By some extraordinary casualty a few of the letters addressed to Mr. Hazlitt in one particular year, 1821, have escaped the destruction which has been almost the invariable fate of this class of papers in his case. I could desire that those which we still have were more important, but their scarcity must be my apology for inserting them. I regard them as salvage from the waste-basket.
The first is from New York, and introduces Mr. Greenhow. It also forwards for Mr. Hazlitt’s acceptance a portion of the liver of a departed dramatic celebrity, George Cooke.
“I trust time has not entirely erased my name from the tablet of your memory, and that you will pardon a moment’s intrusion.
| 2 | A VISITOR FROM NEW YORK. |
“Mr. Greenhow, the gentleman who will present this, is a warm admirer of your talents; and finding occasion to brave the world of waters which lie between this vast continent and the emporium of learning and genius, wished an opportunity of seeing you. I have therefore taken the liberty of introducing him, in the hope of double gratification. He is a gentleman of good mind, extensive reading, and well acquainted with the history and all particulars relative to this country. He is, too, a profound lover of the drama; he will be happy to inform you of its state in this country—which with other matter may while (sic) away an hour—and perchance amuse you. Your society and converse will on his part be highly valued. I learn that poor ‘Ogilvie’ has passed that ‘bourne whence no traveller returns’—his troubled spirit now finds rest. In the confidence that you do not think me presuming, and that your literary labour may ever be crowned by a golden harvest, I remain, yours with great respect,
“P.S. I feel assured that any part of so great a being as George Cooke will be esteemed a curiosity, and richly valued. The bearer of this will offer a morsel of the liver of this wondrous man.—R.”
The next which presents itself is a communication from Canterbury, from
Mr. Pittman, urging my grand
| AN INVITATION FROM CANTERBURY. | 3 |
“In the old palace of King
Ethelbert, in the ancient monastery of St.
Augustine are—two Racket-Players! who have found the true city
of God, the court in respect whereof St. James’s with the approaching
ceremony is nought. A massy stone wall of thirteen hundred years’
duration, even as a board placed by the hand of modern art, fair and smooth as
Belphœbe’s forehead, forms its
point. No holes or crannies throw out the well-directed ball. No jutting rocks
or pendent precipices spoil the hit and the temper. All is smooth. Eleven yards
from each other are two abutments, round which monks formerly prayed or seemed
to pray, and courtiers lied, and seemed to speak the truth. These bound the
court, and form delicious side walls; but alas! they terminate abruptly before
they have proceeded five yards. Endless, however, is the variety these
quicklyending walls occasion. Of chalky foundation, firm, even, and hard is the
ground; eighty-six feet in length, ever widening as it recedes from the wall.
Close behind the court, but not too close, and down a slight descent, is a
large square bowling-green, encompassed by old cloister walls covered with
vines and trees, and edged with flowers of all sorts, the rose being one.
Immense arches, ivy-covered towers, time mutilated, at magnificent
distances—the house itself, like one of those chapels
| 4 | A TEMPTING PICTURE. |
The way they still remembered, of King
Nine, Of old Assaracus and Inachus divine. But nothing gloomy, all cheerful, lively, pleasing, gay, In spot more delicious, though but feigned, Long or Joe
Davis never played, or Spines
Or Hazlitt vollied. |
“The inhabitants are not altogether unworthy of the place. For country people they are excellent. Racket is a great humanizer of the species, and ought to be encouraged.
Tonbridge is decent, Cooper hath a heart, And Austin ale, the which he will impart With liberal hand to all who pay. |
“They are, in fact, very civil. Our coming has revived the game, stirred up the ashes of a cheerful fire, inspirited the players. Many matches are in embryo, and the coronation is forgotten.
“Many Margate, Ramsgate, and Dover coaches go from the Bricklayers’ Arms at a quarter before eight every morning—and all through Canterbury, to which the fare on the outside is only 14s.
“Do come. You never saw so pretty a place. It beats
Netley Abbey, and is older. The court is really admirable, and has the property
of drying in two hours after the longest succession of hard rains. Good chalk
has no fellow. The only false hops are in the beer,
| A BUSINESS LETTER. | 5 |
“One of the old racket-players here says: ‘Jack Davis was the finest player I ever saw; and, by God, there is nobody can come near him.’
