who, I am happy to say, is much
better in health than when you saw him in Oxford. He is here, and
desires to be kindly remembered to you. [163]
[162] _Memoirs_, ii. 351-4.
[163] Extract: _Memoirs_, ii. 357-8.
108. _New Edition of his Poems_.
LETTER TO EDWARD MOXON, ESQ.
Rydal Mount, Dec. 11. 1838.
DEAR MR. MOXON,
I am in hopes that my nephew, Mr. John Wordsworth, of Cambridge, will
correct the proofs for me: he promised to do so, when he was here a few
weeks ago; but I grieve to say he has been very unwell since, and may
not be equal to the task; but I shall write to him on the subject. He is
the most accurate man I know; and if a revise of each sheet could be
sent to him the edition would be immaculate.
W. Wordsworth.[164]
109. _Death of his Nephew, John Wordsworth_.
LETTER TO LADY FREDERICK BENTINCK.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside (not Kendal), Jan. 3 [1840].
MY DEAR LADY FREDERICK,
Yesterday brought us melancholy news in a letter from my brother, Dr.
Wordsworth, which announced the death of his eldest son. He died last
Tuesday, in Trinity College, of which he was a fellow, having been
tenderly nursed by his father during rather a long illness. He was a
most amiable man, and I have reason to believe was one of the best
scholars in Europe. We were all strongly attached to him, and, as his
poor father writes, the loss is to him, and to his sorrowing sons,
irreparable on this side of the grave.
W. W.[165]
[164] _Memoirs_, ii. 358.
[165] _Ibid._ ii. 360.
110. _Of the Same_.
LETTER TO THE REV. THE MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE. CAMBRIDGE.
Friday, Jan. 3 [1840].
MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,
It is in times of trouble and affliction that one feels most deeply the
strength of the ties of family and nature. We all most affectionately
condole with you, and those who are around you, at this melancholy time.
The departed was beloved in this house as he deserved to be; but our
sorrow, great as it is for our own sakes, is still heavier for yours and
his brothers'. He is a power gone out of our family, and they will be
perpetually reminded of it. But the best of all consolations will be
with you, with them, with us, and all his numerous relatives and
friends, especially with Mrs. Hoare, that his life had been as blameless
as man's could well be, and through the goodness of God, he is gone to
his reward.
I remain your loving brother,
Wm. Wordsworth.[166]
111. _On the Death of a young Person_.[167]
Rydal Mount, Ambleside, May 21. 1840.
MY DEAR SIR,
Pray impute to anything but a want of due sympathy with you in your
affliction my not having earlier given an answer to your letter. In
truth, I was so much moved by it, that I had not, at first, sufficient
resolution to bring my thoughts so very close to your trouble, as must
have been done had I taken up the pen immediately. I have been myself
distressed in the same way, though my two children were taken from me at
an earlier age, one in her fifth, the other in his seventh year, and
within half a year of each other. I can, therefore, enter into your
sorrows more feelingly than for others is possible, who have not
suffered like losses.
Your departed daughter struck me as having one of the most intelligent
and impressive countenances I ever looked upon, and I spoke of her as
such to Mrs. Wordsworth, Miss Fenwick, and to others. The indications
which I saw in her of a somewhat alarming state of health, I could not
but mention to you, when you accompanied me a little way from your own
door. You spoke something encouraging; but they continued to haunt me;
so that your kind letter was something less of a shock than it would
otherwise have been, though not less of a sorrow.
[166] _Memoirs_, ii. 360-1.
[167] Ellen Parry (daughter of Dr. Parry), who died April 28, 1840.
Wordsworth saw her April 28, 1839. He was again at Summer Hill, Bath, in
April 1840.
