LORD  BYRON  and  his  TIMES
Byron
Documents Biography Criticism
A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1809
Sydney Smith to John Allen, 28 December 1809
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
GO TO PAGE NUMBER:
Author's Preface
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Index
Editor’s Preface
Letters 1801
Letters 1802
Letters 1803
Letters 1804
Letters 1805
Letters 1806
Letters 1807
Letters 1808
Letters 1809
Letters 1810
Letters 1811
Letters 1812
Letters 1813
Letters 1814
Letters 1815
Letters 1816
Letters 1817
Letters 1818
Letters 1819
Letters 1820
Letters 1821
Letters 1822
Letters 1823
Letters 1824
Letters 1825
Letters 1826
Letters 1827
Letters 1828
Letters 1829
Letters 1830
Letters 1831
Letters 1832
Letters 1833
Letters 1834
Letters 1835
Letters 1836
Letters 1837
Letters 1838
Letters 1839
Letters 1840
Letters 1841
Letters 1842
Letters 1843
Letters 1844
Creative Commons License

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Produced by CATH
 
Heslington, Dec. 28th, 1809.
Dear Allen,

I fear you will think me capricious, but in the interval between my letter and yours, I received a letter from Jeffrey, strongly pressing me to give up the idea
68MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
of reviewing the pamphlet, as derogatory to the Review; coming after a letter from Abercrombie, in answer to one of mine, strongly to the same purpose. To the union of such authority, and the arguments with which they supported it, I gave up, and not hearing from you, finally relinquished the idea, which now to resume would appear light and inconsiderate.

I have received four or five letters from some of our friends respecting my sermon; not a word about perseverance in the Catholic question: I see plainly the Protestant religion is gaining ground in the King of Clubs.

I have sent my sermon to John the Silent, and should be obliged to him for the living of St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, in return. Scire potestates herbarum usumque—I should take for my motto.

I have had a long letter from Brougham upon the subject of my sermon. Do you not think his conduct of the war admirable? I would not for the earth tell you the complimentary simile I have made to him upon it. Ever yours, dear Allen, very faithfully,

Sydney Smith.