3008. Robert Southey to John May, [7 August 1817]
3008. Robert Southey to John May, [7 August 1817] *
Thursday Morning. Dover.
My dear friend
Perhaps this may reach you before my letter of Friday last from Brussels. We landed here safe & sound last night between ten & eleven after a pleasant passage of six hours – the Custom House delays us, we shall start immediately after we have past thro that Purgatory, & sleep at Rochester tonight. Tomorrow I hope to reach Q Anne Street.
I have been fortunate about your books. Helyot, Durand & Martens – & the other work about upon the Monastic Orders – 73 franks the whole. [1] the price of Helyot in London would be six guineas – so much at least I was asked this sum ten years ago. They are to be packed with my purchases & shipt immediately.
God bless you
Yrs most affectionately
RS.
Notes
* Watermark: Phipps & Sons
Endorsement: No. 195 1817/
Robert Southey/ Dover 7th August/ recd. 8th do./
ansd. personally
MS: Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin. ALS; 1p.
Previously published: Charles Ramos (ed.), The Letters of Robert Southey to John May: 1797–1838 (Austin, Texas,
1976), p. 159.
Dating note: Dating from endorsement. BACK
[1] Possibly Hippolyte Helyot (1660–1716), Histoire des Ordres Religieux et Militaires (1792); Edmond Martène (1654–1739) and Ursin Durand (1682–1771), Voyage Litteraire de Deux Religieux Benedictins de la Congregation de Saint Maur (1717); and an unidentified work. Uncut copies of the first two of these works were advertised in the sale catalogue of Southey’s library (nos 1183 and 1701) after his death, so it is possible that the purchases never reached May. BACK
