ET. 31.]

EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NEW POEM.

153

for which I will not thank you; for as Rousseau says, Nobody should say Je vous aime-so I think should not say remercie-but pray accept of a gentle hint that I am grateful. T. C.

With respect to the new poem, he tells Mr. Richardson, in August, "I have given some touches of my best kind to the Second Part. I have some stanzas on the anvil which enchant myself; and, though they may not enchant others, I am, by these new lines, growing a great deal more sanguine about the poem, which shall be out at Christmas, D. V. ... I am in high love with the work. . . . I feel the burning desire to add some sweet and luscious lines at certain parts of 'Gertrude.' Be not alarmed; I know and see distinctly-most distinctly-what I have to do with the poem. I feel, at the prospect of these new touches, unbounded delight. Let me but have them out, and I care little what the critics may say." He then beseeches his friend "never to show the vain and conceited expressions in this epistle;" informs him that, as hitherto, he is "rubbing with the Straits;" suggests how his course may be rendered smooth and safe, with the wonted aid and counsel of his friend; and, returning to the subject of the poem, thus concludes: "I have positively no fears... my hope of it is, for the first time, sanguine; and my additions are definitely in view. T. C."

Feeling the

The next is in a dry, playful mood. importance of the trust that has devolved upon him from Mrs. Campbell's taking the children to town for a day, he assumes an air of cool, affected ceremony with his intimate friends, and writes:-" Sept. 7th.-Mr. T. Campbell's respectful compliments to Miss M.; begs her acceptance of Thomson's Poems. Mr. C. begs leave to assure Miss M.

and family, that the infrequency of his visits, of late, has been occasioned by unforeseen and extraordinary circumstances, and not by any diminution of the sincere respect which Mr. C. entertains for Miss M. and family. Mr. C. begs leave to inform Miss M. that Mrs. C. has to-day gone with the two Master C.'s to town, in company with Mr. M. and several other genteel persons of Sydenham. Mr. C. regrets exceedingly, that this circumstance of Mrs. C. and the two Master C.'s having gone to town, may probably demand more of his attention to domestic and domiciliary, and household superintendence than he has been ever hitherto accustomed to; and Mr. C. fears exceedingly that his hours may be too much occupied for some time to come, to permit his having the pleasure of calling on Miss M. and family. But Mr. C. hopes that Miss M. and family will, with their usual kindness, excuse the favour of his company.

The ensuing month of October brought Campbell into friendly contact with Mr. T. Lawrence, the future President R.A., and led to an intimacy which continued through life. Mr. Lawrence, the Rev. Sydney Smith, whom he first knew in Edinburgh, and other distinguished individuals, were frequent guests in Mr. Mayow's family; and in that intellectual circle, the Poet always found congenial minds, ready and able to improve the fertility of his own by the mutual sympathies of taste and talent. Later in the autumn, he was invited to meet the Duke of Sussex, who was supposed to take an interest in the protégé of Fox;

* This note was intended as a playful satire on the cold, formal style of some recent letter, which was probably well known to the intimate friends whom he addressed.

Of a talented young friend, who has since risen to great and well-merited distinction in the literary world, Campbell says: "Dr. C. is a fine creature, sensible but too unaffected, and speaks too little, I think, from absolute modesty."

ET. 31.]

PROGRESS OF GERTRUDE-GREEK ODE.

155

but the presentation to His Royal Highness was unavoidably postponed.

