of a thing I heard a Mr. Lamb say. A child in arms was passing by towards its mother, in the nurse's arms. Lamb took hold of the long clothes, saying: 'Where, God bless me, where does it leave off?' Saturday [September 25]. If you would prefer a joke or two to anything else, I have two for you, fresh hatched, just ris, as the bakers' wives say by the rolls. The first I played off on Brown; the second I played on myself. Brown, when he left me, 'Keats,' says he, 'my good fellow' (staggering upon his left heel and fetching an irregular pirouette with his right); 'Keats,' says he (depressing his left eyebrow and elevating his right one), though by the way at the moment I did not know which was the right one; 'Keats,' says he (still in the same posture, but furthermore both his hands in his waistcoat pockets and putting out his stomach), 'Keats-my-go-o-ood fell-o-o-ooh,' says he (interlarding his exclamation with certain ventriloquial parentheses), — no, this is all a lie - He was as sober as a judge, when a judge happens to be sober, and said: Keats, if any letters come for me, do not forward them, but open them and give me the marrow of them in a few words.' At the time I wrote my first to him no letter had arrived. I thought I would invent one, and as I had not time to manufacture a long one, I dabbed off a short one, and that was the reason of the joke succeeding beyond my expectations. Brown let his house to a Mr. Benjamin Jew. Now, the water which furnishes the house is in a tank, sided with a composition of lime, and the lime impregnates the water ⚫ unpleasantly. Taking advantage of this circumstance, I pretended that Mr. Benjamin had written the following short note -a By drinking your damn'd tank water I have got the gravel. What reparation can you make to me and my family? NATHAN BENJAMIN. This of Brown's Mr. Benjamin has answered, insisting on an explanation of this singular circumstance. B. says: 'When I read your letter and his following, I roared; and in came Mr. Snook, who on reading them seem'd likely to burst the hoops of his fat sides.' So the joke has told well. Now for the one I played on myself. I must first give you the scene and the dramatis personæ. There are an old major and his youngish wife here in the next appartments to me. His bedroom door opens at an angle with my sitting-room door. Yesterday I was reading as demurely as a parish clerk, when I heard a rap at the door. I got up and opened it; no one was to be seen. I listened, and heard some one in the major's room. Not content with this, I went upstairs and down, looked in the cupboards and watch'd. At last I set myself to read again, not quite so demurely, when there came a louder rap. I was determined to find out who it was. I looked out; the staircases were all silent. 'This must be the major's wife,' said I. At all events I will see the truth.' So I rapt me at the major's door and went in, to the utter surprise and confusion of the lady, who was in reality there. After a little explanation, which I can no more describe than fly, I made my retreat from her, convinced of my mistake. She is to all appearance a silly body, and is really surprised about it. She must have been, for I have discovered that a little girl in the house was the rapper. I assure you she has nearly made me sneeze. If the lady tells tits, I shall put a very grave and moral face on the matter with the old gentleman, and make his little boy a present of a humming top. [Monday, September 27.] MY DEAR GEORGE - This Monday morning, the 27th, I have received your last, dated 12th July. You say you have not heard from England for three months. Then my letter from Shanklin, written, I think, at the end of June, has not reach'd you. You shall not have cause to think I neglect you. I have kept this back a little time in expectation of hearing from Mr. Abbey. You will say I might have remained in town to be Abbey's messenger in these affairs. That I offered him, but he in his answer convinced me that he was anxious to bring the business to an issue. He observed, that by being himself the agent in the whole, people might be more expeditious. You say you have not heard for three months, and yet your letters have the tone of knowing how our affairs are situated, by which I conjecture I acquainted you with them in a letter previous to the Shanklin one. That I may not have done. To be certain, I will here state that it is in consequence of Mrs. Jennings threatening a chancery suit that you have been kept from the receipt of monies, and myself deprived of any help from Abbey. I am glad you say you keep up your spirits. I hope you make a true statement on that score. Still keep them up, for we are all young. I can only repeat here that you shall hear from me again immediately. Notwithstanding this bad intelligence, I have experienced some pleasure in receiving so correctly two letters from you, as it gives me, if I may so say, a distant idea of proximity. This last improves upon my little niece kiss her for me. Do not fret yourself about the delay of money on account of my immediate opportunity being lost, for in a new country whoever has money must have an opportunity of employing it in many ways. The report runs now more in favour of Kean stopping in England. If he should, I have confident hopes of our tragedy. If he invokes the hot-blooded character of Ludolph, and he is the only actor that can do it, he will add to his own fame and improve my fortune. I will give you a half-dozen lines of it before I part as a specimen Not as a swordsman would I pardon crave, Are shaded in a forest of tall spears, Believe me, my dear brother and sister, your affectionate and anxious Brother JOHN KEATS. 