vi Friendship with Bent ley 61 



Wedgwood envied Bentley's remarkable powers his 

 knowledge, his intellect, and his artistic attainments. 



Bentley visited Wedgwood as long as he remained 

 at the Dale Street Inn in Liverpool. He cheered him 

 up, and endeavoured to console him for his temporary 

 loss of liberty. They used the pipe of peace and 

 smoked together. They talked about science, religion, 

 politics, pottery, the improvement of the roads and 

 canals, and, indeed, upon all manner of subjects. 

 Even poetry was not neglected. Bentley was a great 

 admirer of Thomson's poems, and infected Wedgwood 

 with his love of nature, and especially with his poem 

 on " Liberty." Bentley was himself of a literary turn, 

 and had contributed articles to the Gentleman's Magazine 

 and the Monthly Review. He had written out an essay 

 on "Female Education," still in manuscript, part of 

 which he read aloud to the infinite satisfaction of his 

 friend the master potter. 



So soon as Wedgwood could move about with the 

 help of his crutches, Bentley introduced him to some of 

 his more intimate friends, to the Heywoods, always a 

 potent name in Liverpool, to Dr. Priestley, then residing 

 at Warrington, to Dr. Aikin and his accomplished and 

 beautiful daughter Laetitia, afterwards Mrs. Barbauld, 

 to the Seddons, the Percivals, and the Eyes, with other 

 notabilities of Liverpool. 



In due course Wedgwood was able to travel; he 

 returned to Burslem in a chaise, the roads being now 

 sufficiently improved to allow him to travel by that 



