‘MY DEAR SIR,
‘I hope you may be induced to reconsider your decision with regard to the appointment of Poet Laureate.
‘The offer was made to you by the Lord Chamberlain, with my entire concurrence, not for the purpose of imposing on you any onerous or disagreeable duties, but in order to pay you that tribute of respect which is justly due to the first of living poets.
‘The Queen entirely approved of the nomination, and there is one unanimous feeling on the part of all who have heard of the proposal (and it is pretty generally known), that there could not be a question about the selection.
‘Do not be deterred by the fear of any obligations which the appointment may be supposed to imply. I will undertake that you shall have nothing required from you.
‘But as the Queen can select for this honourable appointment no one whose claims for respect and honour, on account of eminence as a poet, can be placed in competition with yours, I trust you will not longer hesitate to accept it.
‘Believe me, my dear Sir,
‘With sincere esteem,
‘Most faithfully yours,
‘ROBERT PEEL.
‘I write this in haste, from my place in the House of Commons.’
[These letters had the desired effect in removing the aged Poet’s scruples, and he was well pleased that the laureate wreath should be twined round his silver hair:
‘Lauru cinge volens, Melpomene, comam.’
He replied as follows:]
TO THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL DE LA WARR.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside, April 4. 1843.
MY LORD,
Being assured by your Lordship’s letter and by one from Sir Robert Peel, both received this day, that the appointment to the Laureateship is to be considered merely honorary, the apprehensions which at first compelled me to decline accepting the offer of that appointment are entirely removed.
Sir Robert Peel has also done me the honour of uniting his wish with that which your Lordship has urged in a manner most gratifying to my feelings; so that, under these circumstances, and sanctioned as the recommendation has been by her Majesty’s gracious approval, it is with unalloyed pleasure that I accept this high distinction.
I have the honour to be, my Lord, most gratefully,
Your Lordship’s obedient humble servant,
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
TO THE RT. HON. SIR ROBERT PEEL, BART., M.P.
Rydal Mount, Ambleside, April 4. 1843.
DEAR SIR ROBERT,
Having since my first acquaintance with Horace borne in mind the charge which he tells us frequently thrilled his ear,
‘Solve senescentem mature sanus equum, ne Peccet ad extremum,’
I could not but be deterred from incurring responsibilities which I might not prove equal to at so late a period of life; but as my mind has been entirely set at ease by the very kind and most gratifying letter with which you have honoured me, and by a second communication from the Lord Chamberlain to the same effect, and in a like spirit, I have accepted, with unqualified pleasure, a distinction sanctioned by her Majesty, and which expresses, upon authority entitled to the highest respect, a sense of the national importance of poetic literature; and so favourable an opinion of the success with which it has been cultivated by one who, after this additional mark of your esteem, cannot refrain from again assuring you how deeply sensible he is of the many and great obligations he owes to your goodness, and who has the honour to be,
Dear Sir Robert,
Most faithfully,
Your humble servant,
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH.
133. Laureateship: Walter Savage Landor and Quillinan: Godson.
LETTER TO SIR W.R. HAMILTON, DUBLIN.
[Undated: but 1843.]
MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM,
The sight of your handwriting was very welcome, and not the less so because your sister had led me to expect a letter from you.
The Laureateship was offered to me in the most flattering terms, by the Lord Chamberlain, of course with the approbation of the Queen; but I declined it on account of my advanced age. I then received a second letter from his Lordship, urging my acceptance of it, and assuring me that it was intended merely as an honorary distinction for the past, without the smallest reference to any service to be attached to it. From Sir R. Peel I had also a letter to the same effect, and the substance and manner of both were such that if I had still rejected the offer, I should have been little at peace with my own mind.
Thank you for your translations. The longer poem would have given me more pain than pleasure, but for your addition, which sets all right.
The attack upon W.S.L. to which you allude was written by my son-in-law; but without any sanction from me, much less encouragement; in fact I knew nothing about it or the preceding article of Landor, that had called it forth, till after Mr. Q.’s had appeared. He knew very well that I should have disapproved of his condescending to notice anything that a man so deplorably tormented by ungovernable passion as that unhappy creature might eject. His character may be given in two or three words: a mad-man, a bad-man, yet a man of genius, as many a mad-man is. I have not eyesight to spare for Periodical Literature, so with exception of a newspaper now and then, I never look into anything of the kind, except some particular article may be recommended to me by a friend upon whose judgment I can rely.
You are quite at liberty to print when and where you like any verses which you may do me the honour of writing upon, or addressing to, me.
Your godson, his sister, and four brothers, are all doing well. He is a very clever boy, and more than that, being of an original or rather peculiar structure of intellect, and his heart appears to be not inferior to his head, so that I trust he will as a man do you no discredit.
134. Alston the Painter: Home Occupations.
LETTER TO PROFESSOR REED.
Rydal Mount, Aug. 2. 1843.
