4038. Robert Southey to John Taylor, 6 July 1823

Address: To/ John Taylor Esq^re/ Waterloo Place/ London
Stamped: KESWICK/ 298
Postmark: E/ 9 JY 9/ 1823
Seal: red wax; design illegible
MS: Beinecke Library, Osborn MSS File ‘S’, Folder 14177. ALS; 3p.
Unpublished.

Keswick. 6 July. 1823

Sir

I can have no hesitation in striking out the charge to which you object.

⁽¹⁾

In Dialogue X of Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen (London, 1824), I, pp. 127–146, ‘General Kleber [Jean-Baptiste Kleber (1753–1800)] and some French Officers’, Landor had alleged that John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (1756–1835; DNB) was ‘dead drunk’ while in command of British forces (p. 41). This passage was omitted.

It is better wholly to expunge the words, than to convey any thing of the like import in a less offensive manner; the charge itself being grossly exaggerated, if not altogether groundless. What precedes it represents I believe the matter of fact.

I remain Sir
Yours obediently
Robert Southey

Notes

1. In Dialogue X of Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen (London, 1824), I, pp. 127–146, ‘General Kleber [Jean-Baptiste Kleber (1753–1800)] and some French Officers’, Landor had alleged that John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (1756–1835; DNB) was ‘dead drunk’ while in command of British forces (p. 41). This passage was omitted.[back]

The Collected Letters of Robert Southey: Part Seven

Lynda Pratt, Ian Packer