1633. Robert Southey to Thomas Southey, 22 May 1809 ⁠* 

Monday. May 22. 1809

My dear Tom

My last letter told you of Herberts danger & of his recovery. You will be a little shocked at the intelligence in this. We lost Emma yesterday night. five days ago she was in finer health than we had ever seen her, & I repeatedly remarked it, – for a day or two she had been ailing – on Saturday night breathed shortly & was evidently ill, – yesterday morning was violently sick, & tho she discharged a prodigious quantity of bile by vomiting, was not relieved. Edmondson repeatedly saw her, – thought her better at ten o clock, & assured us he saw no danger, – in half an hour she literally fell asleep without a struggle. – Edith is as well as should be expected, & I perhaps better. You know how I take tooth-ache & tooth drawing, & I have almost learnt to bear moral pain, – not indeed with the same levity, – but with as few outward & visible signs. In fact God be praised thanked for it, there never was a man more who had more entirely set his heart upon things permanent & eternal as I have done; the transitoriness of every thing here is always present to my feelings as well as my understanding, – were I to speak as sincerely of my family as Wordsworths little girl, my story that I have five children, – three of them at home, – & two under my Mothers care in Heaven.  [1]  No more of this, – & to convince you that I am not more unhappy than I profess, I will fill up this sheet, – instead of sending you a mere annotation of this xxx loss. – It is well you left her xxx such an infant, – for you are thus spared some sorrow.

Ballantyne has just sent me a present of Campbells new poem, [2]  & included the last Edinburgh Review in the parcel. They have taken occasion there under cover of a Methodists book to attempt an answer to my Missionary Defence, [3]  – xxxxx xx xx they are very angry & have made wretched work of it. I hear from all quarters that this article of mine has excited much notice & produced considerable effect. I had the great advantage of being in earnest, as well as thoroughly understanding the subject. Sidney Smith the Ed. Reviewer knew nothing of Hindoo history except what newspapers & pamphlets had taught him, & tho he is a Reverend & publishes Sermons believes no more of Xtianity than he can help. I heartily believe as much as I like, – he dare not disbelieve as much as he would fain do: – no wonder therefore that I should have the upper hand of such a man in the argument.

Campbells poem [4]  has disappointed his friends – Ballantyne tells me. It is however better than I expected except in story which is altogether meagre. This gentleman also, who is one of Wordsworths abusers has been nibbling at imitation, & palpably borrowed from the two poems of Ruth & the Brothers. [5]  Tis amusing enough to see how the race of borrowers upon all occasions xxx abuse us who do not borrow, – the main topic against me is that I do not imitate Virgil in my story, Pope in my language &c &c –

Scott is still detained in London, & this will prevent me from going with him to Edinburgh, – for Miss Betham is to be here as early in June as I can get her to come, & Charles of Antwerp with David Jardine during the midsummer holydays. Indeed if these engagements had not existed I could not have left home now, for Edith will find it melancholy enough for some time to come with me, & without me it would be worse. Herbert thank God seems well, – seems is all one dares say – of all precarious things there is nothing so precarious as life. – You would have been delighted with your eldest niece if you could have seen the sorrow she was in this morning, – for fear her mother should die for grief, – & then she said she should die too – & then her Pappa would die for grief about her – Just now Tom, – it might have been happier for you & I if we had gone to bed as early as John & Eliza, [6]  – a hundred years hence the advantage will be on our side. We shall see what they have seen – & have tough stories to tell them about what they have escaped seeing. My notions about life are much the same as they are about travelling, – there is a good deal of amusement on the road, – but after all one wants to be at rest. Evils of this kind – if they may be called evils – soon cure themselves, – the wound smarts, – in a little while it heals, & if the scar did not sometimes renew the recollection of the smart it would perhaps be forgotten.

My history gets on. [7]  the proof before me reaches to page 336. I look at it with great pleasure. Whether I may live to complete the series of works which I have projected & in good part executed, God only knows – be that as it may, in what is done I shall, to the best of my power, have on all occasions enforced good opinions upon those subjects which are of most importance to mankind.

God bless you. It is long since I have heard from you – what can you be cruising after? Things go on well in Spain, & will go on better when the Wellesleys get there. – once more God bless you

RS.