The Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey
Vol. IV Contents
THE
LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE
OF
ROBERT SOUTHEY.
EDITED BY HIS SON, THE
REV. CHARLES CUTHBERT SOUTHEY, M.A.
CURATE OF PLUMBLAND, CUMBERLAND.
IN SIX VOLUMES.
VOL. IV.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS,
PATERNOSTER-ROW.
1850.
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CONTENTS
OF THE FOURTH VOLUME.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Present Happiness.—Affairs of the Edinburgh Annual
Register embarrassed.—Life of
Nelson.—Roderick.—Thanks to Sir
W. Scott for Rokeby.—Regrets being compelled
to Periodical Writing.—Politics.—Mr. Coleridge’s
Tragedy brought out.—Remarks on the Loss of youthful Hopes.—Destraction of the
French Army in Russia.—Life of Nelson
completed.—Literary Plans.—Reasons for submitting to
Gifford’s Corrections.—Letters concerning
Mr. James Dusautoy.—Gloomy Political
Forebodings.—Paper in the Quarterly Review on the State of
the Poor.—Naval Reverses in the War with America.—Expected Death of his
Brother-in-law Mr.
Fricker.—Montgomery’s Deluge.—Animated Horsehair.—Play by Mr. W. S.
Landor.—Visit to London.—Appointment as
Poet-laureate.—1813
Page 1
CHAPTER XIX.
The Laureate’s First Ode.—Restrictions upon his Freedom of
Speech.—Complaints of Gifford’s
Corrections.—Bonaparte.—Conduct of the Austrian
Government towards Hofer.—Anxiety respecting his
Children’s Health.—Thinks of an Ode on the expected Marriage of the
Princess Charlotte.—Repulse of the British at
Bergen-op-Zoom.—Quotation from George Gascoigne concerning the
Dutch.—Feelings on the News of the Success of the Allied Armies.—Poetical
Plans.—Lord Byron’s Ode to
Bonaparte.—Remarks on Mathematical Studies.—On Clerical
Duties.—Ridiculous Poem.—Portrait and Memoir wanted.—Laureate
Odes.—Spanish Affairs.—Humboldt’s
Travels.—Roderick.—Mr.
Coleridge.—Domestic Anxieties.—Advice on College
Studies.—
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Children’s Joy.—Hospitals badly conducted.—Political
Speculations.—Barnard Barton.—Mr.
Wordsworth’s last Poem.—Literary Plans.—The
Ettrick Shepherd.—Laureate Odes still required.—Foreign
Politics.—Mr. Canning.—History of
Brazil.—Expects nothing from Government.—A crazy
Compositor.—Grave of Ronsard at Tours.—Roderick.—Oliver Newman.—Thoughts on
Death.—Bonaparte.—History of Brazil.—New Year’s Ode
expected.—The Property-Tax.—The Squid Hound.—Lord
Byron.—Roderick.—Difficulties of Removal.—Inscriptions and
Epitaphs.—Evil of going to India.—Murat.—History of
Portugal.—His Son’s Studies.—Dr. Bell’s Ludus
Literarius.—Question of Marriage with a Wife’s Sister.—Rejoicings at the
News of the Battle of Waterloo.—1814—1815
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CHAPTER XX.
Feelings of rejoicing at the Termination of the War with France.—Journey
to Waterloo.—Account of Beguinages at Ghent.—Notices of Flanders.—Of the
Field of Battle.—Purchase of the Acta Sanctorum.—Detention by the Illness of
his Daughter at Aix-la-Chapelle.—Return Home.—Picture of his Domestic Happiness
in the Pilgrimage to Waterloo.—Multitude of
Correspondents.—Meeting with Spanish Liberales in London.—Rapid Flight of
Time.—Declining Facility of Poetical Composition.—Politics.—Regrets for
the Death of young Dusautoy.—The Pilgrimage
to Waterloo.—Scott’s Lord of the Isles.—The History of Brazil.—Evils in
Society.—Want of English Beguinages.—Early English Poetry.—Death of his
Son.—Poetical Criticism.—Feelings of Resignation.—Circumstances of his
Early Life.—Geology and Botany better Studies than Chemical and Physical
Science.—Thomson’s Castle of
Indolence.—Youthful Feelings.—Owen of
Lanark.—Remarks on his own Fortunes and Character.—College
Life.—Wordsworth’s Poems.—1815—1816
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CHAPTER XXI.
