CHAPTER L.

DOMESTIC HISTORY, 1833-1837.

THE following extracts from Mr. Wordsworth's correspondence may furnish some comment on the poems published at this time, together with some details on his personal history and opinions on literature and politics.

To the Rev. Alexander Dyce.

'My dear Sir,

'Rydal Mount, Kendal, Jan. 7, 1833.

Having an opportunity of sending this to town free of postage, I write to thank you for your last obliging letter. Sincerely do I congratulate you upon having made such progress with Skelton, a writer deserving of far greater attention than his works have hitherto received. Your edition will be very serviceable, and may be the occasion of calling out illustrations, perhaps, of particular passages from others, beyond what your own reading, though so extensive, has supplied. I am pleased also to hear that "Shirley" is out.

I lament to hear that your health is not good. My own, God be thanked, is excellent; but I am much dejected with the aspect of public affairs, and cannot but fear that this nation is on the brink of great troubles.

'Be assured that I shall at all times be happy to hear of your studies and pursuits, being, with great respect,

'Sincerely yours,

• WM. WORDSWORTH.'

To the Rev. Alexander Dyce.

'My dear Sir,

'Rydal Mount, March 20, 1833.

'I have to thank you for the very valuable present of Shirley's works, just received. The preface is all that I have yet had time to read. It pleased me to find that you sympathized with me in admiration of the passage from the Duchess of Newcastle's poetry; and you will be gratified to be told that I have the opinion you have expressed of that cold and false-hearted Frenchified coxcomb, Horace Walpole.

'Poor Shirley! what a melancholy end was his! and then to be so treated by Dryden! One would almost suspect some private cause of dislike, such as is said to have influenced Swift in regard to Dryden himself.

'Shirley's death reminded me of a sad close of the life of a literary person, Sanderson by name, in the neighbouring county of Cumberland. He lived in a cottage by himself, though a man of some landed estate. His cottage, from want of care on his part, took fire in the night. The neighbours were alarmed; they ran to his rescue; he escaped, dreadfully burned, from the flames, and lay down (he was in his seventieth year) much exhausted under a tree, a few yards from the door. His friends, in the meanwhile, endeavoured to save what they could of his property from the flames. He inquired most anxiously after a box in which his manuscripts and published pieces had been deposited with a view to a publica

tion of a laboriously-corrected edition; and, upon being told that the box was consumed, he expired in a few minutes, saying, or rather sighing out the words, "Then I do not wish to live." Poor man! though the circulation of his works had not extended beyond a circle of fifty miles' diameter, perhaps, at furthest, he was most anxious to survive in the memory of the few who were likely to hear of him.

The publishing trade, I understand, continues to be much depressed, and authors are driven to solicit or invite subscriptions, as being in many cases the only means for giving their works to the world.

'I am always pleased to hear from you; and believe me,

'My dear Sir,

Faithfully your obliged friend,

'WM. WORDSWORTH.'

To Professor Hamilton.

'My dear Sir,

'Rydal Mount, May 8, 1833.

My letters being of no value but as tokens of friendship, I waited for the opportunity of a frank, which I had reason to expect earlier.

Could not you take us in your way coming or going to Cambridge? If Mrs. H. accompanies you, we should be glad to see her also.

'I hope that in the meeting about to take place in Cambridge there will be less of mutual flattery among the men of science than appeared in that of the last year at Oxford. Men of science in England seem, indeed, to copy their fellows in France, by stepping too much out

of their way for titles, and baubles of that kind, and for offices of state and political struggles, which they would do better to keep out of.

With kindest regards to yourself and Mrs. H., and to your sisters, believe me ever,

'Rydal Mount, [Friday, May 17, 1833, or thereabouts].

'I have to thank you and Moxon for a delightful volume, your last (I hope not), of "Elia." I have read it all except some of the "Popular Fallacies," which I reserve The book has much pleased the whole of my family, viz. my wife, daughter, Miss Hutchinson, and my poor dear sister, on her sick bed; they all return their best thanks. I am not sure but I like the "Old China,” and the "Wedding," as well as any of the Essays. I read "Love me and my Dog" to my poor sister this morning.

'I have been thus particular, knowing how much you and your dear sister value this excellent person, whose tenderness of heart I do not honestly believe was ever exceeded by any of God's creatures. Her loving-kindness has no bounds. God bless her for ever and ever! Again thanking you for your excellent book, and wishing to know how you and your dear sister are, with best love. to you both from us all,

'I remain, my dear Lamb,

Your faithful friend,

'W. WORDSWORTH.'

To the Rev. Alexander Dyce.

'My dear Sir,

[No date to this Letter, but written in 1833.]

'The dedication which you propose I shall esteem as an honour; nor do I conceive upon what ground, but an over-scrupulous modesty, I could object to it.

Be assured that Mr. Southey will not have the slightest unwillingness to your making any use you think proper of his "Memoir of Bampfylde:" I shall not fail to mention the subject to him upon the first opportunity.

"You propose to give specimens of the best sonnetwriters in our language. May I ask if by this be meant a selection of the best sonnets, best both as to kind and degree? A sonnet may be excellent in its kind, but that kind of very inferior interest to one of a higher order, though not perhaps in every minute particular quite so well executed, and from the pen of a writer of inferior genius. It should seem that the best rule to follow would be, first, to pitch upon the sonnets which are best both in kind and perfectness of execution, and, next, those which, although of a humbler quality, are admirable for the finish and happiness of the execution; taking care to exclude all those which have not one or other of these recommendations, however striking they might be, as characteristic of the age in which the author lived, or some peculiarity of his manner. The 10th sonnet of Donne, beginning"Death, be not proud," is so eminently characteristic of his manner, and at the same time so weighty in the thought, and vigorous in the expression, that I would

'I had requested permission to dedicate a little book, 'Specimens of English Sonnets,' to Mr. W.-A. D.