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British Library, Add MS 47888. Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), II, pp. 76-80; Charles Cuthbert Southey (ed.), Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, 6 vols (London, 1849–1850), IV, pp. 43-45 [in part].
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
All other characters, those with accents, non-breaking spaces, etc., have been encoded in HTML entity decimals.
I have stolen away from a room-full of people at Mr Barlows, xxx check for thirty guineasat twelve I went by appointment to Lord William Gordon,xxx circumstances which would injure any body, – but what think you of this old Lord
asking permission for me to repeat my visit, & urging me to “take her under my protection” – & show her what to recite, &
instruct her how to recite it? – And all this upon a Sunday! So I shall give her a book, & tell her what parts she should chuse to
appear in, – & if she goes again to Edinburgh be civil to her if she touches at the Lakes; – she supports a mother a brother &
two or three sisters. – When I returned to Q Anne Street from the visit I found Davy sitting with the Doctor, & awaiting my return. I could not dine with him tomorrow, having an engagement, but we promised to go in the
evening & take Coleridge with us, & Elmsley, if they would go. It will be a party of Lions, where the Doctor must for that evening perform the part of Daniel in the Lions Den.
I dined on Sunday at Holland House with an ill assorted party of some 18
or 20 persons. However Sharp was there who introduced me with all due form to
Rogers xx xxx xxx if I was “magnanimous”, – & required him to make for him all sorts of amends honourable for having tried his
wit upon me at the expense of his discretion: & in full confidence of the success of his apology had been provided with a letter of
introduction to me in case he had gone to the Lakes as he intended to have done. As for me you know how I regard things of this kind: –
so we met with all becoming courtesy on both sides, & I saw a man whom in voice, manner & xxx countenance I liked
very much more than either his character or his writings had given me reason to expect.
Holland House is a most interesting building. The library is a sort of gallery xx
xxx 109 feet in length, & like my study serves for drawing room also. The dinner room is pannelled with wood, & the
pannels emblazoned with coats of arms, – like the ceiling of the room in the palace at Cintra.ths
time.r B’s satisfaction, & in this case that is enough.
Lord Wm is not a little pleased with appearing to be my patron, & I rather expect that he, from
his intimacy with the Prince, will procure a private presentation for me & take me xxx to Carleton House,
Thursday we dine with Me Stael.r Davis.r Legges,r Stangers.xx by that time I expect to be near the end of my business here, – perhaps to have compleated it. You do not know how I long
to be at home. I must stay about a fortnight in town after my removal: – & then, if it were not for Lucien Buonaparte,
Mrs Hill wins upon me a good deal. Today she began a conversation with me about
Miss Tyler & said it was as much as she could do to bear her. One of her
sisters,not glad to hear it, & indeed
she had not approved of his marrying. She made my Uncle very uncomfortable
while she was here by her intolerable humours. however before she went away he made her make over xx her estate to him; it
is worth about 200£ a year & whenever she dies he will be able to clear off the mortgage upon it gradually. She told Mrs Hill that she had all my play things. When my Uncle escorted her home to Bristol she actually suffered him to sleep at an inn –
because she would not make up one of her own beds.
Rickman has to return today. His sister
I expect that your seal will be finished about Saturday, & if so I shall seal a letter to Herbert with it early in the next week. I should like to see him when he receives it
xxxx Time passes with a heavy pace, & yet how many weeks are gone since I left home!
We have begun fires at Streatham today – which was not before I wanted one. I
write in the drawing room – in the inner part of it where I am quite by myself. Below stairs the young xxx Bears
M de Stael writes such a foot that in a note of hers which arrived this evening to tell me where she lives & when she dines I can only guess that the hour is 7 o clock. – The gate bell rings, – & they are come home from next door. I leave my letter open till the post arrives tomorrow, – in case there should come a letter from you as I hope there may, – so good night my dear Edith, – dear dear Edith good night.
Friday two o clock. – I forgot to fold up this letter on Wednesday, – which is rather fortunate as I have seen Coleridge & Mrs
Morgan this morning. She tells me that things are looking better than they had at one time cause to fear,
We had a very pleasant dinner at M de Staels. Davy & his wife, Bozzle & her husband,r Davis’s to day. – It was some disappointment not to find a
letter from home, – I must console myself with thinking upon the one & twenty ducks
I saw John Thelwall yesterday. His wifexxx money – God bless you. Next week compleats my work & I begin to
think of cutting off all visits on my return & taking the mail. Once more farewell.