How pathetic is your account of the piety with which the dear creature
supported herself under those severe trials of mind and body with which
it pleased God to prepare her for a happier world! The consolation which
_children_ and very young persons, who have been religiously brought up,
draw from the Holy Scriptures, ought to be habitually on the minds of
_adults_ of all ages, for the benefit of their own souls, and requires
to be treated in a loftier and more comprehensive train of thought and
feeling than by writers has been usually bestowed upon it. It does not,
therefore, surprise me that you hinted at my own pen being employed upon
the subject, as brought before the mind in your lamented daughter's own
most touching case. I wish I were equal to anything so holy, but I feel
that I am not. It is remarkable, however, that within the last few days
the subject has been presented to my mind by two several persons, both
unknown to me; which is something of a proof how widely its importance
is felt, and also that there is a feeling that I am not wholly unworthy
of treating it.
Your letter, my dear Sir, I value exceedingly, and shall take the
liberty, as I have done more than once, with fit reverence, of reading
it in quarters where it is likely to do good, or rather, where I know it
must do good.
Wishing and praying that the Almighty may bestow upon yourself, the
partner in your bereavement, and all the fellow-sufferers in your
household, that consolation and support which can proceed only from His
grace,
I remain, my dear Dr. Parry,
Most faithfully, your much obliged,
W. Wordsworth.[168]
112. _Religion and Versified Religion_.
LETTER TO THE REV. H. (AFTERWARDS DEAN) ALFORD.
(Postmark) Ambleside, Feb. 21. 1848.
MY DEAR SIR,
Pray excuse my having been some little time in your debt. I could plead
many things in extenuation, the chief, that old one of the state of my
eyes, which never leaves me at liberty either to read or write a tenth
part as much as I could wish, and as otherwise I ought to do.
[168] _Memoirs_, ii. 362-3.
It cannot but be highly gratifying to me to learn that my writings are
prized so highly by a poet and critic of your powers. The essay upon
them which you have so kindly sent me seems well qualified to promote
your views in writing it. I was particularly pleased with your
distinction between religion in poetry, and versified religion. For my
own part, I have been averse to frequent mention of the mysteries of
Christian faith; not from a want of a due sense of their momentous
nature, but the contrary. I felt it far too deeply to venture on
handling the subject as familiarly as many scruple not to do. I am far
from blaming them, but let them not blame me, nor turn from my
companionship on that account. Besides general reasons for diffidence in
treating subjects of Holy Writ, I have some especial ones. I might err
in points of faith, and I should not deem my mistakes less to be
deprecated because they were expressed in metre. Even Milton, in my
humble judgment, has erred, and grievously; and what poet could hope to
atone for his apprehensions[169] in the way in which that mighty mind
has done?
I am not at all desirous that any one should write an elaborate critique
on my poetry.[170] There is no call for it. If they be from above, they
will do their own work in course of time; if not, they will perish as
they ought. But scarcely a week passes in which I do not receive
grateful acknowledgments of the good they have done to the minds of the
several writers. They speak of the relief they have received from them
under affliction and in grief, and of the calmness and elevation of
spirit which the poems either give or assist them in attaining. As these
benefits are not without a traceable bearing upon the good of the
immortal soul, the sooner, perhaps, they are pointed out and illustrated
in a work like yours, the better.
[169] Sic: qu. 'Misapprehensions.' _H.A._
[170] Sic: 1. 'Poems.' _II. A_.
Pray excuse my talking so much about myself: your letter and critique
called me to the subject. But I assure you it would have been more
grateful to me to acknowledge the debt we owe you in this house, where
we have read your poems with no common pleasure. Your 'Abbot of
Muchelnage' also makes me curious to hear more of him.
But I must conclude,
I was truly sorry to have missed you when you and Mrs. Alford called at
Rydal. Mrs. W. unites with me in kind regards to you both; and believe
me,
My dear Sir,
Faithfully yours,
Wm. Wordsworth.[171]
113. _Memorandum of a Conversation on Sacred Poetry (by Rev. R. P.
Graves)_.
