Hayley-XII-17

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Morden Park
Surry [sic] June 11

My dear Sister

Tho I am still in the House of a Friend where various Companions & particularly two engaging children leave me but little Time to myself I must thank you, in a short Epistle at least, for a delightful Letter which I found yesterday in the Parlour of Longinus — I shall esteem dandelion as the most precious offspring of Vegetation for having dissipated the lethargic Languor which threatened to cloud the Splendor of yr brilliant Imagination

The Lilly & the Rose no more
shall deck each Poets Lays
ye Bards your tuneful Tribute pour
In Dandelion^s Praise

Tis true the Lilly & \the/ Rose
To Julia's Bosom prest,
While they their rival Sweets disclose,
Enrich her fragrant Breast

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Buit Dandelion, dearer Flower!
of Virtue more refined!
New Lustre gives, with magic Power,
To Julia'^s radiant Mind—

Much as I am charmed with the dear dandelion it shall not prevent me from paying due respect to yr Father^s new Periwig – Tell my good old Friend I esteem the Curls of it above the Tresses of Berenice because I consider them as a joyous Constellation which announces to me an approaching delightful event viz: yr Arrival at Eartham which I flatter myself I shall have the pleasure of shewing you Both in the Course of July –

We return home on Saturday next & I do not think of moving again from that favourite Retirement for many many Months.

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How much we were all pleased with Giovanni I leave you to guess - He will have told you long before this letter kisses yr Hand many particulars relating to Eliza Longinus Romney & yr poetical Brother – He will have told you that I wish you to write a new epic elegy - & on what Subject - the night after we last dined together I dreamt of such a Composition as we had been wishing you to execute & if you will be a good Sister & take up yr poetical Pen I will endeavour to recollect all I can of my dream in which I had a clear Idea of the while design for such a Poem which affected me so much in vision that I awoke in a Flood of Tears - I tried in the subsequent morning to recollect some these sleeping Verses but I could only recover two of them which I transcribe

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for you as a Curiosity tho I have not Time to tell you the manner in which they were introduced - I suppose they formed the last part of the an elegiac Stanza but I cannot catch the least Trace of any verse before them tho I remember the Train of Thought – Here they are

The clotted Blood that shrouds thy shattered Frame
Outshine's safe Sackville's new-created Star

I ought to tremble at sending you the Productions of my Sleep when you criticize so forcibly the waking Ode of Mason – yr remark on the Fountain & Flame is perfectly just - in some Points you are misled by a blotted Copy I apprehend for venal is printed as it should be in my Copy vernal - & the other Line you mention stands thus

To meet in yonder Sea of Œther blue –

saucy as you are you have certainly improved his first Stanza – adio for I must now absolutely thrown down my hasty pen – Eliza begs me to express her Hopes of seeing you & to add her good wishes to those

of yr affectionate
Brother WH