The Collected Letters of Robert Southey. Part 1: 1791-1797 A Romantic Circles Electronic Edition Southey, Robert, 1774-1843 Lynda Pratt Romantic Circles General Editor, Neil Fraistat General Editor, Steven E. Jones General Editor, Carl Stahmer Technical Editor Laura Mandell 2009-03-15 rce215 letterEEd.26.215 Romantic Circles, http://www.rc.umd.edu, University of Maryland College Park, MD March 15, 2009

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Boston Public Library, MS Ch.H.6.40; a partial transcript in the hand of James Hughes Anderdon is in the Royal Academy of Arts, London, Anderdon Catalogues 10/105. Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), I, pp, 129–31; Joseph Cottle, Reminiscences of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, pp. 211–212 [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.

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 NINES categories for Genre and Material Form at http://www.performantsoftware.com/nines_wiki/index.php/Submitting_RDF#.3Cnines:genre.3E on 2009-02-26 Architecture Artifacts Bibliography Collection Criticism Letters Drama Life Writing Politics Folklore Ephemera Fiction History Leisure Manuscript Reference Works Humor Education Music nonfiction Paratext Perodical Philosphy Photograph Citation Family Life Poetry Religion Review Visual Art Translation Travel Book History Law Southey Letters: Biographies Southey Letters: Places Laura Mandell XSLT Transforming Averill Buchanan corrections from proofing Laura Mandell XSLT Transforming Averill Buchanan TEI Encoding
215. Robert Southey to Joseph Cottle, [before 6 May – 6 May 1797] Address: Mr Cottle/ High Street/ BristolPostmark: MA/ 6/ 1797Endorsement: 79) 27MS: Boston Public Library, MS Ch.H.6.40; a partial transcript in the hand of James Hughes Anderdon is in the Royal Academy of Arts, London, Anderdon Catalogues 10/105Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), I, pp, 129–31; Joseph Cottle, Reminiscences of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, pp. 211–212 [in part]. My dear Cottle

I write to you upon the subject of the vignettes again, because it has been recommended from many quarters, & by those who know how books sell. they tell me that ornaments of this kind accelerate the sale of a book; & as far as my own observations go — I may say my own xxxxxx x xxxxx feelings — they agree with the remark. I have been calculating what the surplus would be to expend in prints, if the book were sold at six shillings — & I find the 500 nine pences amount to £18–17–0. now two vignettes & the Gaspar PoussinThe French-Italian painter Gaspard Dughet (1615–1675), who assumed the surname Poussin when he was adopted as the heir of Nicholas Poussin (1594–1665). Southey is possibly referring to Poussin’s The Cascade. would be enough. I am told the vignettes for Cookes such as CookesProbably a member (or members) of the Cooke family, London-based engravers, artists and publishers. — may be had for five guineas each; & the engravings of the landscape will then come within the sum allotted. the point is — will it accelerate the sale? — think you upon this — & let me speedily know the result of your thoughts — that — if they incline toward tickling the public eye — I may see something about it personally. we leave town in a fortnight. but I have now access to <the> artists thro Opie.John Opie (1761–1807; DNB), Cornish-born artist, who specialised in portraiture and history painting.

Opie is indeed a very extraordinary man. I have now twice seen him. without any thing of politeness, his manners are pleasing, tho their freedom is out of the common; & his conversation, tho in a half-uttered half-Cornish half-croak, is interesting. perhaps there <is a> strange contrast between his genius, which is not confined to painting, & the vulgarity of his appearance — perhaps of his manners & language sometimes. you will however easily conceive that a man who can paint like Opie must display the same taste on other subjects. he is very fond of Spenser — no author furnishes so many pictures he says — You may have seen his Britomart delivering Amoret. he has begun a picture from Spenser which he says himself thinks his best design — but it has remaind untouchd for three years. the outline is wonderfully fine. it is the delivery of Serena from the Salvages by Calepine. you will find the story in the sixth book of the Faery Queen somewhere about the 7th or 8th Canto.John Opie, The Freeing of Amoret, commissioned for Thomas Macklin’s (1752/3–1800; DNB) ‘Poets Gallery’, and another unknown work inspired by Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599; DNB). the subject has often struck me as fit for the painter.

I saw Dr Gregory <Dr Gregory><Dr Gregory>: Inserted in another hand. Dr George Gregory (1754–1808; DNB), Church of England clergyman and author; his writings included a life of Thomas Chatterton (1752–1770; DNB), published in 1789. to day. a very brawn looking man — of most episcopal pinguitude — & full moon cheeks. there is much tallow in him. I like his wife.Gregory had married a Miss Nunes (dates unknown), daughter of a Liverpool merchant. & perhaps like him too — but his Xtianity is of an intolerant order — & he affects a solemnity when talking of it which savours of the high priest. when he comes before the Physiognomical Tribunal, we must melt him down: — he is too portly. — I sup with him on Sunday next.

Saturday noon.

— I left my letter unfinished — in case I might hear from you by this days post. but the hour is gone by.

Will you be good enough to send me the plan & rules of one of your reading societies for Mr Peacock?

I have made many enquiries for the Pucelle of ChapelainAn account of Jean Chapelain’s (1595–1674) epic poem La Pucelle ou la France Délivrée was included in the second edition of Southey’s Joan of Arc, published in 1798. — but still in vain. this is very unfortunate — as I can begin no systematic alteration of Joan of Arc till I see what he has done. you know likewise my intention of giving an analysis of his work. about the ninth book I am puzzled by opposite opinions — so probably it will remain —

I shall expect to hear from you soon about the prints. am I ever to expect the parcel?

farewell. you will hear from me again before we leave town. the spring comes on rapidly — & I repine at every day we lose. but the state of hope — unalloyed by fear — is a pleasant one,

God bless you.

yrs truly Robert Southey.

I wrote to Joseph Lovell by this days post. he is a very extraordinary character.