769. Robert Southey to Thomas Smith,
29 March 1803
*
Kingsdown.
March 29. 1803.
My dear Sir
The Life of Cowper [1]
with your very friendly letter reached me last night, so
long after the date of the parcel (March 12) that I fear you
must have suspected me of uncivil neglect in acknowledging
it.
I wish I had nothing more to communicate than
the sense which I feel of your kindness. Danvers has at
length lost his
Mother. this epidemic disease [2] seized her, & she died yesterday
morning. the loss of so excellent a woman will be severely
felt by all who were intimate with her. – but to Charles it is
a heavy & almost a heart-breaking blow. there was more
than the parental tie between them. for years she has been
his constant companion, the object of all his thoughts &
solicitudes; xxx his
perpetual watchfulness of attention prolonged her life,
& made it happy to the very last.
I have not forgotten Mrs Smiths Autographs, [3] but will not swell a letter
with inclosing any, which will probably take a long circuit
before it reaches you. I hope however it will not find you
in London. you should not venture there until the influenza
has ceased.
believe me dear Sir
very thankfully & truly
yours
Robert Southey.
Notes
* Address:
[deletions and readdress in another hand] To/ Thomas
Smith/ Bownham House/
Mrs/ Wibbsons/ Charleywood/ Stroud/ Rickmansworth/ Gloucestershire/ Harts/ Mrs Wibbsons/
Charleywood House/ Rickmansworth/ Harts
Stamped:
MINCHINHAMPTON
Postmarks: BRISTOL/ MAR 23 1803; E/
APR 3/ 1803
MS: Collection of Ian Packer and Lynda
Pratt
Unpublished. BACK
[1] William Hayley (1745-1820;
DNB), The Life and Posthumous
Writings of William Cowper (1803). BACK
[2] Mrs Danvers was a victim of
the influenza epidemic of 1803, which claimed lives
throughout Europe, particularly in England and
France. BACK
[3] Elizabeth Smith was a
collector of autographs, and Southey had promised to add
to her collection. BACK