I must try to give you a summary of a long conversation I had with
Wordsworth on the subject of _sacred poetry,_ and which I wish I were
able to report in full. In the course of it he expressed to me the
feelings of reverence which prevented him from venturing to lay his hand
on what he always thought a subject too high for him; and he accompanied
this with the earnest protest that his works, as well as those of any
other poet, should not be considered as developing all the influences
which his own heart recognised, but rather those which he considered
himself able as an artist to display to advantage, and which he thought
most applicable to the wants, and admitted by the usages, of the world
at large. This was followed by a most interesting discussion upon
Milton, Cowper, the general progress of religion as an element of
poetry, and the gradual steps by which it must advance to a power
comprehensive and universally admitted; steps which are defined in their
order by the constitution of the human mind, and which must proceed with
vastly more slowness in the case of the progress made by collective
minds, than it does in an individual soul.[172]
114. _Visit of Queen Adelaide to Rydal Mount_.
LETTER TO LADY FREDERICK BENTINCK.
July 1840.
I hope, dear Lady Frederick, that nothing will prevent my appearance at
Lowther towards the end of next week. But I have for these last few
years been visited always with a serious inflammation in my eyes about
this season of the year, which causes me to have fears about the
fulfilment of any engagement, however agreeable. Pray thank Lord
Lonsdale, on my part, for his thinking of me upon this occasion.
[171] _Memoirs_, ii. 364-6.
[172] _Ibid._ ii. 366.
On Monday morning, a little before nine, a beautiful and bright day,
the Queen Dowager and her sister appeared at Rydal. I met them at the
lower waterfall, with which her Majesty seemed much pleased. Upon
hearing that it was not more than half a mile to the higher fall, she
said, briskly, she would go; though Lord Denbigh and Lord Howe felt that
they were pressed for time, having to go upon Keswick Lake, and thence
to Paterdale. I walked by the Queen's side up to the higher waterfall,
and she seemed to be struck much with the beauty of the scenery. Her
step was exceedingly light; but I learned that her health is not good,
or rather that she still suffers from the state of her constitution,
which caused her to go abroad.
Upon quitting the park of Rydal, nearly opposite our own gate, the Queen
was saluted with a pretty rural spectacle; nearly fifty children, drawn
up in avenue, with bright garlands in their hands, three large flags
flying, and a band of music. They had come from Ambleside, and the
garlands were such as are annually prepared at this season for a
ceremony called 'the Rush-bearing;' and the parish-clerk of Ambleside
hit upon this way of showing at Rydal the same respect to the Queen
which had been previously shown at Ambleside. I led the Queen to the
principal points of view in our little domain, particularly to that,
through the summer house, which shows the lake of Rydal to such
advantage. The Queen talked more than once about having a cottage among
the lakes, which of course was nothing more than a natural way of giving
vent to the pleasure which she had in the country. You will think, I
fear, that I have dwelt already too long upon the subject; and I shall
therefore only add, that all went off satisfactorily, and that every one
was delighted with her Majesty's demeanour. Lord and Lady Sheffield were
the only persons of her suite whom I had seen before. Lord Howe was
pleased with the sight of the pictures from his friend Sir George
Beaumont's pencil, and showed them to the Queen, who, having sat some
little time in the house, took her leave, cordially shaking Mrs.
Wordsworth by the hand, as a friend of her own rank might have done. She
had also inquired for Dora, who was introduced to her. I hope she will
come again into the country, and visit Lowther.
Pray excuse the above long story, which I should not have ventured upon,
but that you expressed a wish upon the subject.
What enchanting weather! I hope, and do not doubt, that you all enjoy
it, my dear Lady Frederick, as we are doing.
I ought not to forget, that two days ago I went over to see Mr. Southey,
or rather Mrs. Southey, for he is past taking pleasure in the presence
of any of his friends. He did not recognise me till he was told. Then
his eyes flashed for a moment with their former brightness, but he sank
into the state in which I had found him, patting with both hands his
books affectionately, like a child. Having attempted in vain to interest
him by a few observations, I took my leave, after five minutes or so. It
was, for me, a mournful visit, and for his poor wife also. His health is
good, and he may live many years; though the body is much enfeebled.
