The Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey
Robert Southey to Thomas Southey, 16 August 1808
“Aug. 16. 1808.
“My dear Tom,
“—— is gone to Spain! to fight as
a private in the Spanish army, and he has found two Englishmen to go with him.
A noble fellow! This is something like the days of old, as we poets and
romancers represent them;—something like the best part of chivalry: old
honours, old generosity, old heroism, are reviving, and the cancer of that
nation is stopped, I believe and fully trust, now and for ever. A man like
—— cannot long remain without command; and, of all
things in this world, I should most rejoice to hear that King Joseph had fallen into his hands;—he
would infallibly hang him on the nearest tree, first, as a
Bonaparte by blood; secondly, as a Frenchman by
adoption; thirdly, as a king by trade.
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| Ætat. 34. |
OF ROBERT SOUTHEY. |
163 |
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“Miss
Seward’s criticism has appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine. Her verses have not
been inserted in the Courier, which
is rather odd. She reads Madoc to all her acquaintance, and must be the means of selling
several copies.
“Another island came up on Saturday last, which I
shall visit the first fine day,—probably with Jackson and Jonathan
Ottley, who is going to measure it and catch a bottle of the
gas, Jonathan being, as you know, our Keswick philosopher. We are now having a
spell of wind and rain.
“We have got the prettiest kitten you ever
saw,—a dark tabby,—and we have christened her by the heathenish
name of Dido. You would be very much diverted to see
her hunt Herbert all round the kitchen,
playing with his little bare feet, which she just pricks at every pat, and the
faster he moves back the more she paws them, at which he cries
‘Naughty Dido!’ and points to
his feet and says, ‘Hurt, hurt, naughty Dido.’ Presently he feeds her with comfits, which
Dido plays with awhile, but soon returns to her
old game. You have lost the amusing part of
Herbert’s childhood,—just when he is
trying to talk, and endeavouring to say every thing.
“. . . . . I have been in the water very seldom since
you went; but the last time I accomplished the great job of fairly swimming on
my back, which is a step equal to that of getting one’s first commission.
“I hope that the opening of Pelayo is pretty well arranged, but I
will not begin upon it till I come to ![]()
| 164 | LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE | Ætat. 34. |
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a stop in Kehama. You will not, perhaps,
be surprised to hear that two of my old dreams are likely to be introduced,
with powerful effect, in this poem,—good proof that it was worth while to
keep even the imperfect register that I have. The fear is, that what happened
to Nebuchadnezzar is perpetually happening to me. I forget
my dreams, and have no Daniel to help out my recollection;
and if by chance I do remember them, unless they are instantly written down,
the impression passes away almost as lightly as the dream itself. Do you
remember the story of Mickle the poet,
who always regretted that he could not remember the poetry which he composed in
his sleep? it was, he said, so infinitely superior to any thing which he
produced in his waking hours. One morning he awoke and repeated the lamentation
over his unhappy fortune, that he should compose such sublime poetry, and yet
lose it for ever! ‘What!’ said his wife, who happened to be
awake, ‘were you writing poetry?’ ‘Yes,’
he replied, ‘and such poetry that I would give the world to remember
it.’ ‘Well then,’ said she, ‘I did luckily hear
the last lines, and I am sure I remember them exactly: they were— “By Heaven, I’ll wreak my woes Upon the cowslip and the pale primrose.” |
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This is one of Sharpe’s
stories,—it is true, and an excellently good one it is. I am not such a
dreamer as Mickle, for what I can remember is worth
remembering,—and one of the wildest scenes in Kehama will prove this. God bless you!
William Jackson (d. 1809)
A retired carrier, he was the builder of Greta Hall and landlord of Coleridge and
Southey. Coleridged described him as “a truly good and affectionate man, a father to my
children, and a friend to me.”
William Julius Mickle (1735 c.-1788)
Scottish poet and essayist; his most successful work was his translation of Camoens,
The Lusiad, or, The Discovery of India (1776).
Jonathan Otley (1766-1856)
Keswick clockmaker and amateur geologist; he was an acquaintance of Robert
Southey.
Anna Seward [the Swan of Lichfield] (1742-1809)
English poet, patron, and letter-writer; she was the center of a literary circle at
Lichfield. Her
Poetical Works, 3 vols (1810) were edited by Walter
Scott.
Richard Sharp [Conversation Sharp] (1759-1835)
English merchant, Whig MP, and member of the Holland House set; he published
Letters and Essays in Poetry and Prose (1834).
The Courier. (1792-1842). A London evening newspaper; the original proprietor was James Perry; Daniel Stuart, Peter
Street, and William Mudford were editors; among the contributors were Samuel Taylor
Coleridge and John Galt.
The Gentleman's Magazine. (1731-1905). A monthly literary miscellany founded by Edward Cave; edited by John Nichols 1778-1826,
and John Bowyer Nichols 1826-1833.
Robert Southey (1774-1843)
Madoc. (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, 1805). A verse romance relating the legendary adventures of a Welsh prince in Wales and
pre-Columbian America.
