“As for the verses upon Mr. Pitt, I never wrote any. Possibly Lewis may have seen a poem by Coleridge, which I have heard of, but have never seen—a dialogue between Blood, Fire, and Famine, or some such interlocutors.* Strangers are perpetually confounding us.
“My Eclogues, varying in subject, are yet too monotonous, in being all rather upon melancholy subjects.
“I have some play plots maturing in my head, but none ripe. My wish is to make something better than love the mainspring; and I have one or two sketches, but all my plots seem rather calculated to produce one or two great scenes, rather than a general effect. My mind has been turned too much to the epic, which admits a longer action, and passes over the uninteresting parts.
“The escape of the Pythoness with a young Thesealian seems to afford most spectacle. If you have Diodorus Siculus at hand, and will refer to lib. 16.
* “Fire, Famine, Slaughter,” was the title of this poem. |
| 6 | LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE | Ætat. 25. |
“Pedro the Just pleases me best. This is my outline—You know one of Inez’ murderers escaped—Pacheco. This man has, by lightning or in battle, lost his sight, and labours under the agony of remorse. The priest, to whom he has confessed, enjoins him to say certain prayers where he committed the murder. Thus disfigured, he ran little danger of discovery; what he did run, enhanced their merits. A high reward has been offered for Pacheco, and the confessor sends somebody to inform against him and receive it.
“Leonora, his daughter, comes to Coimbra to demand justice. Her mother’s little property has been seized by a neighbouring noble, who trusts to the hatred Pedro bears the family, and their depressed state, for impunity. This, too, may partly proceed from Leonora having refused to be his mistress. A good scene may be made when she sees the king, and he thinks she is going to intreat for her father; but Pedro was inflexibly just, and he summons the nobleman.
“Pacheco is thrown
into prison. The nobleman, irritated at the king, is still attached to
Leonora. He is not a bad man, though a
violent one. He offers to force the prison, deliver Pacheco, and retire into Castille, if she will be his. The
king’s confessor intercedes for Pacheco, but his execution is fixed for the day when Inez is to be crowned. At the decisive moment,
Leonora brings the children of
Inez to intercede, and is successful.
She refuses to marry the
| Ætat. 25. | OF ROBERT SOUTHEY. | 7 |
“This is a half plot—you see capable of powerful scenes—but defective in general interest, I fear.
“I have thought of a domestic story, founded on the persecution under Queen Mary. To this my objection is, that I cannot well conclude it without either burning my hero, or making the queen die very à propos—which is cutting the knot, and not letting the catastrophe necessarily arise from previous circumstances. However, the story pleases me, because I have a fine Catholic woman and her confessor in it.
“For feudal times, something may be made, perhaps, of a feif with a wicked lord, or of the wardship oppressions; but what will young Colman’s play be? It may forestall me.
“Then I have thought of Sparta, of the Crypteia, and a Helot hero; but this would be interpreted into sedition. Of Florida, and the customary sacrifice of the first-born male: in this case to have a European father, and an escape. Sebastian comes into my thoughts; and Beatrix of Milan, accused by Orombello on the rack, and executed. A Welsh or English story would be better; but, fix where I will, I will be well acquainted with country, manners, &c. God bless you. You have these views as they float before me, and will be as little satisfied with any as myself. Help me if you can.
