1598. Robert Southey to Richard Heber, 13 March 1809 ⁠* 

My dear Sir

I know nothing of the Valencian Mariana. [1]  They edite their old historians incomparably well in Spain, but they are apt to promise more than they perform, & to announce notes, dissertations & appendices which never make their appearance. This is sometimes the authors fault for dying sooner than he ought, but I am afraid it is more frequently the fault of the public. It is melancholy to observe the many excellent & important historical works of which we have only the first part, – the second remaining unprinted, because the first did not remunerate the publisher.

Thank you for your brothers poem. [2]  His Palestine [3]  was vigorously written & I expect much pleasure from this new performance.

My first volume of Brazil will be published early in the summer. [4]  For the second I am in quest of the Literæ Annuæ Provincæ Paraguariæ. [5]  Are any of these volumes among your stores? And have you the Latin original of Techos hist. of Paraguay, [6]  of which there is a mutilated translation in Churchill? [7]  For the latter later history of this country I am rich in materials.

I am vexed that Longman witholds Mort Arthur [8]  from the press, because it is making me act like the dog in the manger towards Scott, & so I shall tell the booksellers. If they do not think it would answer at present, the Ballantynes will most likely think otherwise, & I shall willingly resign it into Scotts hands, who will perform the task quite as well, & with a far better chance of obtaining a sale for the book. Meantime your Round Table books have afforded me great delight. I have read verbatim thro Gyron, Meliadus & Tristan, [9]  – & am now in Lancelot. [10]  They are all greatly inferior to Amadis, [11]  & even to Palmerin [12]  – still, & in spite of their sameness & their bulk I should gladly go thro the whole Round Table Library.

You will have heard that I have nearly compleated a long poem which was begun eight years ago. [13]  In all likelihood it never would have been compleated had I not fallen in, in the course of my last years journey with Savage Landor. He stung me to the resolution of executing those plans which I had long laid aside. I publish this poem as xx a last experiment; – if it produce me as much ‘sweet remuneration’ [14]  as the same portion of time would have earned if employed upon the lowest species of literary trade, I will then devote more time to poetry & publish what I write. If on the contrary, & as I fully & entirely expect, it merely pays the expence of publication for the first two or three years, I shall then, as I am doing now, give only the early morning hours to this occupation, execute as many of my intended poems as that time will allow me to do, – & reserve them for posthumous publication. By converting them into post-obits they will at least enable me to evade the unjust laws of copy-right, which will take from my family all property in my works published works just when they begin to be worth any thing.

Yrs very truly

Robert Southey.

[MS torn] swick . March 13. 1809.