3784. Robert Southey to Grosvenor Charles Bedford, 26 January 1822

Address: To/ G.C. Bedford Esq^re
Endorsements: 26. Jan^ry. 1822./ ans^d 3^d–5 Feb./ Greek Authors.; 26 Jan^ry. 1822
MS: Bodleian Library, MS Eng. Lett. c. 26. ALS; 3p.
Previously published: John Wood Warter (ed.), Selections from the Letters of Robert Southey, 4 vols (London, 1856), III, pp. 295–296.

My dear G.

I wish I had a good wager depending upon your inability to guess thxx what this letter contains. It is intended to inform you that I have composed – eight conundrums, upon the names of as many Greek authors.

1. A womans peculiarities.

2. Lady Diana highly perfumed.

3. A wandering young gentleman.

4. Lay you hand upon that part of your unutterable garment where the flap of the pocket is, & ask, what part is this?

5. Anna my wife.

6. What happens if when you are looking in the glass, I look in it too?

7. What a pair of turtle doves if they when offered for sale, would say to Miss Page, if they could speak. It is not every woman to whom they would say it.

8. A common play thing belonging to Henry & his brother.

There Grosvenor, considering that I have three proof sheets of K. White

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upon the table (two of which are unread) – & three of my own,

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– all to be returned by this post, & to write one note to Murray, & another to Gifford, you will admit this letter communication xxx a proof, that any man can find time to play the fool, when he has a mind so to do.

And now I will give you the solutions, which you need not look at if you chuse to try your hand at unriddling-my-ree first. 1 Her oddities

2. Di odorous.

3 Stray beau.

4 Your hip it is.

5 My Nan dear.

6 I see us.

7 Polly buy us.

8. Harry’s top and his.

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I have had sundry complimentary letters touching Lord B. My letter

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works well with the public whatever it may do with him. I expect however that he will require another dose: & if he does I will it shall be a potent one, – stronger than the one which I am to swallow at going to bed this night, consisting of twenty grains of rhubarb & two of calomel,

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– for certain rumblings & grumblings in the lower region, which are believed to indicate some bilious derangement.

God bless you

RS.

Keswick 26 Jan^y 1822.

If you will leave xxx my Uncles book

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with Rickman, he will take charge of it till an opportunity of conveying it offers.

Notes

1. Proofs of the ‘Preface’ to the ninth edition of Southey’s The Remains of Henry Kirke White, 3 vols (London, 1822), III, pp. [iii]–xvi. The third ‘supplementary volume’ was newly added in 1822 and contained additional letters and poems by Kirke White. [back]

2. Proofs of the first volume of Southey’s History of the Peninsular War (1823–1832). [back]

3. Herodotus (c. 484–c. 425 BC), Greek historian. [back]

4. Diodorus Siculus (fl. 1st century BC), Greek historian. [back]

5. Strabo (64/63 BC–c. AD 24), Greek geographer, philosopher and historian. [back]

6. Euripides (c. 480–c. 406 BC), Greek tragedian. [back]

7. Menander (c. 342/341–c. 290 BC), Greek dramatist. [back]

8. Isaeus (fl. early 4th century BC), Greek orator. [back]

9. Polybius (c. 200–c. 118 BC), Greek historian. [back]

10. Aristophanes (c. 446–c. 386 BC), Greek comic playwright. [back]

11. Southey to the Editor of the Courier, 5 January 1822, Letter 3776. It appeared in the Courier on 11 January 1822. [back]

12. Mercury chloride, commonly used as a laxative. [back]

13. A copy of Landor’s Idyllia Heroica Decem Phaleuciorum Unum Partim jam Primo Partim Iterum atq Tertio Edit Savagius Landor (1820), no. 1598 in the sale catalogue of Southey’s library. [back]

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Notes

The Collected Letters of Robert Southey: Part Seven