Changes in his Political Opinions.—Causes which made him a Political
Writer.—He is requested to go to London to confer with the Government.—Reasons
for declining to do so.—Gloomy Anticipations.—Measures necessary for preventing
a Revolution.—He
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is hated by the Radicals and Anarchists.—Thoughts concerning his
Son’s Death.—Plan of a Work upon the State of the Country.—Proposed
Reforms.—Efforts to assist Herbert Knowles to go to
Cambridge.—Letter from him.—His Death.—Fears of a
Revolution.—Literary Employment and Hopes.—Sympathy with a Friend’s
Difficulties.—Motives for Thankfulness.—Melancholy Feelings.—Blindness of
Ministers 1816
Page 198
CHAPTER XXIII.
Surreptitious Publication of Wat
Tyler.—Consequent Proceedings,—Is attacked in the House of Commons by
William Smith.—Offer of a Lucrative Appointment connected
with the Times Newspaper.—Tour in
Switzerland.—Letters from thence.—Account of
Pestalozzi.—Of
Fellenberg.—Impressions of the English Lakes on his
return.—High Opinion of Neville White.—Norfolk
Scenery.—Speculations on another Life.—Life of Wesley
in progress.—Curious News from the North Pole.—Lines on the Death of the
Princess Charlotte.—Cure for the Bite of Snakes.—1817
234
CHAPTER XXIII.
Retrospect of Life.—Reviewing.—Life of
Wesley.—Uses of Affliction.—Edinburgh Annual
Register.—Westmoreland
Election.—Humboldt.—Paper on the Poor
Laws.—Cobbett.—Nutritive Qualities of
Coffee.—Milman’s Poem of
Samor.—Offer of Librarianship of the Advocates’ Library,
Edinburgh.—Scarcity of Literary Men in
America.—Ritchie.—Mungo
Park.—Recollections of his Tour on the Continent.—He is attacked
from the Hustings at a Westmoreland Election.—Wishes to print his Poems in a cheaper
Form.—Mob Meetings.—Congratulations to Mr. Justice
Coleridge on his Marriage.—Literary Advice.—Habits of Asceticism
not unfavourable to long Life.—Mr. Wilberforce visits
Keswick.—School Rebellion. —Remarkable Season.—Comparative Happiness of
Childhood and Riper Years.—Changes in the Criminal Laws wanted. 1818
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CHAPTER XXIV.
Nervous Feelings.—Anxieties for the Future.—Recollections of early
Journeys.—Prudence of anticipating Popular Opinion.—Ode on the Queen’s
Death.—Haydon.—Wordsworth.—Life of Wesley.—Home
Politics.—Switzerland.—Criticisms on a Volume of Poems by Mr. E.
Elliott.—Birth of a Son.—History of
Brazil.—Rising Poets.—Waverley Novels.—Reasons for declining
to attend the Westminster Meeting.—College Recollections.—Religion necessary to
Happiness.—Notices of the Lake-Country.—Mr.
Wordsworth’s “Waggoner.”—Advises Allan
Cunningham on Literary Pursuits.—Lord
Byron’s Hostility.—Probable Reception of the History of Brazil—Crabbe’s
Poems.—Peter Roberts.—Literary
Employments.—Colonisation necessary.—Tour in Scotland.—Desirableness of
Men of mature Years taking Holy Orders.—John Morgan in
Difficulties.—Literary Occupations.—Projected Journey.—1818—1819
Page 326
The Editor is requested to correct a mis-statement in the Autobiography,
vol. i. p. 81. It is there said that “Mr.
Dolignon, in some delirium, died by his own hand.” This is an error;
Mr. Dolignon having died of paralysis in the prime of life,
“in the full enjoyment of domestic happiness and worldly prosperity.”
