The Collected Letters of Robert Southey. Part 2: 1798-1803 A Romantic Circles Electronic Edition Southey, Robert, 1774-1843 Lynda Pratt Romantic Circles General Editor, Neil Fraistat General Editor, Steven E. Jones Technical Editor Laura Mandell 2011-08-15 rce295 letterEEd.26.286 Romantic Circles, http://www.rc.umd.edu, University of Maryland College Park, MD August 15, 2011

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British Library, Add MS 47890. Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), I, pp. 159–160.

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.

All quotation marks and apostrophes have been changed: " for “," for ”, ' for ‘, and ' for ’.

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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.

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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 after latest corrections Laura Mandell XSLT Transforming Averill Buchanan corrections from proofing Averill Buchanan Part II added
286. Robert Southey to Thomas Southey, 24[-26] January 1798 Address: To/ Mr Southey/ H.M.S. Mars/ Plymouth./ Torbay/ SingleStamped: PLYMOUTH / DOCKPostmark: BJA/ 27/ 98MS: British Library, Add MS 47890Previously published: Kenneth Curry (ed.), New Letters of Robert Southey, 2 vols (London and New York, 1965), I, pp. 159–160. Wednesday Jany. 24. 98
12. Lambs Conduit Street.
My dear Tom

Some few days since I learnt from Bath that Mrs CookmanUnidentified; a friend of Margaret Southey. was coming to town on business for a day – & we were desired to get her a bed in, or near the house of our abode. this morning she arrived – & with her – my mother – who has taken this trip to please herself – & us as you may well imagine. It is some time since I have been astonished, & I believe nothing less than the skies falling could astonish me – but after travelling all night – & being seasick on the way, she arrived here in good spirits, health as good as when you left her – & so we are all going to the play to night to see Blue beardGeorge Colman, the Younger (1762–1836; DNB), Bluebeard (1798) was playing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. –

& now Tom if a hurricane would drive you up to London bridge I should have nobody to wish for.

She has brought me two likenesses of herself taken by Robert HancockThe engraver Robert Hancock (c. 1731–1817; DNB). Between 1796–1798 he produced pencil and chalk drawings of Southey and other members of his circle, including his mother, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Lamb and William Wordsworth. Commissioned by Joseph Cottle, the portraits are now in the National Portrait Gallery, London. – but they are not like my mother. I have my choice of them – I growl at it – & yet am glad it is here.

Harry wrote to me – this morning, from Norwich, where he has been for a few days. he writes in high spirits, & well he may, for I cannot wish him a better situation. on his way to Norwich, a Lady in the Coach asked him if he had ever read my poems – & added there was a Mr Southey in Yarmouth, brother, she believed, to me, whom she very much wished to see.

Peggy made you understand more than was strictly the case, when she said there was a coolness between Lloyd & me. Our living together was unpleasant, & we seperated at his proposal. true it is that I do not find in Charles Lloyd, what a man must have before I can think him my friend, a steady & consistent character; in whatever is of importance, he will, I believe, always be <the> same, & I should be much surprized at any wrong – or immoral action in him – but for little contemp<t>ible frivolities, for those ficklenesses that I despize – he is full of them. I do not respect him, & I cannot love, where I cannot respect. but if any exertion of mine could serve him, if a leg or an arm would be of use – I should be ready always to proffer myself to assist him. My dear Tom I have long since ceased to estimate men according to their genius. I want men who will act with me, not talk with me.

Friday. These good visitors of mine came in & interrupted my letter. I escorted them to the play; yesterday they gadded about all day, & to night I go to Covent Garden with them.

You are to have one of the drawings of my mother. this have I insisted upon – for Mrs HancockProbably Robert Hancock’s wife, Martha (1744–c.1829). put in her claim.

They leave me tomorrow I believe.

I was surprized this morning in looking at the large play bills, to see a grand ballet announced as in preparation called Joan of Arc – or the Maid of Orleans.‘An Entire New Grand Historical Ballet of Action, called Joan of Arc, or the Maid of Orleans’, was announced widely in the London Press at this time (e.g. in The Oracle, Star, True Briton, 26 January 1798). It was first performed at Covent Garden on 12 February 1798. methinks they should send me a ticket of admittance. be this said ballet good, bad, or indifferent, it will be an excellent advertisement for my book.The second edition of Joan of Arc, published in 1798. but when that book will be out, as I have no telescope view of futurity, it is not possible for me to guess.

You naval men may amuse yourselves in speculating upon <guns-> gun-boats – rafts, & all the curious inventions that keep London in alarm.In early 1798 the build-up of French troops in the Channel ports led to widespread invasion scares. One of the more bizarre manifestations of these fears was the rumour that the French had constructed a giant raft that could transport 60,000 troops across the Channel.

Lloyd goes to Birmingham tomorrow I fear his brotherJames Lloyd I (1776–1853). is in a very dangerous state, or the old father would not have called him home. I do not like that old man. he is too civil – too fawning – too oily.Charles Lloyd Senior (1748–1828; DNB), a Birmingham-based banker and amateur translator of classical literature. He had visited Southey in 1797.

God bless you. yrs affectionately R Southey