meet with.-Cripps is improving very fast: I have the greater hopes of him because he is so slow in development. A Man of great executing powers at twenty, with a look and a speech almost stupid, is sure to do something. I have just looked through the second side of your Letter, I feel a great content at it. I was at Hunt's the other day, and he surprised me with a real authenticated lock of Milton's Hair. I know you would like what I wrote thereon, so here it is as they say of a Sheep in a Nursery Book. Chief of organic numbers! Old Scholar of the Spheres! O what a mad endeavour Worketh he, Who to thy sacred and ennobled hearse How heavenward thou soundest, Lend thine ear To a young Delian oath,—aye, by thy soul, When every childish fashion, Has vanish'd from my rhyme, Will I, grey-gone in passion, Hymning and harmony Of thee, and of thy works, and of thy life; And mad with glimpses of futurity! For many years my offering must be hush'd; Sudden it came, And I was startled, when I caught thy name Yet, at the moment, temperate was my blood. This I did at Hunt's, at his request-perhaps I should have done something better alone and at home.—I have sent my first Book 1 to the press, and this afternoon shall begin preparing the second. My visit to you will be a great spur to quicken the proceeding. I have not had your Sermon returned-I long to make it the subject of a letter to you-What do they say at Oxford? I trust you and Gleig pass much fine time together. Remember me to him and Whitehead. My brother Tom is getting stronger, but his spitting of Blood continues. I sat down to read "King Lear" yesterday, and felt the greatness of the thing up to the Writing of a Sonnet 1 Of Endymion. preparatory thereto : in my next you shall have it. There were some miserable reports of Rice's health—I went, and lo! Master Jemmy had been to the play the night before, and was out at the time-he always comes on his legs like a Cat. I have seen a good deal of Wordsworth. Hazlitt is lecturing on Poetry at the Surrey Institution -I shall be there next Tuesday. Your most affectionate friend XXXII. John Keats. To GEORGE AND THOMAS KEATS. My dear Brothers, Friday, 23 January 1818. I was thinking what hindered me from writing so long, for I have so many things to say to you, and know not where to begin. It shall be upon a thing most interesting to you, my Poem. Well! I have given the first Book to Taylor; he seemed more than satisfied with it, and to my surprise proposed publishing it in Quarto, if Haydon could make a drawing of some event therein, for a Frontispiece. I called on Haydon, he said he would do anything I liked, but said he would rather paint a finished picture, from it, which he seems eager to do; this in a year or two will be a glorious thing for us; and it will be, for Haydon is struck with the 1st Book. I left Haydon and the next day received a letter from him, proposing to make, as he says, with all his might, a finished chalk sketch of my head, to be engraved in the first style and put at the head of my Poem, saying at the same time he had never done the thing for any human being, and that it must have considerable effect as he will put his name to it, I begin to-day to copy my 2nd Book-" thus far into the bowels of the land." You shall hear whether it will be Quarto or non Quarto, picture or non picture. Leigh Hunt I showed my 1st Book to-he allows it not much merit as a whole; says it is unnatural and made ten objections to it in the mere skimming over. He says the conversation is unnatural and too high-flown for Brother and Sister-says it should be simple, forgetting do ye mind that they are both overshadowed by a supernatural Power, and of force could not speak like Francesca in the "Rimini." He must first prove that Caliban's poetry is unnatural. This with me completely overturns his objections. The fact is he and Shelley are hurt, and perhaps justly, at my not having showed them the affair officiously; and from several hints I have had they appear much disposed to dissect and anatomize any trip or slip I may have made. -But who's afraid? Aye! Tom! Demme if I am. 1 went last Tuesday, an hour too late, to Hazlitt's Lecture on Poetry, got there just as they were coming out, when all these pounced upon me-Hazlitt, John Hunt and Son, Wells, Bewick, all the Landseers, Bob Harris, aye and more-the Landseers enquired after you particularly-I know not whether Wordsworth has left town-But Sunday I dined with Hazlitt and Haydon, also that I took Haslam with me-I dined with Brown lately. Dilke having taken the Champion Theatricals was obliged to be in town. Fanny has returned to Walthamstow. Mr. Abbey appeared very glum the last time I went to see her, and said in an indirect way that I had no business. to be there-Rice has been ill, but has been mending much lately. I think a little change has taken place in my intellect lately I cannot bear to be uninterested or unemployed, I, who for so long a time have been addicted to passive ness. Nothing is finer for the purposes of great productions than a very gradual ripening of the intellectual powers. As an instance of this-observe-I sat down yesterday to read "King Lear" once again: the thing appeared to demand the prologue of a sonnet, I wrote it, and began to read-(I know you would like to see it.) O golden tongued Romance with serene Lute! Give me new Phoenix wings to fly at my desire. So you see I am getting at it, with a sort of determination and strength, though verily I do not feel it at this moment-this is my fourth letter this morning, and I feel rather tired, and my head rather swimming—so I will leave it open till to-morrow's post I am in the habit of taking my papers to Dilke's and copying there; so I chat and proceed at the same time. I have been there at my work this evening, and the walk over the Heath takes off all sleep, so I will even proceed with you. I left off short in my last just as, I began an account of a private theatrical-Well it was of the lowest order, all greasy and oily, insomuch that if they had lived in olden times, when signs were hung |