Ever affectionately yours,
Wm. Wordsworth.
We hope your lameness will soon leave you, that you may ramble about as
usual.[173]
115. _Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Act, &c._
LETTER TO THE REV. T. BOYLES MURRAY.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside, Sept. 24. 1840.
DEAR SIR,
Upon returning home after an absence of ten days, I have the pleasure of
finding your obliging letter, and the number of the _Ecclesiastical
Gazette_ containing the 'Ecclesiastical Duties and Revenues Act:' for
both marks of attention I beg you to accept my sincere thanks. As soon
as I can find leisure, I will carefully peruse the Act; at present I can
only say that I look upon changes so extensive and searching with a
degree of alarm proportionate to my love and affection for the
Establishment with which they are connected.
As you have put me in possession of the _Gazette_, I can scarcely feel
justified in looking to the fulfilment of your promise to send me the
Act, separately printed. Indeed, I feel that it would be giving yourself
more trouble than there is occasion for.
[173] _Memoirs_, ii. 367-9.
It pleases me much to learn that Mrs. Murray and you enjoyed your
ramble among the lakes.
Believe me to be, dear Sir, faithfully,
Your obliged servant,
Wm. Wordsworth.[174]
116. _Samuel Rogers and Wordsworth together_.
LETTER TO LADY FREDERICK BENTINCK.
Rydal Mount, Sept. 26. 1840.
DEAR LADY FREDERICK,
Mr. Rogers and I had a pleasant journey to Rydal the day we left all our
kind friends at Lowther. We alighted at Lyulph's Tower, and saw the
waterfall in great power after the night's rain, the sun shining full
into the chasm, and making a splendid rainbow of the spray. Afterwards,
walking through Mr. Askew's grounds, we saw the lake to the greatest
possible advantage. Mr. R. left on Thursday, the morning most beautiful,
though it rained afterwards. I know not how he could tear himself away
from this lovely country at this charming season. I say charming,
notwithstanding this is a dull day; but yesterday was most glorious. I
hope our excellent friend does not mean to remain in London.
We have had no visits from strangers since my return, so that the press
of the season seems to be over. The leaves are not changed here so much
as at Lowther, and of course not yet so beautiful, nor are they ever
quite so as with you, your trees being so much finer, and your woods so
very much more extensive. We have a great deal of coppice, which makes
but a poor show in autumn compared with timber trees.
Your son George knows what he has to expect in the few sheets which I
enclose for him.
With many thanks for the endless kind attentions which I received from
you, and others under your father's hospitable roof, and with my
grateful respects to him, and a thousand good wishes for all, I remain,
my wife and daughter joining in these feelings, My dear Lady Frederick,
affectionately yours,
Wm. Wordsworth.[175]
[174] _Memoirs_, ii. 369-70.
[175] _Ibid._ ii. 370-1.
117. _An alarming Accident, Nov_. 11, 1840.
LETTER TO LADY FREDERICK BENTINCK.
Rydal Mount, Monday Evening.
The accident after which you inquire, dear Lady Frederick, with so much
feeling, might have been fatal, but through God's mercy we escaped
without bodily injury, as far as I know, worth naming. These were the
particulars: About three miles beyond Keswick, on the Ambleside road, is
a small bridge, from the top of which we got sight of the mail coach
coming towards us, at about forty yards' distance, just before the road
begins to descend a narrow, steep, and winding slope. Nothing was left
for J----, who drove the gig in which we were, but to cross the bridge,
and, as the road narrowed up the slope that was in our front, to draw up
as close to the wall on our left (our side of the road) as possible.