MY DEAR MR. REED,
A few days ago I received a letter from a countryman of yours, the Rev. R.C. Waterston of Boston, communicating the intelligence of the death of that admirable artist and amiable man, my old friend, Mr. Alston. Mr. W. and I are not acquainted, and therefore I take it very kindly that he should have given me this melancholy information, with most interesting particulars of the last few hours of the life of the deceased. He also sent me a copy of verses addressed by himself to me, I presume some little time ago, and printed in the ‘Christian Souvenir.’ You have probably seen the lines, and, if so, I doubt not, you will agree with me that they indicate a true feeling of the leading characteristics of my poems. At least I am sure that I wished them such as he represents them to be, too partially no doubt.
It would give me pleasure could I make this letter, so long due, more worthy of perusal, by touching upon any topics of a public or private nature that might interest you; but beyond the assurance which I can give you, that I and mine are and have been in good health, I know not where to find them. This Spring I have not left home for London, or anywhere else; and during the progress of it and the Summer I have had much pleasure in noting the flowers and blossoms, as they appeared and disappeared successively; an occupation from which, at least with reference to my own grounds, a residence in town for the three foregoing Spring seasons cut me off. Though my health continues, thank God, to be very good, and I am active as most men of my age, my strength for very long walks among the mountains is of course diminishing; but, weak or strong in body, I shall ever remain, in heart and mind,
Faithfully, your much obliged friend,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
P.S. Mr. Southey’s literary executors are making a collection of his letters, which will prove highly interesting to the public, they are so gracefully and feelingly written.
135. Socinianism.
LETTER TO JOSEPH COTTLE, ESQ.
Nov. 24. 1843.
MY DEAR MR. COTTLE,
You have treated the momentous subject of Socinianism in a masterly manner; entirely and absolutely convincing
.
Believe me to remain, my good old friend,
With great respect,
Faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
136. Sacred Hymns.
LETTER TO THE REV. (AFTERWARDS DEAN) HENRY ALFORD.
Rydal Mount, Feb. 28. 1844.
MY DEAR SIR,
I am pleased to hear what you are about, but I am far too advanced in life to venture upon anything so difficult to do as hymns of devotion.
The one of mine which you allude to is quite at your service; only I could wish the first line of the fifth stanza to be altered thus:
‘Each field is then a hallowed spot.’
Or you might omit the stanza altogether, if you thought proper, the piece being long enough without it.
Wishing heartily for your success, and knowing in what able hands the work is,
I remain, my dear Sir,
Faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
137. Bereavements.
LETTER TO LADY FREDERICK BENTINCK.
March 31. 1844.
MY DEAR LADY FREDERICK,
We have known each other too long and too intimately for you not to be well aware of the reasons why I have not earlier condoled with you upon your bereavement. I feel it deeply, and sympathise with you as much and as truly as you possibly could wish. I have also grieved for the rest of your family and household, and not the least for Miss Thompson, whose faithful and strong attachment to your revered father I have, for a long time, witnessed with delight and admiration. Through my kind friend Mr. O’Brien I have heard of you both; and in his second letter he informs me, to my great sorrow, that Miss Thompson has been exceedingly ill. God grant that she may soon recover, as you both will stand in need of all your bodily strength to support you under so sad a loss. But, how much is there to be thankful for in every part of Lord Lonsdale’s life to its close! How gently was he dealt with in his last moments! and with what fortitude and Christian resignation did he bear such pains as attended his decline, and prepared the way for his quiet dissolution! Of my own feelings upon this loss I shall content myself with saying, that as long as I retain consciousness I shall cherish the memory of your father, for his inestimable worth, and as one who honoured me with his friendship, and who was to myself and my children the best benefactor. The sympathy which I now offer, dear Lady Frederick, is shared by my wife and my daughter, and my son William; and will be also participated in by my elder son, when he hears of the sad event.
I wrote to Dr. Jackson to inquire whether the funeral was to be strictly private, and learnt from him that it is to be so; otherwise I should not have deprived myself of the melancholy satisfaction of attending. Accept, dear Lady Frederick, my best wishes; and be assured of my prayers for your support; and believe me,
Your very affectionate friend,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
138. Birthday in America and at Home: Church Poetry.
LETTER TO PROFESSOR REED.
1844.
In your last letter you speak so feelingly of the manner in which my birthday (April 7) has been noticed, both privately in your country, and somewhat publicly in my own neighbourhood, that I cannot forbear adding a word or two upon the subject. It would have delighted you to see the assemblage in front of our house, some dancing upon the gravel platform, old and young, as described in Goldsmith’s travels; and others, children, I mean, chasing each other upon the little plot of lawn to which you descend by steps from the platform. We had music of our own preparing; and two sets of casual itinerants, Italians and Germans, came in successively, and enlivened the festivity. There were present upwards of 300 children, and about 150 adults of both sexes and all ages, the children in their best attire, and of that happy and, I may say, beautiful race, which is spread over this highly-favoured portion of England. The tables were tastefully arranged in the open air — oranges and gingerbread in piles decorated with evergreens and Spring flowers; and all partook of tea, the young in the open air, and the old within doors. I must own I wish that little commemorations of this kind were more common among us. It is melancholy to think how little that portion of the community which is quite at ease in their circumstances have to do in a social way with the humbler classes. They purchase commodities of them, or they employ them as labourers, or they visit them in charity for the sake of supplying their most urgent wants by alms-giving. But this, alas, is far from enough; one would wish to see the rich mingle with the poor as much as may be upon a footing of fraternal equality. The old feudal dependencies and relations are almost gone from England, and nothing has yet come adequately to supply their place. There are tendencies of the right kind here and there, but they are rather accidental than aught that is established in general manners. Why should not great land-owners look for a substitute for what is lost of feudal paternity in the higher principles of christianised humanity and humble-minded brotherhood? And why should not this extend to those vast communities which crowd so many parts of England under one head, in the different sorts of manufacture, which, for the want of it, are too often the pests of the social state? We are, however, improving, and I trust that the example set by some mill-owners will not fail to influence others.
