405. Robert Southey to Edith Southey, 9 May 1799 ⁠* 

Thursday. May 9. 99. Brixton

Your letter my dear Edith reached me not till late last evening – & it could hardly have arrived more opportunely – for it was on my return from a visit to a M^r Boltby [1]  here that I found it. we had dined there. Harry Bedford Carlisle & I with fourteen people all of whom were compleatly strange to me & most of whom I hope & trust will remain so. there were some blockheads there one of whom chose to be exposed by engaging in some classical & historical disputes with me. another gave as a toast General Suwarrow [2]  – the man who massacred men women & children for three successive days at Warsaw – who slew at Ockzakow thirty thousand persons in cold blood – & thirty thousand at Ismael. I was so astonished at hearing this dæmons name as only to repeat it in the tone of wonder, but before I had time to think or to reply Carlisle turned to the man who gave the toast & said he would not drink General Suwarrow – & off we set, describing the mans actions till xx they gave up all defence & asked for some substituted name & Carlisle changed him for Count Rumford. [3]  it was a hateful day – the fellows would talk politics of which they knew nothing; I only said enough to expose their ignorance & come away with Carlisle the first of the company. after five hours so put to the torture your letter was doubly welcome – I read it & forgot the asses whose braying had made my head ache.

I have not seen M^r Peacock. [4]  he lives with a brother, who seems a staid old merchant looking man. today I went to town, walked to breakfast there with Carlisle, whom I find as friendly & good humourd & attentive as ever – & entre-nous I have found out why Grosvenor is estranged from him. But this when we meet. Stuart paid me my quarter – & Hamilton [5]  will settle with me soon. G. Dyer is foraging for my almanac [6]  & promises pieces from M^rs Opie, [7]  M^r Mott of Cambridge whom you remember, & Miss Christall. [8]  I then went to Arch, [9]  a pleasant place for half an hours book-news. you know he purchased the edition of the Lyrical Ballads – he told me he believed that he should lose by them as they sold very heavily. I ordered your Florian there the 14 volumes to be bound in 7 – plainly in vellum than which nothing can be handsomer or neater. [10]  my books sell very well. other book news have I none - except indeed that John Thelwall God help him! is writing an epic poem [11]  – & Samuel Rogers who is a banker & contrives to make his rhymes pass current for poetry, as his paper goes for cash, is also writing an epic poem [12]  – I do not say God help him too, for he has not claim on respect like poor Thelwall. George Dyer also hath similar thoughts. I laughed at all this when George told me so & said they would make a supplement to my obscure epic writers one of these days.

The Almanach shows me a lucky mistake in my calculations. I shall be home on the 28^th instead of the 29^th.

I do little here but read. for Stuart I have written one only letter [13]  – he has luckily news enough to want little from me. here are abundance of books, & tho my stall hunting has been more than usually succesful I abstain from those dainties & feed on what I cannot carry away. W^m Taylor has written to me from Norwich & sent me Bodmers Noah [14]  the book which I wanted to poke thro & learn German by. he tempts me to write upon the subject & take my seat also with Milton & Klopstock [15]  – the third of the trinity. & in my todays walk so many noble thoughts for such a poem presented themselves that I am half tempted, [16]  & have the Deluge floating in my brain with the Dom Daniel [17]  & the rest of my unborn family.

Carlisle has some fine speculations that I must not talk about. he has a pupil [18]  resident in his house. you would be surprized to see how fat he is grown, & how well he looks. as we went to dinner yesterday a coachful of women drew up to the door at the moment we arrived there. it rained merrily – & he offered his umbrella, but the prim gentry were somewhat rudely shy of Carlisles him & me too – for his hair was a little ragged & I had not silk stockings on. he made them ashamed of this at dinner. never did you see any thing so hideous as their dresses. they were pink muslin with white-pocket-handkerchief-round-little spots. waists down God knows how far – & xx buttoned from the neck down to the end of the waist – with a bosom protuberance before as ugly as the old fortifications – or merry thoughts – or what-dye callums that made the women drink over the shoulders. I could have kickd them for their fool fashions.

Well Edith – here have I written you a letter full of nothing – nor have I ought to say save the endless repetition that I am home sick – that I want to be with you – & often as this has been repeated I believe you are as little weary of hearing as I am of repeating it. the news of the day is that Buonaparte is doing wonders, & the Pacha who wrote that letter to denounce his vengeance on “Buonaparte, whom God curse.” as he said, has been by the Turks own account “miserably defeated.” [19]  Horne Tookes letter to the Income Commissioners [20]  has amused me very much. he had stated his under sixty pounds a year. They said they were not satisfied – & his reply begins by saying he has much more reason to be dissatisfied with the smallness of his income than they have.

I look for another letter from you. there is pleasure in expecting, in receiving & in remembering one. supper time now approaches & then thank God comes bed time – & I have had walk enough to be somewhat sleepy. to my mother I will write & to Cottle. I have also Carlisles advice for W^m Reid. [21]  about S^t Pauls you already know my judgement if you have received my last which stupidly enough I had franked to Bristol. but probably it will follow you remember me to your sister & to Moses whom I should very gladly see again, but God knows when that will be.

God bless you

yr Robert Southey.