LITERARY AND DOMESTIC LIFE. 317 



my friends, to maintain the reputation of my book against the fame 

 of others, though they be aided by some who might have aided me. 

 Should you decline — which I hope in God you will not — the offer 

 which I lately made, I shall still depend upon your assistance, which 

 you had the goodness to promise. Another such poem as ' Edder- 

 line' would make my fortune, and if I could obtain it by May or 

 June it would be in excellent time. 



" If you would wish a copy or two of the book to give away, I 

 shall be happy to place them at your disposal. I remain, my dear 

 friend, your faithful servant, 



" Allan Cunningham." 



"27 Lower Belgrave Place, 

 12th December, 182 8. 



" My dear Friend : — I enclose you some lines for your friend's 

 paper, and am truly glad of any opportunity of obliging you. I like 

 Mr. Bell's Journal* much. He understands, I see, what poetry is ; 

 a thing not common among critics. If there is any thing else you 

 wish me to do, say so. I have not the heart to refuse you any thing. 



" I was much pleased with your kind assurances respecting my 

 next year's volume. Mr. Lockhart said he would write to you, and I 

 hope you will unite with him and Irving in contributing for me alone. 

 As I have been disappointed in Wordsworth, I hope you will allow 

 me to add £25 of his £50 to the £50 I already promised. The other 

 I intend for Mr. Lockhart. This, after all, looks like picking your 

 pocket, for such is the rage for Annuals at present, that a poet so 

 eminent as you are may command terms. I ought, perhaps, to be 

 satisfied with the kind assurances you have given, and not be over 

 greedy. 



" One word about Wordsworth. In his last letter to me, he said 

 that Alaric Watts had a prior claim, ' Only,' quoth he, ' Watts says 

 I go about depreciating other Annuals out of regard for the Keep- 

 sake. This is untrue. I only said, as the Keepsake paid poets best, 

 it would be the best work.' This is not depreciating ! He advised 

 me, before he knew who were to be my contributors, not to think 

 of rivalry in literature with the Keepsake. Enough of a little man 

 and a great poet. His poetic sympathies are warm, but his heart, 

 for any manly purpose, as cold as a December snail. I had to-day 



* Ttte Edinburgh Literary Gazette. 