A return of domestic illness retarded for some time the progress of "Gertrude;" but as soon as this was removed, his activity returned; and he concluded the autumn in improved health and prospects. Something, however, was still wanting to his comforts—an important want; and in a grave catalogue of his privations, sent to a sympathising friend in town, he says: ". . . I am in mortal want, also, of a plain eight- or nine-shilling umbrella! If you would really buy one for me at that price, you would do me a Christian kindness, and be cheerfully repaid on my endorsing the draft in your fair hands." Then, by a natural transition from umbrellas to the state of the weather, he adds-"This wind frightens me with the idea of my house tumbling down! The table absolutely rocks ;" and, passing on to Greek lyrics, he asks-"What think you of this idea of Anacreon? It is almost perfectly literal. I shall first translate it with the Greek words in English characters."-Here he gives a long specimen of “translation, word-for-word with the Greek," and throws the whole into an impromptu,* adding: "I once thought of

* Beginning-Τὸ ρόδον τὸ τῶν Ερώτων

The rose, to love that sacred grows,

To Bacchus let us bring,

And, crowned with garlands of the rose,
Exulting quaff, and sing,

And laugh away the happy hours

The rose, the paragon of flowers

The rose, the nursling of the spring!

Roses, the gods themselves enjoy,
And Venus's delightful Boy,

His lovely ringlets to attire,

With rosy wreaths his brow embraces,

When he dances with the Graces.

Then crown me, and I'll strike the lyre, &c.

lecturing on Greek poetry at the Institution, and of reading my translation; but I believe it won't do. Adieu! but, oh, pray mind the umbrella!" The "thought" of lecturing at the Institution was destined, nevertheless, to be realised; and the incidental allusion shows how early his attention had been directed to that object.

In the course of the previous year, Campbell had made so much progress with the biographical notices, intended for his "Selections from the British Poets," that he became more and more anxious to come to a final arrangement with Mr. Constable for the publication. In the hurry of business, however, all his letters on the subject had been left unanswered; and, unable to elicit any explanation from the publisher, he wrote to Mr. Jeffrey, and lastly to Mr. Cockburn, to ascertain the cause of a silence so unusual and alarming.

TO HENRY COCKBURN, ESQ.

MY DEAR COCKburn,

SYDENHAM, January 13, 1809.

An affair of very great importance to me is pressing on my mind; and I must solicit your kindness to do me a service. I wrote to Jeffrey some time ago, troubling him with a commission to speak to Constable on the subject of a literary engagement which he had given me ; but respecting which he would never answer my letters, nor give me a decided answer. Now I am very uneasy, both on account of the affair with Constable, and Jeffrey's silence. Jeffrey's friendship and acquaintance have been always to me a very much valued possession. I apprehend that I have risked the latter by having, without due consideration, troubled him with a commission-perhaps not a pleasant one. I trusted very much to his good nature as a man, and as an old friend-but I believe that I have trusted too much,

ET. 31.] LETTER TO LORD COCKBURN-BRITISH POETS. 157

and that he is offended. I shall be much obliged to you to speak to him, and to say in the first place, that I really shall be very sorry to lose such a friend by introducing my commission-if it be troublesome-and desire to withdraw it, as the only atonement I can make for having troubled him. If his silence has been accidental, will you have the goodness to let him know the cause of my earnest wish to hear speedily? Constable is undecided on this business. The work has cost me much reading and writing. My subsistence for next year absolutely depends on getting from him, or some other bookseller, a proper reward for the work. Another publisher has said that, in the event of Constable's declining to proceed, he will take it up. If I do not get an answer speedily, so little is to be trusted to these verbal expressions, that I shall probably have my whole trouble thrown useless on my hand. I have been kept in suspense for five months about it; and even now, when I have sent a letter entreating Constable for an answer, through Jeffrey, I have only the additional mortification of being left to suspect that Jeffrey is himself offended. Now, I know your temper and punctuality too well, to doubt your, at least, relieving my mind from suspense. If Jeffrey is hurt, I shall be very sorry for it. It is the disagreeable feeling of having a coolness with a friend that makes me uneasy about the matter. I had always entertained so high an idea of Jeffrey, that I must say I do not wish to lose his friendship by any act of my own. What may be the issue of his connexion with me, in future, as a reviewer of my works, he must determine. I believe I am neither so weak, nor so vain, as to dread any breach in our friendship-from any fair remarks he may make. He will not I hope-and I hope you will not-attribute my anxiety to the view of being soon before him as a poet. But no-It is plain Frank