This he did, both of us hoping that the coachman would slacken his pace
down the hill, and pass us as far from our wheel as the road would
allow. But he did neither. On the contrary, he drove furiously down the
hill; and though, as we afterwards ascertained, by the track of his
wheels, he had a yard width of road to spare, he made no use of it. In
consequence of this recklessness and his want of skill, the wheel of his
coach struck our wheel most violently, drove back our horse and gig some
yards, and then sent us all together through a small gap in the wall,
with the stones of the wall tumbling about us, into a plantation that
lay a yard perpendicular below the level of the road from which the
horse and gig, with us in it, had been driven. The shafts were broken
off close to the carriage, and we were partly thrown and partly leaped
out. After breaking the traces, the horse leaped back into the road and
galloped off, the shafts and traces sticking to him; nor did the poor
creature stop till he reached the turnpike at Grasmere, seven miles from
the spot where the mischief was done. We sent by the coach for a chaise
to take us to Rydal, and hired a cart to take the broken gig to be
mended at Keswick.
The mercy was, that the violent shock from the coach did not tear off
our wheel; for if this had been done, J----, and probably I also, must
have fallen under the hind wheels of the coach, and in all likelihood
been killed. We have since learned that the coachman had only just come
upon the road, which is in a great many places very dangerous, and that
he was wholly unpractised in driving four-in-hand. Pray excuse this long
and minute account. I should have written to you next day, but I waited,
hoping to be able to add that my indisposition was gone, as I now trust
it is.
With respectful remembrances to Lord Lonsdale, and kindest regards to
yourself and Miss Thompson, I remain,
Dear Lady Frederick,
Affectionately yours,
Wm. Wordsworth.[176]
[176] _Memoirs_, ii. 371-3.
118. _Of Alston and Haydon, &c._
LETTER TO HENRY REED, ESQ., PHILADELPHIA.
Rydal Mount, Jan. 13. 1841.
MY DEAR MR. REED,
It is gratifying to learn that through your means Mr. Alston has been
reminded of me. We became acquainted many years ago through our common
friend Mr. Coleridge, who had seen much of Mr. Alston when they were
both living at Rome.
* * * * *
You mention the Sonnet I wrote upon Haydon's picture of the Duke of
Wellington. I have known Haydon, and Wilkie also, from their
contemporaneous introduction to the world as artists; their powers were
perceived and acknowledged by my lamented friend Sir George Beaumont,
and patronised by him accordingly; and it was at his house where I first
became acquainted with them both. Haydon is bent upon coming to Rydal
next summer, with a view to paint a likeness of me, not as a mere
matter-of-fact portrait, but one of a poetical character, in which he
will endeavour to place his friend in some favourite scene of these
mountains. I am rather afraid, I own, of any attempt of this kind,
notwithstanding my high opinion of his ability; but if he keeps in his
present mind, which I doubt, it will be in vain to oppose his
inclination. He is a great enthusiast, possessed also of a most active
intellect, but he wants that submissive and steady good sense which is
absolutely necessary for the adequate development of power in that art
to which he is attached.
As I am on the subject of painting, it may be worth while to add, that
Pickersgill came down last summer to paint a portrait of me for Sir
Robert Peel's gallery at Drayton Manor. It was generally thought here
that this work was more successful than the one he painted some years
ago for St. John's College, at the request of the Master and
Fellows.[177]
[177] _Memoirs_, ii. 373-4.
119. _Of Peace's 'Apology for Cathedrals.'_
I have no especial reason for writing at this moment of time, but I have
long wished to thank you for the 'Apology for Cathedrals,' which I have
learned is from your pen. The little work does you great credit; it is
full of that wisdom which the heart and imagination alone could
adequately supply for such a subject; and is, moreover, very pleasingly
diversified by styles of treatment all good in their kind. I need add no
more than that I entirely concur in the views you take: but what avails
it? the mischief is done, and they who have been most prominent in
setting it on foot will have to repent of their narrow comprehension;
which, however, is no satisfaction to us, who from the first foresaw the
evil tendency of the measure.[178]
[178] Extract of letter to John Peace, Esq., Jan. 19, 1841: _Memoirs_,
ii. 376.
120. _Of 'The Task' of Cowper and Shenstone_.
