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 rce58 letterEEd.26.58 Romantic Circles, http://www.rc.umd.edu, University of Maryland College Park, MD March 15, 2009

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Huntington Library, HM 44804. Not previously published.

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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58. Robert Southey and Grosvenor Charles Bedford to Charles Collins, 26 September 1793 MS: Huntington Library, HM 44804Unpublished.
Brixton.
Thurs. Sept. 26. 1793.

the evening we receivd yours.

——————

Was it the thunders as they pass? Was it the braying of an ass? Or was it from the walls re-ringing The echo of my own sweet singing? Or struck by hand of maddning Ire, Discord from the Mantuan lyre?Virgil (70–19 BC), who was born near Mantua. Yes Anger struck the jarring string Yes Anger stern essayd to sing. The swan that whilom charmd the Po Breathd the hoarse croak of the crow. Oh I will lightly touch the lyre To sooth the soul of maddning Ire — Gently breathe the fluent numbers Softly sooth his soul to slumbers — Cool the fever furious raging Every pang & pain assuaging. What tho thy hand unweeting tore The wound that was but slight before Physic to Poetry is brother — One dose shall counter act another. [start of section in Bedford’s hand] Two Regulars must lend their aid To cure the ill one Quack has made And as you seem non compos mentis To Willisize youFrancis Willis (1718–1807; DNB), the doctor who had treated George III (1738–1820; reigned 1760–1820; DNB) during his illness of 1788–1789. my intent is Collins indeed you can’t conceal How ill you take our friendly zeal Well did we think to rouse your pride And make you lay your books aside [end of section in Bedford’s hand] Good our Intention tho you mist her Our lenities have raisd a blister [start of section in Bedford’s hand] The blister broke — what came away Is far too foul for us to say Suffice that bolt into our faces It flew, & left it’s nasty traces [end of section in Bedford’s hand] And then wed nothing else to do But wipe ourselves & then — wipe you. Did you my dear friend never hear The story of Achilles spear?In classical mythology, the Greek forces on their route to Troy stopped in Mysia. A battle followed in which the local king, Telephus, was wounded by the Greek hero Achilles. Telephus learnt from an oracle that he could only be healed by the man who had made the wound. He kidnapped Orestes, son of the Greek leader, and his wound was healed when (as a ransom) Odysseus scraped some rust from Achilles’ spear into it. This story is known only from reports of Telephos, a lost play by Euripides (480–406 BC). Fruitful of wounds he wont to deal them On purpose afterwards to heal them. Tis now twelve months or something better Since I sat down & pennd a letter Wherein I beggd but beggd in vain That you would write in English strain — That faild. I deemd a useless task Again the same request to ask Resolvd no more my pains to waste Till you’d compleatly formd your taste. Your taste it seems is now grown ripe At “Pretty Grange & Pretty Pipe” [start of section in Bedford’s hand] Taste! the dull produce of the schools Receiv’d by you — & taught by fools Who love to prune & to suppress Luxuriancies they can’t possess Whose heads so hard so dry, that ne’er Sprouts forth a crop of manly hair But forced to fly for foreign aid To Barber’s shop & deadman’s head. [end of section in Bedford’s hand] Of heads & hair my friend enough No more of any such vile stuff — Here we the palm to you submit And take your nastiness for wit. Not here descending to come nigh Or dirt our paper by reply Let Christ Church here enjoy the field [start of section in Bedford’s hand] In Politesse & Filth We yield But beg when next you satirize You’ll stick to truth & not write lies As to the pair you shan’t come off And think so cheap to have your scoff

Make my respects to all your good Family.

G.C.B.

[end of section in Bedford’s hand]

Make my respects to all your good Family. R.S.

[start of section in Bedford’s hand] Tho’ Southey gentle bard refuse To contradict your vile abuse Know this — unstudied unadmired By us, our persons are attired. We boast no perfumes in our hair But those bestowed by health & air And ivory combs. — we spurn pomatumA dressing for hair made from perfumed oil. Pots full of filth — as such we hate ’em. Are heads are clean, nor when we’ve done ’em Fear we to put our hats upon ’em Like some good Christ Church beau who stalks Filthy & fine on X Church walks Who without lining wears silk breeches And shows brown skin thro’ stocking stitches. Who talks of impudence to read His works his own conceit to feed? [end of section in Bedford’s hand] Remember Collins I implore you “Ambrosio puella toro”The Latin translates as ‘girl on an ambrosial couch’. True in the Christ Church hall not heard This pretty warmth of Jack the third — The Dean much shockd went home good Sir! To read Petronius ArbiterPetronius Arbiter (d. AD 65), satirist, author of the Satyricon. And you displeasd return to dwell On Jack the secondJohannes Secundus (1511–1536), whose Liber Basiorum (Book of Kisses) was published in 1541. or Pucelle. La Pucelle, a mock-epic poem by Voltaire (1694–1778). [start of section in Bedford’s hand] Or what’s more worthy copying o’er Your verses twenty times or more Writing so neatly copies fair Detergent to your friend’s derrieres [end of section in Bedford’s hand] And now my friend let Satire cease Gently sink to gentle peace — Proudly in poetic pride We began & you replied. We empt our wit & you your jakes Let us cease for both our sakes. This good at least from ill has sprung That you have usd your native tongue Flung the GradusA dictionary used in writing Latin verses. quite aside And in good English verse replied Barber & Shoe black in one letter! To be the Gentleman is better And so who first began first end — Well write more gravely to our friend. True Collins not till Fancy quits In endless gloom these wandering wits Till Reason abdicates her reign And Fashion triumphs oer my brain Till Grosvenor shall forget his friend Till Time himself shall have an end — I dress my hair to hide my sense Or give to you my friend offence.

———

[start of section in Bedford’s hand] As dancers at a Masquerade At summer lay aside parade Take off their masks & free discover Their smiling faces to each other, So we to say the truth admire Thro’ all your verse your wonted fire Nor shall we e’er be angry when You raise ’gainst us so well the pen. If to write thus my friend twould cure ye Each week would I provoke your fury Nor e’er at falling, should repine The victim of such wrath divine.

And if that is not a lenitive plaister Collins I do not know what you would have — Of your verses I will just say thus much — that you have only your <own> indolence to blame in not having before this time, excelled us as much in that line as you d in all others — you will now be unpardonable if you do not often exercise yourself in this walk There is no better in Christ Church — — You think this a pun — as you please.

[end of section in Bedford’s hand]

Passion my dear friend opened AtyssOriginally a Phrygian god whose cult was introduced to Rome. According to some versions of his myth, he was beloved of Cybele, mother of the gods, but was driven mad and castrated himself. He was the subject of a poem by Catullus (87–54 BC). mouth — the strings were loosened & he spake —