-

of Wordsworth's genius and as a help, in the manner of gold being the meridian Line of worldly wealth, how he differs from Milton. And here I have nothing but surmises, from an uncertainty whether Milton's apparently less anxiety for Humanity proceeds from his seeing further or not than Wordsworth: And whether Wordsworth has in truth epic passion, and martyrs himself to the human heart, the main region of his song. In regard to his genius alone — we find what he says true as far as we have experienced, and we can judge no further but by larger experience for axioms in philosophy are not axioms until they are proved upon our pulses. We read fine things, but never feel them to the full until we have gone the same steps as the author. I know this is not plain; you will know exactly my meaning when I say that now I shall relish Hamlet more than I ever have done - Or, better you are sensible no man can set down Venery as a bestial or joyless thing until he is sick of it, and therefore all philosophising on it would be mere wording. Until we are sick, we understand not; in fine, as Byron says, 'Knowledge is sorrow '; and I go on to say that Sorrow is wisdom' and further for aught we can know for certainty Wisdom is folly' So you see how I have run away from Wordsworth and Milton, and shall still run away from what was in my head, to observe, that some kind of letters are good squares, others handsome ovals, and other some orbicular, others spheroid -and why should not there be another species with two rough edges like a Rattrap? I hope you will find all my long letters of that species, and all will be well; for by merely touching the spring delicately and ethereally, the rough-edged will fly immediately into a proper compactness; and thus you may make a good wholesome loaf, with your own leaven in it, of my fragments - If you cannot find this said Rat-trap sufficiently tractable, alas for me, it being an impossibility in grain for my ink

to stain otherwise: If I scribble long letters I must play my vagaries - I must be too heavy, or too light, for whole pages I must be quaint and free of Tropes and figures- I must play my draughts as I please, and for my advantage and your erudition, crown a white with a black, or a black with a white, and move into black or white, far and near as I please - I must go from Hazlitt to Patmore, and make Wordsworth and Coleman play at leap-frog, or keep one of them down a whole halfholiday at fly-the-garter-From Gray to Gay, from Little to Shakspeare.' Also as a long cause requires two or more sittings of the Court, so a long letter will require two or more sittings of the Breech, wherefore I shall resume after dinner

*

Have you not seen a Gull, an orc, a SeaMew, or anything to bring this Line to a proper length, and also fill up this clear part; that like the Gull I may dip I hope, not out of sight — and also, like a Gull, I hope to be lucky in a good-sized fish- This crossing a letter is not without its association - for chequer-work leads us naturally to a Milkmaid, a Milkmaid to Hogarth, Hogarth to Shakspeare Shakspeare to Hazlitt - Hazlitt to Shakspeare -and thus by merely pulling an apronstring we set a pretty peal of Chimes at work - Let them chime on while, with your patience, I will return to Wordsworth - whether or no he has an extended vision or a circumscribed grandeur - whether he is an eagle in his nest or on the wing And to be more explicit and to show you how tall I stand by the giant, I will put down a simile of human life as far as I now perceive it; that is, to the point to which I say we both have arrived at Well-I compare human life to a large Mansion of Many apartments, two of which I can only describe, the doors of the rest

* The crossing of the letter, begun at the words 'Have you not,' here dips into the original writing.

being as yet shut upon me The first we step into we call the infant or thoughtless Chamber, in which we remain as long as we do not think — We remain there a long while, and notwithstanding the doors of the second Chamber remain wide open, showing a bright appearance, we care not to hasten to it; but are at length imperceptibly impelled by the awakening of the thinking principle within us—we no sooner get into the second Chamber, which I shall call the Chamber of Maiden-Thought, than we become intoxicated with the light and the atmosphere, we see nothing but pleasant wonders, and think of delaying there for ever in delight: However among the effects this breathing is father of is that tremendous one of sharpening one's vision into the heart and nature of Man- of convincing one's nerves that the world is full of Misery and Heart-break, Pain, Sickness, and oppression - whereby this Chamber of Maiden- Thought becomes gradually darkened, and at the same time, on all sides of it, many doors are set open -but all dark all leading to dark passages We see not the balance of good and evil - we are in a mist we are now in that We feel the burden of the Mystery.' To this point was Words worth come, as far as I can conceive, when he wrote 'Tintern Abbey,' and it seems to me that his Genius is explorative of those dark Passages. Now if we live, and go on thinkVing, we too shall explore them—He is a genius and superior to us, in so far as he can, more than we, make discoveries and shed a light in them - Here I must think Wordsworth is deeper than Milton, though I think it has depended more upon the general and gregarious advance of intellect, than individual greatness of Mind - From the Paradise Lost and the other Works of Milton, I hope it is not too presuming, even between ourselves, to say, that his philosophy, human and divine, may be tolerably understood by one not much advanced in years. In his time, Englishmen were just

state

emancipated from a great superstition, and Men had got hold of certain points and resting-places in reasoning which were too newly born to be doubted, and too much opposed by the Mass of Europe not to be thought ethereal and authentically divine