Though I can make but little use of my eyes in writing or reading, I
have lately been reading Cowper's 'Task' aloud; and in so doing was
tempted to look over the parallelisms, for which Mr. Southey was in his
edition indebted to you. Knowing how comprehensive your acquaintance
with poetry is, I was rather surprised that you did not notice the
identity of the thought, and accompanying illustrations of it, in a
passage of Shenstone's Ode upon Rural Elegance, compared with one in
'The Task,' where Cowper speaks of the inextinguishable love of the
country as manifested by the inhabitants of cities in their culture of
plants and flowers, where the want of air, cleanliness, and light, is
so unfavourable to their growth and beauty. The germ of the main thought
is to be found in Horace,
'Nempe inter varias nutritur sylva columnas,
Laudaturque domus longos quae prospicit agros;
Naturam expellas furc‚, tamen usque recurret.'
Lib. i. Epist. x. v. 22.
Pray write to me soon. Ever, my dear friend,
Faithfully your obliged,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[179]
121. _On a Tour_.
LETTER TO JOHN PEACE, ESQ.
12 North Parade, Bath, April 19. 1841.
MY DEAR MR. PEACE,
Here I am and have been since last Wednesday evening. I came down the
Wye, and passed through Bristol, but arriving there at the moment the
railway train was about to set off, and being in the company of four
ladies (Miss Fenwick, and Mrs. Wordsworth, and my daughter and niece), I
had not a moment to spare, so could not call on you, my good friend,
which I truly regretted. Pray spare an hour or two to come here, and
then we can fix a day, when, along with my daughter, I can visit
Bristol, see you, Mr. Cottle, and Mr. Wade.
* * * * *
All unite in kindest regards.
Ever yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[180]
122. _Marriage of Dora_.
TO THE SAME.
Bath, May 11. 1841.
MY DEAR MR. PEACE,
This morning my dear daughter was married in St. James's in this place.
Tomorrow we leave Bath for Wells, and thence to the old haunts of Mr.
Coleridge, and myself, and dear sister, about Alfoxden.
Adieu,
W. W.[181]
[179] Extract of letter to John Peace, Esq., January 19, 1841:
_Memoirs_, ii. 376.
[180] _Memoirs_, ii, 377.
[181] _Ibid._ ii. 378.
123. _Letters to his Brother_.
TO THE REV. DR. WORDSWORTH, MASTER OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
MY DEAR BROTHER,
Your affectionate and generous kindness to your, I trust, deserving
niece has quite overpowered me and her mother, to whom I could not
forbear communicating the contents of your letter.
[The above relates to an act of kindness which the late Master of
Trinity had the happiness of performing, on the occasion of Dora
Wordsworth's marriage.
The following refers to a serious accident which occurred to him at
Cambridge, by a fall from his horse.]
Feb. 16. 1841.
MY DEAR BROTHER,
The good accounts which we receive from time to time of your progress
towards perfect recovery from your late severe accident embolden me to
congratulate you in my own name, and the whole of my family.
* * * * *
It remains now for us to join heartily, as we all do, in expressing a
wish that, being convalescent, you would not be tempted to over-exert
yourself. I need scarcely add, that we all unite with you and your sons,
with Susan, and your other relations, and all your friends, in fervent
thanks to Almighty God for His goodness in preserving you.
As a brother I feel deeply; and regarding your life as most valuable to
the community, I the more rejoice in the prospect of your life being
prolonged.
Believe me, my dear Brother,
Most affectionately yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[182]
[182] _Memoirs_, ii. 382-3.
124. _Episcopal Church of America: Emerson and Carlyle_.
TO PROFESSOR REED.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside, Aug. 16. 1841.
MY DEAR MR. REED,
I have lately had the pleasure of seeing, both in London and at my own
house, the Bishop of New Jersey. He is a man of no ordinary powers of
mind and attainments, of warm feelings and sincere piety. Indeed, I
never saw a person of your country, which is remarkable for cordiality,
whose manner was so thoroughly cordial. He had been greatly delighted
with his reception in England, and what he had seen of it both in Art
and Nature. By the by, I heard him preach an excellent sermon in London.
