1447. Robert Southey to Henry Herbert Southey, 25 April [1808] ⁠* 

Dear Harry

Take good <care> of this little book which is of great value, [1]  – it cost 3,200 RS at Lisbon & you may perceive that it was once in the possession of Cardinal Albert of Austria, – What you should do should be to compress it, if into half its bulk, well, – if into a third better, – if xx into a quarter part, best of all, – but let your compr abridgement be every where translation, & take no other thought as to the language but that of translating faithfully, & then the style will take care of itself. – A few pages which I did some years ago may be of use to you.

Write legibly, – I have the Portugueze original of the work, one of the scarcest books in the language, – which you could not have used because there are many leaves made up in MS. in a worse hand than your own. By the help of this I shall probably be able to explain any passage which might puzzle us both in the Spanish.

The shipwreck & journey of Nuno Velho, may I should think, be translated at length. [2]  There are some sea terms at the beginning which might perhaps puzzle you – so you may begin at P. 6 ‘Começandose a noyte – & Tom will translate for you all that goes before. – Take care of the little tract. I shall have it bound, & lay it tr among my treasures.

I put in the volumes of Burn Burns [3]  to xxx xxx bulk to the parcel, – having another edition. The 8vo edition of Turners History [4]  I could <can> also give you, but it would make this It will save carriage thus to make the parcel large enough for waggon-conveyance.

My books are safely arrived, & I shall soon see what work they will supply for you in Pinkertons collection. [5] 

God bless you

RS.

Monday April 25