Here is a note from Mr. Colburn about ‘Table Talk,’ of which a volume was to come out on June 1st, if possible. That it should, was very important:—
“I send herewith all the 2nd vol., except the end of the 16th essay on the ‘Fear of Death.’ We want one essay yet to make out the volume of a tolerable size—which one it is desirable to bring in before the present 16th. Let me beg you will send me presently one of the essays you mentioned as being just ready, otherwise I shall not be able to publish by the 1st June, which is very important.
| 6 | LETTERS FROM MR. BALDWIN. |
I follow up with a series of notes from Mr. Baldwin, the publisher, respecting the ‘London Magazine.’
“I must not any longer neglect to avail myself of your kind offer to assist in filling up the chasm, made by the death of our lamented friend,* in the Magazine; and I know not any subject which would be thought more interesting than a continuation of the living authors, nor any pen so fitted for the subject as yours. Pray select any one you may think most fit, and render us your powerful assistance towards making our next number equal to its predecessors.
“In a day or two I shall probably request an interview with (you) on the subject of an editor.
“The portion of your capital article on Mr. Crabbe, which I enclose herewith, will, if inserted as it now stands, place us in a very awkward dilemma. Mr. Croly had communicated some articles during Mr.
| MR. BALDWIN IN A DILEMMA. | 7 |
“Now I think the difficulty may be easily got over by omitting Croly’s name, and contrasting the poetry of Crabbe with that of another school. Almost every line, except the first three or four, may then be retained, and instead of ringing the change on Crabbe and Croly, it will be he and they. Indeed this is done at the bottom of page six. Thus we shall avoid personality, yet hit the mark.
“Wishing to make this article the first of the number, I have given the rest to the compositors, but I do not venture to make myself, or suffer any other person to make the desired alteration.
| 8 | MR. HAZLITT AND THE ‘LONDON MAGAZINE.’ |
“The arrangement with Messrs. Taylor and Hessey is completed, and Mr. Taylor will take an early opportunity of calling on you, unless you should think proper to look in upon them in a day or two. I sincerely hope that such an arrangement will be made as shall be quite satisfactory to yourself; I am sure it is to their interest that it should be so. I should have much at heart the welfare of the Magazine, even if we had no pecuniary interest remaining; but upon their success depends greatly the sale of a considerable quantity of back stock, and of course we shall do all in our power to promote that success.
“You will have the kindness to send me the article on Pope at your earliest convenience.
Mr. Hessey’s letter does not divulge what the business was on which Mr. Hazlitt and he were to confer, but it illustrates the obsolete usage of authors going to their booksellers, and discussing matters comfortably over tea and toast:—
“Mr. Taylor
was all this morning on the point of setting out to call upon you, as he wanted
much to have some conversation with you, but a constant succession
| MR. HAZLITT AND THE ‘LONDON MAGAZINE.’ | 9 |
“The enclosed cheque is made out, deducting the discount (2l. 16s. 6d.), on 70l. If there is any part of that time expired, we shall be your debtors for the difference.
Mr. Landseer probably overrated a little Mr. Hazlitt’s influence with the ‘London Magazine,’ when he wrote the note with which I must conclude my specimens:*—
|
* But I suspect that at one moment there was some arrangement contemplated by which Mr. Hazlitt would have taken the management of the L. M. Several passages in these letters point to this, and can refer to nothing else. But that he ever actually officiated as editor is more than I have been able to learn. Mr. Landseer evidently had reason to suppose his influence there was considerable. |
| 10 | NOTE FROM MR. LANDSEER. |
“I wish you would be at the trouble of informing me, by post, if my letters can not appear in your next magazine—that is to say—as soon as you get another from Mr. Baldwin. I have this additional reason for wishing to know soon, that perhaps now, while there are no parliamentary debates, I might be able to get them into a morning paper in case Mr. B. should decline them.
The volume of ‘Table Talk,’ reprinted from the ‘London Magazine,’ with some additions, was published by Mr. Colburn in 1821. The dramatic criticisms, which Mr. Hazlitt had contributed between 1814 and 1817 to the Morning Chronicle and other journals, were at last collected into a volume this year, under the title of ‘A View of the English Stage.’ The last article is a notice of Mr. Kemble’s retirement, June 25, 1817.
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