I believe this privilege is of modern date. The Bishop has furnished me
with his funeral sermon upon Bishop White, to assist me in fulfilling a
request which you first made to me, viz. that I would add a Sonnet to my
Ecclesiastical Series, upon the union of the two Episcopal churches of
England and America.[183] I will endeavour to do so, when I have more
leisure than at present, this being the season when our beautiful region
attracts many strangers, who take up much of my time.
Do you know Miss Peabody of Boston? She has just sent me, with the
highest eulogy, certain essays of Mr. Emerson. Our Mr. Carlyle and he
appear to be what the French used to call _esprits forts_, though the
French idols showed their spirit after a somewhat different fashion. Our
two present Philosophes, who have taken a language which they suppose to
be English for their vehicle, are verily 'par nobile fratrum,' and it is
a pity that the weakness of our age has not left them exclusively to
this appropriate reward--mutual admiration. Where is the thing which now
passes for philosophy at Boston to stop?
Ever faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[184]
[183] Dr. Seabury was consecrated bishop (of Connecticut) by Scottish
bishops at Aberdeen, on 14th November 1784. Dr. White and Dr. Provoost
were consecrated bishops (of New York and Pennsylvania) at Lambeth, 4th
February 1787.
[184] _Memoirs_, ii. 383-4.
125. _Old Haunts revisited_.
LETTER TO JOHN PEACE, ESQ.
Rydal Mount, Sept. 4. 1841.
MY DEAR PEACE,
* * * * *
Mrs. W. is quite well. We were three months and as many weeks absent
before we reached our own home again. We made a very agreeable tour in
Devonshire, going by Exeter to Plymouth, and returning along the coast
by Salisbury and Winchester to London. In London and its neighbourhood
we stayed not quite a month. During this tour we visited my old haunts
at and about Alfoxden and Nethertowey, and at Coleorton, where we stayed
several days. These were farewell visits for life, and of course not a
little interesting....
Ever faithfully yours,
W. WORDSWORTH.[185]
126. _No Pension sought_.
In the summer of 1842, Wordsworth resigned his office of Stamp
Distributor; not, however, on a retiring pension, as has been sometimes
asserted. In a letter, dated March 2, 1840, and addressed to Lord
Morpeth, he says, 'I never did seek or accept a pension from the present
or any other administration, directly or indirectly.' But the duties,
and also the emoluments, of the Distributorship were transferred to his
son William, who had for some time acted as his deputy at Carlisle.[186]
127. _The Master of Trinity_.
LETTER TO A NEPHEW.
Rydal, Nov. 5. 1841.
MY DEAR C----,
Your father left us yesterday, having been just a week under our roof.
The weather was favourable, and he seemed to enjoy himself much. His
muscular strength, as proved by the walks we took together, is great.
One day we were nearly four hours on foot, without resting, and he did
not appear in the least fatigued.
* * * * *
[185] _Memoirs_, ii. 384-5.
[186] _Ibid._ ii. 387.
We all thought him looking well, and his mind appears as active as ever.
It was a great delight to us to see him here.
He was anxious to see Charles; he will reach Winchester this afternoon,
I hope without injury. Yours, &c.
W. W.[187]
128. _Of Alston's Portrait of Coleridge_.
Poor Mr. Wade! From his own modest merits, and his long connection with
Mr. Coleridge, and with my early Bristol remembrances, he was to me an
interesting person. His desire to have my address must have risen, I
think, from a wish to communicate with me upon the subject of Mr.
Alston's valuable portrait of Coleridge. Pray tell me what has, or is
likely to, become of it. I care comparatively little about the matter,
provided due care has been taken for its preservation, and in his native
country. It would be a sad pity if the late owner's intention of sending
it to America be fulfilled. It is the only likeness of the great
original that ever gave me the least pleasure; and it is, in fact, most
happily executed, as every one who has a distinct remembrance of what C.
was at that time must with delight acknowledge, and would be glad to
certify.[188]
129. _Of Southey's Death_.