Who could gainsay his ideas on virtue, vice, and Chastity in Comus, just at the time of the dismissal of a hundred disgraces? who would not rest satisfied with his hintings at good and evil in the Paradise Lost, when just free from the Inquisition and burning in Smithfield? The Reformation produced such immediate and great benefits, that Protestantism was considered under the immediate eye of heaven, and its own remaining Dogmas and superstitions then, as it were, regenerated, constituted those resting-places and seeming sure points of Reasoning from that I have mentioned, Milton, whatever he may have thought in the sequel, appears to have been content with these by his writings - He I did not think into the human heart as Wordsworth has done - Yet Milton as a Philosopher had sure as great powers as Wordsworth - What is then to be inferred? O many things-It proves there is really a grand march of intellect, — It proves that a mighty providence subdues the mightiest Minds to the service of the time being, whether it be in human Knowledge or Religion. I have often pitied a tutor who has to hear 'Nom. Musa' so often dinn'd into his ears- I hope you may not have the same pain in this scribbling I may have read these things before, but I never had even a thus dim perception of them; and moreover I like to say my lesson to one who will endure my tediousness for my own sake— After all there is certainly something real in the world — Moore's present to Hazlitt is real - I like that Moore, and am glad I saw him at the Theatre just before I left Town. Tom has spit a leetle blood this afternoon, and that is rather a damper — but I know

the truth is there is something real in the

World. Your third Chamber of Life shall

-

be a lucky and a gentle one stored with the wine of love and the Bread of Friendship- When you see George if he should not have received a letter from me tell him he will find one at home most likely — tell Bailey I hope soon to see him Remember me to all. The leaves have been out here for mony a day- I have written to George for the first stanzas of my Isabel - I shall have them soon, and will copy the whole out for you.

Your affectionate Friend JOHN KEATS.

Hampstead, Thursday [May 28, 1818]. MY DEAR BAILEY—I should have answered your Letter on the Moment, if I could have said yes to your invitation. What hinders me is insuperable: I will tell it at a little length. You know my Brother George has been out of employ for some time: it has weighed very much upon him, and driven him to scheme and turn over things in his Mind. The result has been his resolution to emigrate to the back Settlements of America, become Farmer and work with his own hands, after purchasing 14 hundred acres of the American Government. This for many reasons has met with my entire Consent and the chief one is this; he is of too independent and liberal a Mind to get on in Trade in this Country, in which a generous Man with a scanty resource must be ruined. I

would sooner he should till the ground than bow to a customer. There is no choice with him: he could not bring himself to the latter. I would not consent to his going alone; -no-but that objection is done away with: he will marry before he sets sail a young lady he has known for several years, of a nature liberal and highspirited enough to follow him to the Banks of the Mississippi. He will set off in a month or six weeks, and you will see how I should wish to pass that time with him. - And then I must set out on a journey of my Brown and I are going a pedestrian tour through the north of England and Scotland as far as John o' Grot's. I have this morning such a lethargy that I cannot write. The reason of my delaying is oftentimes from this feeling, I wait for a proper temper. Now you ask for an immediate answer, I do not like to wait even till to-morrow. However, I am now so depressed that I have not an idea to put to paper - my hand feels like lead — and yet it is an unpleasant numbness; it does not take away the pain of Existence. I don't know what to write.

own.

Monday [June 1].

You see how I have delayed; and even now I have but a confused idea of what I should be about. My intellect must be in it must be - for a degenerating state when I should be writing about — God knows what I am troubling you with moods of my own mind, or rather body, for mind there is none. I am in that temper that if I were under water I would scarcely kick to come up to the top- I know very well 't is all nonsense - In a short time I hope I shall be in a temper to feel sensibly your mention of my book. In vain have I waited till Monday to have any Interest in that or anything else. I feel no spur at my Brother's going to America, and am almost stony-hearted about his wedding. All this will blow over- All I am sorry for is having to write to you in such a time -but I cannot force my letters in a hot

bed. I could not feel comfortable in making sentences for you. I am your debtor I must ever remain so nor do I wish to be clear of any Rational debt: there is a comfort in throwing oneself on the charity of one's friends 't is like the albatross sleeping on its wings. I will be to you wine in the cellar, and the more modestly, or rather, indolently, I retire into the backward bin, the more Falerne will I be at the drinking. There is one thing I must mention-my Brother talks of sailing in a fortnight if so I will most probably be with you a week before I set out for Scotland. The middle of your first page should be sufficient to rouse me. What I said is true, and I have dreamt of your mention of it, and my not answering it has weighed on me since. If I come, I will bring your letter, and hear more fully your sentiments on one or two points. I will call about the Lectures at Taylor's, and at Little Britain, tomorrow. Yesterday I dined with Hazlitt, Barnes, and Wilkie, at Haydon's. The topic was the Duke of Wellington very amusingly pro-and-con'd. Reynolds has been getting much better; and Rice may begin to crow, for he got a little so-so at a party of his, and was none the worse for it the next morning. I hope I shall soon see you, for we must have many new thoughts and feelings to analyse, and to discover whether a little more knowledge has not made us more ignorant. Yours affectionately