130. ΤΟ If George succeeds it will be better, certainly, that they should stop in America; if not, why not return? It is better in ill luck to have at least the comfort of one's friends than to be shipwrecked among Americans. But I have good hopes as far as I can judge from what I have heard of George. He should by this time be taught alertness and carefulness. If they should stop in America for five or six years let us hope they may have about three children. Then the eldest will be getting old enough to be society. The very crying will keep their ears employed and their spirits from being melancholy. 131. TO JOHN HAMILTON REYNOLDS Winchester, September 22, 1819. MY DEAR REYNOLDS - I was very glad to hear from Woodhouse that you would meet in the country. I hope you will pass some pleasant time together. Which I wish to make pleasanter by a brace of letters, very highly to be estimated, as really I have had very bad luck with this sort of game this season. I 'kepen in solitarinesse,' for Brown has gone a-visiting. I am surprised myself at the pleasure I live alone in. I can give you no news of the place here, or any other idea of it but what I have to this effect written to George. Yesterday I say to him was a grand day for Winchester. They elected a Mayor. It was indeed high time the place should receive some sort of excitement. There was nothing going on all asleep not an old maid's sedan returning from a card party: and if any old woman got tipsy at Christenings they did not expose it in the streets. The first night though of our arrival here, there was a slight uproar took place at about 10 o' the Clock. We heard distinctly a noise pattering down the High Street as of a walking cane of the good old Dowager breed; and a little minute after we heard a less voice observe What a noise the ferril made it must be loose.' Brown wanted to call the constables, but I observed 't was only a little breeze and would soon pass over. The side streets here are excessively maiden-lady-like: the door-steps always fresh from the flannel. The knockers have a staid serious, nay almost awful quietness about them. I never saw so quiet a collection of Lions' and Rams' heads. The doors are most part black, with a little brass handle just above the keyhole, so that in Winchester a man may very quietly shut himself out of his own house. How beautiful the season is now How fine the air. A temperate sharpness about it. Really, without joking, chaste weather Dian skies I never liked stubble-fields so much as now - Aye better than the chilly green of the Spring. Somehow, a stubble-field looks warm in the same way that some pictures look warm. This struck me so much in my Sunday's walk that I composed upon it. [The Ode to Autumn, p. 213.] - I hope you are better employed than in gaping after weather. I have been at dif to ferent times so happy as not to know what weather it was - No I will not copy a parcel of verses. I always somehow associate Chatterton with autumn. He is the purest writer in the English Language. He has no French idiom or particles, like Chaucer 't is genuine English Idiom in English words. I have given up Hyperion - there were too many Miltonic inversions in it Miltonic verse cannot be written but in an artful, or, rather, artist's humour. I wish to give myself up to other sensations. English ought to be kept up. It may be interesting to you to pick out some lines from Hyperion, and put a mark the false beauty proceeding from art, and one to the true voice of feeling. Upon my soul't was imagination - I cannot make the distinction - Every now and then there is a Miltonic intonation But I cannot make the division properly. The fact is, I must take a walk: for I am writing a long letter to George: and have been employed at it all the morning. You will ask, have I heard from George. I am sorry to say not the best news I hope for better. This is the reason, among others, that if I write to you it must be in such a scrap-like way. I have no meridian to date interests from, or measure circumstances — To-night I am all in a mist; I scarcely know what's what But you knowing my unsteady and vagarish disposition, will guess that all this turmoil will be settled by to-morrow morning. It strikes me to-night that I have led a very odd sort of life for the two or three last years Here and there - no anchorI am glad of it. -If you can get a peep at Babbicombe before you leave the country, do. I think it the finest place I have seen, or is to be seen, in the South. There is a Cottage there I took warm water at, that made up for the tea. I have lately shirk'd some friends of ours, and I advise you to do the same, I mean the blue-devils — I am never at home to them. You need not fear them while you remain in Devonshire there will be some of the family waiting for you at the Coach office go by another Coach. but - a I shall beg leave to have a third opinion in the first discussion you have with Woodhouse just half-way, between both. You know I will not give up my argument In my walk to-day I stoop'd under a railing that lay across my path, and asked myself Why I did not get over.' 