The papers will have informed you, before you receive this, of poor dear
Southey's decease. He died yesterday morning about nine o'clock. Some
little time since, he was seized with typhus fever, but he passed away
without any outward signs of pain, as gently as possible. We are, of
course, not without sadness upon the occasion, notwithstanding there has
been, for years, cause why all who knew and loved him should wish for
his deliverance.[189]
130. _Tropical Scenery: Grace Darling: Southey, &c._
LETTER TO LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR WM. GOMM.[190]
[187] _Memoirs_, ii. 385.
[188] Extract of letter to John Peace, Esq., Dec. 12, 1842: _ibid._ ii.
390-1.
[189] Extract of letter to Nephew, March 22, 1843: _ibid._ ii. 391.
[190] The venerable and illustrious soldier has only very recently died.
Within ten days of his death he wrote the present Editor tenderly and
reverentially of Wordsworth. G.
Rydal Mount, March 24. 1843.
MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM,
Nothing should have prevented my answering your kind letter from the
Cape, long ago, but the want of matter that seemed worth sending so far,
unless I confined myself to what you must he well assured of, my sincere
esteem and regard for yourself and Lady Gomm, and the expression of good
wishes for your health and happiness. I am still in the same difficulty,
but cannot defer writing longer, lest I should appear to myself unworthy
of your friendship or respect.
You describe the beauties of Rio Janeiro in glowing colours, and your
animated picture was rendered still more agreeable to me by the sight,
which I had enjoyed a little before, of a panorama of the same scene,
executed by a friend of mine, who in his youth studied at the Academy
with a view to practise painting as a profession. He was a very
promising young artist, but having a brother a Brazilian merchant, he
changed his purpose and went to Rio, where he resided many years, and
made a little fortune, which enabled him to purchase and build in
Cumberland, where I saw his splendid portrait of that magnificent
region. What an intricacy of waters, and what boldness and fantastic
variety in the mountains! I suppose, taking the region as a whole, it is
scarcely anywhere surpassed.
If the different quarters of the globe should ever become subject to one
empire, Rio ought to be the metropolis, it is so favoured in every
respect, and so admirably placed for intercourse with all the countries
of the earth. Your approach to the Cape was under awful circumstances,
and, with three great wrecks strewn along the coast of the bay, Lady
Gomm's spirit and fortitude, as described by you, are worthy of all
admiration, and I am sure she will sympathise with the verses I send, to
commemorate a noble exploit of one of her sex. The inhumanity with which
the shipwrecked were lately treated upon the French coast impelled me to
place in contrast the conduct of an English woman and her parents under
like circumstances, as it occurred some years ago. Almost immediately
after I had composed my tribute to the memory of _Grace Darling_, I
learnt that the Queen and Queen Dowager had both just subscribed towards
the erection of a monument to record her heroism, upon the spot that
witnessed it.
Of public news I say nothing, as you will hear everything from quarters
more worthy of attention. I hope all goes on to your satisfaction,
mainly so at least, in your new government, and that the disposition
which you will have taken with you to benefit the people under your rule
has not been, nor is likely to be, frustrated in any vexatious or
painful degree.
Yesterday I went over to Keswick to attend the funeral of my excellent
friend, Mr. Southey. His genius and abilities are well known to the
world, and he was greatly valued for his generous disposition and moral
excellence. His illness was long and afflicting; his mind almost
extinguished years before the breath departed. Mr. Rogers I have not
been in communication with since I saw you in London, but be assured I
shall bear in memory your message, and deliver it, if he and I live to
meet again. And now, my dear Sir Wm., repeating the united best good
wishes of Mrs. W. and myself, for you and Lady Gomm, and for your safe
return to your own country, I remain, in the hope of hearing from you
again,
Most faithfully your much obliged,
W. WORDSWORTH.
My nephew is still in the Ionian Islands.[191]
[191] _Memoirs_, ii. 392-4.
131. _Contemporary Poets: Southey's Death: 'The Excursion,' &c._
TO PROFESSOR REED.