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 rce326 letterEEd.26.317 Romantic Circles, http://www.rc.umd.edu, University of Maryland College Park, MD August 15, 2011

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Beinecke Library, Osborn MSS File ‘S’, Folder 14169. 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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 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
317. Robert Southey to Edith Southey, 21 May 1798 Address: To/ Edith Southey/ 8 Westgate Buildings/ Bath/ SingleStamped: Tottenham/ Court RoadPostmark: AMA/ 21/ 98MS: Beinecke Library, Osborn MSS File ‘S’, Folder 14169Unpublished. Monday 21. May. 98. My dear Edith

Or my dearest Edith – or to speak more earnestly my dear dear Edith – tis an Italian superlative & I like it. I am writing Edith because BurnsPossibly William Burn (dates unknown), a member of the British Factory, Lisbon. business by preventing him from meeting me this morning allows me leisure, which I cannot employ better or more agreably. I went to Brixton to breakfast yesterday & spent a comfortable day, it was very comfortable – I got at Sir John Maundeviles Travels, & as I am as fond of a good lie as our modern metaphysicians pretend to be of truth, passed the morning in making abundant extracts, to what purpose you will see in the next poem I write.Probably ‘The Origin of the Rose’, published anonymously in the Morning Post, 23 June 1798 and renamed ‘The Rose’ in Poems, 2 vols (Bristol, 1799), II, pp. [71]–80. The origin of the story is noted in Common-Place Book, ed. John Wood Warter, 4 series (London, 1849–1850), IV, p. 91. The whole family received me with their usual welcome, even Snivel yelped out her how d ye do, & licked my fingers by way of shaking hands. This morning I departed after breakfast with Grosvenor, & after we seperated went to Lamb. He seemed glad to see me – you must direct his book & picture to 45 Chapel Street, Pentonville, near Islington, near London. send it soon & pray let it be packed with all possible care. I then called upon ArchJohn and Arthur Arch (fl. 1792–1838), publishers, booksellers and stationers, whose premises were at this time at 23 Gracechurch St, London. – & there met Benjamin Flower of Cambridge; grown quite young again & blooming. he recognized me with much cordiality. from thence I journeyed to Bedford Square, where I now am sitting in an armed chair considerably wearied “thinking in sorrow of my evening ride.”Unidentified; Southey is possibly quoting from one of his letters to Edith which has not survived.

I have told poor BlighsJames Blythe (1766/7–1798), the Midshipman killed in the fight between the Mars and L’Hercule on 21 April 1798. story with some effect. it drew tears at Brixton, & what was better half a guinea from Grosvenor presently after another half from Mrs B. & when no one was by the old gentleman put a 2 pound bill into my hand. John May has given a one pound bill, & will go a begging for me. Wynn will give five guineas himself – & says he doubts not that RichardsProbably Sir Richard Richards (1752–1823; DNB), an eminent lawyer in Chancery. will do the same. let this be communicated to the Admiral. It is pleasant to beg with success on these occasions.

The diabolical Benchers of Grays Inn have made a law that three dinners must be eat to keep a term, & those in different weeks – curse them. It is not to take place the next term however. I met Montague in the hall, he told me that Wordsworth was going to Germany. DalyUnidentified. sat next me at dinner.

Lamb has some hopes of escaping the requisitionEach county was required to provide a certain number of men for the cavalry militia, to protect Britain from invasion. – he says, he x hopes the country can sa be saved without his exertions but that if nothing but his right arm can protect it, he must be content. Dapple is a light horse-man.‘Dapple’ (a nickname for Bedford derived from that of Sancho Panza’s ass in Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616), Don Quixote (1605–1615)) had joined a company of volunteer cavalry, probably the Light Horse Volunteers of London and Westminster.

This is a very wicked place – I always as you know gape about me in London streets & read the Advertisements like a Loon just come from the country – among these I see a child advertised as lost, a boy as absconded from school – a gentleman as having left his family, & a young woman as x stolen – & by her own account in a letter “confined & not permitted to say where or by whom.” Now these things seem improbable in novels.

I am about to write a note to Burn, & the money he has in his hands will be sent down in consequence. I know not the exact sum, but understand it is about 100 pounds.

My hand is now grown somewhat cold, for you know how soon the Londoners leave off fire. moreover I have said everything & may as well conclude. is it necessary Edith to say that I am weary & restless, & wish myself with you? pray write – & tell me how you are. You shall hear from me again this week – that is if time permit the posts. I must versify at Yarmouth. PhillipsRichard Phillips (1767–1840; DNB), proprietor of the Monthly Magazine. I did not see but left the brogues

God bless you. yr Robert Southey.

I have not had time to see my mothers friend George Dyer. Carlisle was at Brixton when I went – I saw him for about half an hour Harry Bedford also was there, he is a wonderful lad.

Did you see my advice about your hat. pray wait for the new fashion – nothing can be more simple & more elegant. If I had had a woman with me I should have sent one done – but I could not bargain with a milliner.