It gave me pleasure to be told that Mr. Keble’s Dedication of his ‘Praelectiones’ had fallen in your way, and that you had been struck by it.
It is not for me to say how far I am entitled to the honour which he has done me, but I can sincerely say that it has been the main scope of my writings to do what he says I have accomplished. And where could I find a more trustworthy judge?
What you advise in respect to a separate publication of my Church Poetry, I have often turned in my own mind; but I have really done so little in that way compared with the magnitude of the subject, that I have not courage to venture on such a publication. Besides, it would not, I fear, pay its expenses. The Sonnets were so published upon the recommendation of a deceased nephew of mine, one of the first scholars of Europe, and as good as he was learned. The volume did not, I believe, clear itself, and a great part of the impression, though latterly offered at a reduced price, still remains, I believe, in Mr. Moxon’s hands. In this country people who do not grudge laying out their money for new publications on personal or fugitive interests, that every one is talking about, are very unwilling to part with it for literature which is unindebted to temporary excitement. If they buy such at all, it must be in some form for the most part that has little to recommend it but low price.
And now, my dear Sir, with many thanks for the trouble you have been at, and affectionate wishes for your welfare,
Believe me faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
139. Class-fellows and School-fellows.
LETTER TO BASIL MONTAGU, ESQ.
Rydal Mount, Oct. 1. 1844.
MY DEAR MONTAGU,
Absence from home has prevented my replying earlier to your letter, which gave me much pleasure on many accounts, and particularly as I learned from it that you are so industrious, and to such good effect. I don’t wonder at your mention of the friends whom we have lost by death. Bowles the poet still lives, and Rogers — all that survive of the poetical fraternity with whom I have had any intimacy. Southey, Campbell, and Cary, are no more. Of my class-fellows and schoolfellows very few remain; my intimate associates of my own college are all gone long since. Myers my cousin, Terrot, Jones my fellow-traveller, Fleming and his brother Raincock of Pembroke, Bishop Middleton of the same college — it has pleased God that I should survive them all. Then there are none left but Joseph Cottle of the many friends I made at Bristol and in Somersetshire; yet we are only in our 75th year. But enough of this sad subject; let us be resigned under all dispensations, and thankful; for that is our duty, however difficult it may be to perform it. I send you the lock of hair which you desired, white as snow, and taken from a residue which is thinning rapidly.
You neither mention your own health nor Mrs. Montagu’s; I conclude, therefore, that
both of you are doing well. Pray remember me kindly to her; and believe me, my dear Montagu, your faithful and affectionate friend,
WM. WORDSWORTH.
In speaking of our Bristol friends I forgot to mention John Pinney, but him I have neither seen nor heard of for many years.
140. ‘From Home:’ The Queen: Review of Poems, &c.
LETTER TO PROFESSOR REED.
Nov. 18. 1844.
MY DEAR MR. REED,
Mrs. Wordsworth and I have been absent from home for a month past, and we deferred acknowledging your acceptable letter till our return. Among the places to which we went on visits to our friends was Cambridge, where I was happy to learn that great improvement was going on among the young men. They were become much more regular in their conduct, and attentive to their duties. Our host was the master of Trinity College, Dr. Whewell, successor to my brother, Dr. Wordsworth, who filled the office for more than twenty years highly to his honour, and resigned before he was disqualified by age, lest, as his years advanced, his judgment might be impaired, and his powers become unfit for the responsibility without his being aware of it. This, you will agree with me, was a noble example: may it be followed by others!
On our return home we were detained two hours at Northampton by the vast crowd assembled to greet the Queen on her way to Burleigh House. Shouts and ringing of bells there were in abundance; but these are things of course. It did please us, however, greatly to see every village we passed through for the space of twenty-two miles decorated with triumphal arches, and every cottage, however humble, with its little display of laurel boughs and flowers hung from the windows and over the doors. The people, young and old, were all making it holiday, and the Queen could not but be affected with these universal manifestations of affectionate loyalty. As I have said, we were detained two hours, and I much regret that it did not strike me at the moment to throw off my feelings in verse, for I had ample time to have done so, and might, perhaps, have contrived to present through some of the authorities the tribute to my Royal Mistress. How must these words shock your republican ears! But you are too well acquainted with mankind and their history not to be aware that love of country can clothe itself in many shapes.
Delphi Complete Works of William Wordsworth Page 427