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Huntington Library, HM 4874 . Previously published: J. W. Robberds (ed.), A Memoir of the Life and Writings of the Late William Taylor of Norwich, 2 vols (London, 1843), II, pp. 87–90.
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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You have rescued me from Mr Norgate, whose criticasterisms have long annoyed me in the Monthly
Magazine, & in the Annual.
I assent to about half of what you say, – to the sink of interest where there ought to have been a swell, – &
to the want of ornamental patches. I dissent from the charge of levelness of manner, which seems to be less applicable to Madoc
than to any poem long poem that ever was written. In my judgement the manner always accommodates itself to the matter,
rising & falling with the subject.
The alterations which I feel disposed to make are these. to give all the odes in lyrical measures. to make Erillyab
put Amalahta to death with her own hand, & so get rid of that the last part of that attack upon the women which is
very badsections which shall throw the interest still upon Madoc instead of transferring it to Yuhidthiton
I must write another, upon some subject chosen more maturely. England affords no story – I go therefore to Spain or
Portugal, if possible. At present Pelayo is my favourite personage. I hesitate between his history (which offers admirable
characters ready made in Florinda, Count Julian, the renegade Archbishop & Rodrigo in his hermit state –)
You & I continue to be the Gog & Magog
Burnett is coming back from Poland, & will make his way immediately to me. I have a long letter from which it appears, that he leaves the Count for some unexplained reasons – possibly he has been looking out for a Polish wife, at least something of this kind may very reasonably be inferred. he talks of his complaint & suspects adhesion of the diaphragm or schirrous liver – from no other symptoms than because he loves drinking & d[MS torn] not love employment. he will bring home with him some German, & we will try to get out of him a book about Poland to get him some money, but I fear sadly that there will be very little found in him for the purpose, & that he will be just as hopeless as ever. He means to put himself under my care, & I will labour to teach him reviewing & to keep him in good spirits.
I look with a poachers eye at your account of Lessing & want its conclusion – because Nathan lies on my Annual
shelf.xxxxTom loses 2000 £. I am trying to get
xxxxStuart to take up the matter in the Courier – if he be not sold
body & soul he will do this to oblige me, & if the newspapers can be set well to work it seems a thing plan out
of which the ministry might be shamed or persuadedAmelia, of which Thomas Southey was a lieutenant, had captured the Spanish brig Isabella and the ship Conception, both laden with wine and brandy, and the ship Commerce, laden with cotton. It was customary for naval officers to be allotted a share of the value of ships and
cargo captured in armed conflict, but in this case the prize money was withheld because the ships were captured before war was
officially declared. Southey took up his brother’s cause to have his share reinstated. It was presumably Southey’s influence
that caused