'Because,' answered I, 'no one wanted to force you under.' I would give a guinea to be a reasonable man good sound sense says what he thinks and does what he says man and did not take snuff. They say men near death, however mad they may have been, come to their senses - I hope I shall here in this letter there is a decent space to be very sensible in - many a good proverb has been in less nay, I have heard of the statutes at large being changed into the Statutes at Small and printed for a watch paper. - 132. TO CHARLES WENTWORTH DILKE Winchester, Wednesday Eve. [September 22, 1819.] MY DEAR DILKE Whatever I take to for the time I cannot leave off in a hurry; letter writing is the go now; I have consumed a quire at least. You must give me credit, now, for a free Letter when it is in reality an interested one, on two points, the one requestive, the other verging to the pros and cons. As I expect they will lead me to seeing and conferring with you in a short time, I shall not enter at all upon a letter I have lately received from George, of not the most comfortable intelligence: but proceed to these two points, which if you can theme out into sections and subsections, for my edification, you will oblige me. This first I shall begin upon, the other will follow like a tail to a Comet. I have written to Brown on the subject, and can but go over the same ground with you in a very short time, it not being more in length than the ordinary paces between the Wickets. It concerns a resolution I have taken to endeavour to acquire something by temporary writing in periodical. works. You must agree with me how unwise it is to keep feeding upon hopes, which depending so much on the state of temper and imagination, appear gloomy or bright, near or afar off, just as it happens. Now an act has three parts to act, to do, and to perform - I mean I should do something for my immediate welfare. Even if I am swept away like a spider from a drawing-room, I am determined to spin homespun anything for sale. Yea, I will traffic. Anything but Mortgage my Brain to Blackwood. I am determined not to lie like a dead lump. If Reynolds had not taken to the law, would he not be earning something? Why cannot I. You may say I want tact that is easily acquired. You may be up to the slang of a cock pit in three battles. It is fortunate I have not before this been tempted to venture on the common. I should a year or two ago have spoken my mind on every subject with the utmost simplicity. I hope I have learned a little better and am confident I shall be able to cheat as well as any literary Jew of the Market and shine up an article on anything without much knowledge of the subject, aye like an orange. I would willingly have recourse to other means. I cannot ; I am fit for nothing but literature. Wait for the issue of this Tragedy? Nothere cannot be greater uncertainties east, west, north, and south than concerning dramatic composition. How many months must I wait! Had I not better begin to look about me now? If better events supersede this necessity what harm will be done? I have no trust whatever on Poetry I don't wonder at it the marvel is to me - how people read so much of it. I think you will see the reasonableness of my plan. To forward it I purpose living in cheap Lodging in Town, that I may be in the reach of books and information, of which there is here a plentiful lack. If I can find any place tolerably comfortable I will settle myself and fag till I can afford to buy Pleasure which if I never can afford I must go without. Talking of Pleasure, this moment I was writing with one hand, and with the other holding to my Mouth a Nectarine-Good God how fine. It went down soft, pulpy, slushy, oozy — all its delicious embonpoint melted down my throat like a large beatified Strawberry. I shall certainly breed. Now I come to my request. Should you like me for a neighbour again? Come, plump it out, I won't blush. I should also be in the neighbourhood of Mrs. Wylie, which I should be glad of, though that of course does not influence me. Therefore will you look about Marsham, or Rodney [Romney ?] Street for a couple of rooms for me. Rooms like the gallant's legs in Massinger's time, ‘as good as the times allow, Sir.' I have written to-day to Reynolds, and to Woodhouse. Do you know him? He is a Friend of Taylor's at whom Brown has taken one of his funny odd dislikes. I'm sure he 's wrong, because Woodhouse likes my Poetry conclusive. I ask your opinion and yet I must say to you as to him, Brown, that if you have anything to say against it I shall be as obstinate and heady as a Radical. By the Examiner coming in your handwriting you must be in Town. They have put me into spirits. Notwithstanding my aristocratic temper I cannot help being very much pleased with the present public proceedings. I hope sincerely I shall be able to put a Mite of help to the Liberal side of the Question before I die. If you should have left Town again (for your Holidays cannot be up yet) let me know when this is forwarded to you. A most extraordinary mischance has befallen two letters I wrote Brown one from London whither I was obliged to go on business for George; the other from this place since my return. I can't make it out. I am excessively sorry for it. I shall hear from Brown and from you almost together, for I have sent him a Letter to-day you must positively agree with me or by the delicate toe nails of the virgin I will not open your Letters. If they are as David says 'suspicious looking letters' I won't open them. If St. John had been half as cunning he might have seen the revelations comfortably in his own room, without giving angels the trouble of breaking open seals. Remember me to Mrs. D. and the Westmonasteranian and believe me Ever your sincere friend John Keats. 133. TO CHARLES ARMITAGE BROWN Winchester, September 23, 1819. Now I am going to enter on the subject. of self. It is quite time I should set myself doing something, and live no longer upon hopes. I have never yet exerted myself. I am getting into an idle-minded, vicious way of life, almost content to live upon others. In no period of my life have I acted with any self-will but in throwing up the apothecary profession. That I do not repent of. Look at Reynolds, if he was not in the law, he would be acquiring, by his abilities, something towards his support. My occupation is entirely literary: I will do so, too. I will write, on the liberal side of the question, for whoever will pay me. I have not known yet what it is to be diligent. I purpose living in town in a cheap lodging, and endeavouring, for a beginning, to get the theatricals of some paper. When I can afford to compose de |