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Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin. Previously published: Charles Ramos, The Letters of Robert Southey to John May: 1797–1838 (Austin, Texas, 1976), pp. 136–137.
These letters were edited with the assistance of Carol Bolton, Tim Fulford and Ian Packer
For permission to publish the text of MSS in their possession, the editor wishes to thank the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the Bodleian Library Oxford University; the British Library; Boston Public Library; the Syndics of Cambridge University Library; the Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge; Haverford College, Connecticut; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Hornby Library, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the John Rylands Library, Manchester; the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Luton Museum (Bedfordshire County Council); Massachusetts Historical Society; McGill University Library; the National Library of Scotland; the Newberry Library, Chicago; the New York Public Library (Pforzheimer Collections); the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the Public Record Offices of Bedford, Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) and Northumberland, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford, the Wisbech and Fenland Museum; the University of Virginia Library.
A research grant from the British Academy made much of the archival work possible, as did support from the English Department of Nottingham Trent University.
Any dashes occurring in line breaks have been removed.
Because of web browser variability, all hyphens have been typed on the U.S. keyboard.
Dashes have been rendered as a variable number of hyphens to give a more exact rendering of their length.
Southey’s spelling has not been regularized.
Writing in other hands appearing on these manuscripts has been indicated as such, the content recorded in brackets.
& has been used for the ampersand sign.
£ has been used for £, the pound sign
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I wrote to Coleridge in the beginning of last month,
telling him that if I did not hear from him in the course of three weeks I could no longer delay applying to his brothers on behalf of
his children. A fortnight after my letter was written a gentleman
C. used to receive an annuity of 150£ from Thomas & Josiah Wedgewood,on an a xxxx xx for the purposeng of
enabling him to devote himself to such literary pursuits as might be worthy of his powers. Thomas W. died having settled his half of the annuity by will by upon C. the other half was withdrawn by the other brother between three &
four years ago, on the plea that it was not convenient for him to continue it longer.condit purpose for which it was granted was not
answered by any performance of the implied condition, & C.
more suo
was <had long been> that of resentment.
When C. from mere caprice thought proper to live in a
state of semi-separation from his wife, he left her <then> this whole annuity, for herself & her daughter, promising to support the boysinhabit <live in> the smaller of these tenements; just
before his death I took a lease of the two – (they are partly furnished, –) at the rent of 45 £ for the one, 30 for the other. The
former was for myself, the latter for Mrs C. We formed but one family, but the
houses were considered as distinct in point of rent & taxation.
When the Remorseschooling of the elder has been given him, on the score of attachment to him for his talents, by the
schoolmaster Mr Dawes. 10. 10 £ is paid for that of the other, & both are boarded in
the village; – their expences, including their cloathing, consume, tho every economy is used, nearly the whole of the £67- 10/ which is
all that Mrs C has to receive. In Consequently the rent not only falls
on me, but I have also her & her daughter to maintain, – &
she is also contracting debts, tho it is xxx impossible for any person to manage with more frugality.
I say all this to you that you may fully understand the circumstances in which these poor children & their mother
are placed. The father must be considered as a man labouring under a kind of moral madness, & I hope should hope that
his brothers will not let any feeling of indignation against him prevent operate to their injury: – in that case they will
indeed be worse than fatherless. The object for which I am now solicitous is to place Hartley at the University, – that being the only destination for which he is
qualified either by education or nature. Lady Beaumont has offered 30 £ a
year for toward that <this> specific purpose. Poole of
Stowey (who is his godfather) 10 £. Wherever he go some College assistance must of course be sought for him, & this requires
consultation enquiry: if it be to Cambridge he must inevitably go as a sizer; – at Oxford there is a degree of
degradation attending the Servitors which should be avoided.
If Hartley makes his way at College, (it must be his own
fault if he does not, & he is certainly a boy of good heart & good principles) he will be enabled to he assist his brother in his turn.
That C. may by some fit of exertion afford occasional
assistance to his family is always possible, but every day lessens the probability, & increases his own difficulties, – for he is
literally living upon the bounty of his friends for the time being. – What I have said of my own part of the burthen I have said to no
one but you; &
Wordsworth is the only other person who knows it. You are perfectly
acquainted with my circumstances, & know that if my ability was equal to my will. But the point upon which I wish you to
address his brother is the situation of the children, & the in
particular the pressing necessity of putting the eldest forward in that line of life which will soonest enable him to assist his
brother