2963. Robert Southey to Grosvenor Charles Bedford, [2 April 1817]⁠* 

It is well for you Grosvenor that the Devil does not take me at my word, – for otherwise he would infallibly take you. I have consigned you to him at least a dozen times this day, for not having sent me the mss of my last article, many of the expunged passages & which would have come in with excellent effect, in what I am now writing to W^m Smith. [1]  At this moment I want one paragraph so much, & feel so vexed at not having it that I have lain my writing aside on purpose to abuse you.

Pray, pray, pray send them to me without delay.

The conclusion of Smiths letter by the next post. It is a brief statement of my views, – to which I must add at the end a flourish with the cat of nine tails. – About four pages more. Pople must use a liberal type so as to extend my fourteen or fifteen pages to about twice the number.