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. Previously published: Charles Cuthbert Southey (ed.), Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey, 6 vols (London, 1849–1850), I, p. 188 [in part; 1 paragraph].
These letters were edited with the assistance of Carol Bolton, Tim Fulford and Ian Packer
For permission to publish the text of MSS in their possession, the editor wishes to thank the Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscript Library, Yale University; Berg Collection of English and American Literature, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations; the Bodleian Library Oxford University; the British Library; Boston Public Library; the Syndics of Cambridge University Library; the Syndics of the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge; Haverford College, Connecticut; the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the Hornby Library, Liverpool Libraries and Information Services; the Houghton Library, Harvard University; the John Rylands Library, Manchester; the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas; Luton Museum (Bedfordshire County Council); Massachusetts Historical Society; McGill University Library; the National Library of Scotland; the Newberry Library, Chicago; the New York Public Library (Pforzheimer Collections); the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; the Public Record Offices of Bedford, Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds) and Northumberland, the Master and Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge; the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford, the Wisbech and Fenland Museum; the University of Virginia Library.
A research grant from the British Academy made much of the archival work possible, as did support from the English Department of Nottingham Trent University.
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Southey’s spelling has not been regularized.
Writing in other hands appearing on these manuscripts has been indicated as such, the content recorded in brackets.
& has been used for the ampersand sign.
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Whenever I sit down to write to you a thousand different subjects are so jumbled in my strange brain — that the one
confuses the other & I wander from all. your letter arrived to day & relieved me from a great weight — the apprehension that my
baggage was lost — tho I jested upon the subject made me very uneasy — when my
Aunt seemd anxious I laughd but my laugh (as it often is) was artificial — the rogue who would wear my cloaths would do, what
the erudite abomination of Israel never did, with my papers — & I far advanced as I am in the
science of Apathy — that would severely have afflicted me.
For once in my life I rejoiced that Grosvenor Bedfords
paper was small & his letter at the end — to suppose I felt otherwise than grieved & indignant at the fate of the unfortunate
Queen of Francefrom the xxxxxxxxxx) sinking into the same eccentric philosophical &
miserable being. excuse me if I have said too much relative to the Queen — I felt hurt at the supposition implied in your letter —
& it seemed hard that you <should> apply to me to execrate her death — when I heard the murder of the Mayor of Toulon
Present my compliments to your brother & tell him if
I tal regulate thy intervals of my writing by his — we shall be excellent correspondents — thank him
for his punctuality but he I suppose has begun a new language & in the course of another week when he is tired of it — he may
vouchsafe a line to me.
So far in reply to part of your long expected & his still expected letter. it is a lamentable knowledge my dear
friend, that the guilt must entail misery — innocence does not insure happiness — Marat
I have laid down Gilliesthe <same> capabilities in
Africa & in Europe — much more in two countries so nearly situated — but I say too much on a subect which could only be advanced
when Indignation had triumphed over Impartiality
my Bott is going but the beast leaves a numerous offspring behind him — perhaps he may be dignified with an ode — &
if Alexanders wry neck distorted Macedonnot only) all the fools in England
call pay my ceremonious visits. to night I sit snug
in the pit instead of being stuck up in the boxes, where in all probability I shall meet more agreable company & certainly feel
more at my ease. is not this real philosophy to extract comfort from calamity as gardeners raise cucumbers from something which CC would express openly — a true philosopher like the bee will extract honey from
weeds equally pure with what gives fragrance to the rose — (hæ nugæ (IE my baggage) (parenthesis within parenthesis) seria ducuntroas being roasted for a
protestant had no objection to cooking the Papists.
The toleration of Polytheism was its best quality — is it wrong to suppose that they persecuted the Xtians for their
intolerant principles? Lightfoot & I have often disputed upon the
comparative demerits of Impiety & Superstition — I maintaind the latter to be most pernicious & am actually engaged in an essay
upon the subject. give me your opinions how very little have the doctrines of Xst been understood! we find neither bishops of 10,000 a
year — jugged Jews or roasted heretics — or church & state — or test act in the whole gospel. compel them to enter said our Saviour
as the book says
I can say all this to you — but Edmund Seward would shake his
head & lament the arrogance of Reason. I wrote to him last week & exposed the folly of his almost criminal diffidence — he
talks of his total inability for the task he is about to undertake — & I am very confident would rather be acquainted with all the
Fathers than all the historians philosophers & poets. you have more than once accused me of paying too much deference to his
opinions — but I deserve not the accusation — Nullius addictus
make my respects to all your good family.
my compliments to Mr & Mrs Deacon &c. I must write to her but the very idea affrights me.
I am now sitting down to CC.you bid me write soon & I gladly obeyd you.
will you do the same?