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Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin. Previously published: Charles Ramos, The Letters of Robert Southey to John May: 1797–1838 (Austin, Texas, 1976), pp. 86-87.
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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I wrote to you on Thursday concerning my wretched brother Edward. perhaps you may <have> thought my conduct somewhat rigorous, but it proceeded from a deep-founded knowledge & feeling of his character. this evening another draft has arrived for three pounds, from a gunsmith – & the boy himself writes to say that he has drawn these bills – as I cannot suppose his situation can be free from expence – & he encloses his taylors bill also to show – he says that he has not been extravagant. this bill is £11-16-3 ½. When I tell you that this boy is not yet fifteen you will feel shocked at so early an instance of shamelessness.
There is but one course that I can pursue. if
you should – or if Rickman should procure a ship, I will beg
<you> to calculate the expence of his journey to join
it, & remit it him with two pounds more for his washing,
& if he continues on board I will from time to time
supply him, always sparingly, for he is not to be trusted.
From the embarrasments which he has thus wickedly contracted
he must get out how he can. The gentlemanrs Tyler has borrowed ten guineas of
this Mr Barham. my Uncle I
am sure shuts his eyes to that womans conduct. to her utter
meaness & dishonesty. I have my poor
Mothers example to warn me. she literally was, as
she knew she was, destroyed by the perpetual fret &
fever in which her sister kept her, by perpetually extorting
from her what money she got, guinea by guinea as it came in,
in consequence of which her own debts were daily
accumulating – for else she would have had none. With her
eyes broad open, my poor Mother always yielded to her, wrote
begging letters in her own name – or rather copied them –
that Mrs Tyler might have the money
– she even twice attempted to raise money in my name from
poor
Thomas – & from Wynn whom she
had never seen. My
mother was always the cats-paw, & still
continued to be so in spite of every effort I could make,
tho whenever she spoke of it it was with the bitterest tears
– tho it kept her sleepless at night & induced those
dreadful sweats of mental suffering which God forbid you
should ever know but by report, tho it wore away her very
vitals & actually brought her to the grave. She scarcely
ever mentioned my
Uncles name without tears – to think that she was
always made the conduit thro which his money was to be
draind. What must he think of me – she would say – & God
knows it is never for myself. – Oh Christ! it is not a
letter that can tell you the infamy I have known – & the
affliction that I have endured, – nor how that woman has
pilfered from me at the very time that she has been
calumniating & insulting me. When that poor Cousin of mine
died <was dying> – of
all my relations the only one who had any affinity of heart
or intellect with me – she had no support but from me. Mrs Tyler had quarrelled with her, but
she used to send to get her money from her, when she had no
strength to withold it, guinea by guinea & when to
prevent this I sent smaller sums – shilling by shilling –
& almost in the very hour of her death – which was
attended with agonies that make me shiver whenever I
recollect them – this wretched Edward was sent to plunder her
& actually abusd & cursed her
for attempting to withold the few shillings which she had in
her power. I learnt this from Danvers who God bless him! is
the friend of all who want a friend & has as excellent a
heart as God ever made to show me what a human heart can be.
When in the newspaper her death was mentioned she was
particularized as niece to Mrs Tyler – the woman wrote a paragraph
to contradict it which the Printer would not insert knowing
it to be a lie, – & among all her friends declared that
this Peggy had
past for her niece there was great reason <to think>
she was a Bastard. – If this be madness, it is of so wicked
& truly devilish a nature that it actually looks like
possession.
This has led me astray. my resolution is never to embarrass myself where there is not a manifest & commanding duty. for Harry I must do what I can – or rather what you enable me to do – because it is furthering him & indispensable to his welfare in life. but should he show himself incorrigibly prodigal I will wash my hands of him. so with Edward I will <not> toil & fret away the powers which God has given me for better purposes. to support the extravagancies of any unprincipled profligate tho he were tenfold my brother. If he chuses so to act as that either he or I must suffer it shall be himself. I will not be victim of any mans ill-conduct. you I am sure will be satisfied that I have done right in protesting his drafts & refusing to pay his bills.