JOHN KEATS.

ing Knapsacks I intend to make my fortune by them in case of a War (which you must consequently pray for) by contracting with Government for said material to the economy of one branch of the Revenue. At all events a Tax which is taken from the people and shoulder'd upon the Military ought not to be snubb'd at. I promised to send you all the news. Harkee! The whole city corporation, with a deputation from the Fire Offices are now engaged at the London Coffee house in secret conclave concerning Saint Paul's Cathedral its being washed clean. Many interesting speeches have been demosthenized in said Coffee house as to the Cause of the black appearance of the said Cathedral. One of the veal-thigh Aldermen actually brought up three Witnesses to depose how they beheld the ci-devant fair Marble turn black on the tolling of the great Bell for the amiable and tea-table-lamented Princess adding moreover that this sort of sympathy in inanimate objects was by no means uncommon for said the Gentleman As we were once debating in the Common Hall Mr. Waithman in illustration of some case in point quoted Peter Pindar, at which the head of George the third although in hard marble squinted over the Mayor's seat at the honorable speaker so oddly that he was obliged to sit down.' However I will not tire you about these Affairs for they must be in your Newspapers by this time. You see how badly I have written these last three lines so I will remain here and take a pinch of snuff every five Minutes until my head becomes fit and proper and legitimately inclined to scribble-Oh! there's nothing like a pinch of snuff except perhaps a few trifles almost beneath a philosopher's dignity, such as a ripe Peach or a Kiss that one takes on a lease of 91 moments -on a buildling lease. Talking of that is the Capt married yet, or rather married Miss Mitchel

is she stony hearted enough to hold out this season? Has the Doctor given Miss Perryman a little love powder? — tell him

to do so. It really would not be unamusing to see her languish a little Oh she must be quite melting this hot Weather. Are the little Robins weaned yet? Do they walk alone? You have had a christening a top o' the tiles and a Hawk has stood Godfather and taken the little brood under the Shadows of its Wings much in the way of Mother Church -a Cat too has very tender bowels in such pathetic cases. They say we are all (that is our set) mad at Hampstead. There's George took unto himself a Wife a Week ago and will in a little time sail for America and I with a friend am preparing for a four Months Walk all over the North- and belike Tom will not stop here - he has been getting much better-Lord what a Journey I had and what a relief at the end of it - I'm sure I could not have stood it many more days. Hampstead is now in fine order. I suppose Teignmouth and the contagious country is now quite remarkable — you might praise it I dare say in the manner of The trees are full a grammatical exercise - the den is crowded - the boats are sail

-

ing -the musick is playing. I wish you were here a little while - but lauk we

have n't got any female friend in the house. Tom is taken for a Madman and I being somewhat stunted am taken for nothing We lounge on the Walk opposite as you might on the Den I hope the fine season will keep up your Mother's Spirits - she was used to be too much down hearted. No Women ought to be born into the world for they may not touch the bottle for shame now a Man may creep into a bung-hole However this is a tale of a tub however I like to play upon a pipe sitting upon a puncheon and intend to be so drawn in the frontispiece to my next book of Pastorals - My Brothers' respects and mine to your Mother and all our Loves to you.

Yours very sincerely, JOHN KEATS. P. S. has many significations here it signifies Post Script -on the corner of a

MY DEAR BAILEY-I have been very much gratified and very much hurt by your letters in the Oxford Paper: because independent of that unlawful and mortal feeling of pleasure at praise, there is a glory in enthusiasm; and because the world is malignant enough to chuckle at the most honourable Simplicity. Yes, on my soul, my dear Bailey, you are too simple for the world and that Idea makes me sick of it. How is it that by extreme opposites we have, as it were, got discontented nerves? You have all your life (I think so) believed everybody. I have suspected everybody. And, although you have been so deceived, you make a simple appeal the world has something else to do, and I am glad of it — Were it in my choice, I would reject a Petrarchal coronation - on account of my dying day, and because women have cancers. I should not by rights speak in this tone to you for it is an incendiary spirit that would do so. Yet I am not old enough or magnanimous enough to annihilate self and it would perhaps be paying you an ill compliment. I was in hopes some little time back to be able to relieve your dulness by my spirits to point out things in the world worth your enjoyment - and now I am never alone without rejoicing that there is such a thing as death without placing my ultimate in the glory of dying for a great human purpose. Perhaps if my affairs were in a different state, I should not have written the above you shall judge: I have two brothers; one is driven, by the 'burden of Society,' to America; the other with an exquisite love of life, is in a linger