LIFE OF 



them to two of my friends, than whom no persons living' 



better understand what poetry is, nor have given better 



proofs of it ; and their opinion coincided with ray own. 



I was fully convinced of the injustice of this criticism, 



and having accidentally seen the letter which he had 



written to the reviewers, understood the whole cruelty 



of their injustice. In consequence of this I wrote to 



Henry to encourage him ; told him, that though I was 



well aware how imprudent it was in young poets to 



publish their productions, his circumstances seemed to 



render that expedient, from which it would otherwise 



be right to dissuade him; advised him therefore, if he 



had nc better prospects, to print a larger volume by 



subscription, and offered to do what little was in my 



power to serve him in the business. To this he replied 



in the f. llowing letter. 



* * « * 



" I dare not say all I feel respecting your opinion of 

 my little volume. The extreme acrimony with which 

 the Monthl}^ Review (of all others the most important) 

 treated me, threw me into a state of stupefaction ; I re- 

 garded all that had passed as a dream, and I thought I 

 had been deluding myself into an idea of possessing 

 poetic genius, when in fact I had only the longing 

 without the ajicitus. I mustered resolution enough, 

 however, to write spiritedly to them : their answer, in 

 the ensuing number, was a tacit acknowledgment that 

 they had been somewhat too unsparing in their correc- 

 tion. It was a poor attempt to salve over a wound 

 wantonly and most ungenerously inflicted. Still I was 

 damped, because I knew the work was very respectable, 

 and therefore could not, I concluded, give a criticism 

 grossly deficient in equity — the more especially as I 

 knew of no sort of inducement to extraordinary severity. 

 Your letter, however, has revived me. and I do again 

 venture to hope that I may still produce something 

 which will survive me. 



" With regard to your advice and offers of assistance, 

 I will not attempt, because I am unable, to thank you 

 for them. To-morrow morning I depart for Cambridge. 



