Memorials of Coleorton Author:William Knight, George Beaumont Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Southey to Sir George Beaumont. Kesmick, Dec. 11, 1807. My dear Sir,—In February I hope to be in town, and to hunt out the Crown of Thorns. The best existi... more »ng collection of English poetry is probably that of Mr. Hill, a merchant at Queen Hithe. If it be not there, I will inquire of Mr. Heber, and in the last place examine the Bridgewater Library, by means of Mr. Todd, the Editor of Milton. I have no doubt of succeeding in this search. The projected edition of D. Quixote has terminated in the worst of all ways. Cadell and Davies authorised Longman to apply to me concerning it, and meantime, without his knowledge, concluded a bargain with a Mr. Balfour, a gentleman who translated Yriarte's Fables about three years ago, and by that translation proved himself more thoroughly devoid of all taste than it is possible for any person to conceive who has not seen his miserable mutilations of those excellent originals. Longman, morehurt at this than I am, in consequence refused to be concerned in the publication, and wished me still to proceed. But I dislike such kind of opposition, and am in no want of worthier occupations. Smirke will be no loser by this, for his designs will sell any book, be it ever so bad. Wordsworth has been handled as I expected by Jeffrey in the Edinburgh Review. He has to regret that his friends are not as active as his enemies. I am not without hope that Coleridge may be provoked upon this occasion, and have written to him upon the subject. Mrs. S. and her sisters join me in respect to Lady Beaumont. We are all as you left us, except that my study is in better order, and all its contents in seemly array. Mr. Wilson had never before seen a pheasant, and was, as you may well imagine, delighted at the splendour of its plumage.—Yours very respectfully, ...« less