Hayley-XII-4

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Sunday sept 23 - - 81

What, my dear Sister, do you engross all the attributes of our Patron Apollo?

does He on you, his favourite muse!
confer his healing art?
and all his genial warmth infuse
In your benignant Heart?

The tender sensibility of that Heart will ennable [sic] you to conceive how deeply I feel indebted to you for yr kind prescription – your generous & eager Hope of relieving me from a vexatious Infirmity gave you new spirits; nor am I less affected by the perfect sense of your kindness – your affectionate solicitude to assist me is an invigorating medecine [sic] to the Mind, whose good effects I shall frequently feel, tho I dare not apply the plaister, which you so warmly recommend to my unfortunate Eyes –

our cases, my dear Physician are very different, & I believe my present complaint is chiefly

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owing to my having too rashly ventured on many remedies from an unphilosophical impatience of rest, the only one perhaps that I ought to have relied on, & certainly the safest of all ocular medecines [sic]. – when I am perfectly quiet, I have neither pain nor appearance of disorder in my eyes, but the slightest cold, & sometimes a single hour passed in writing or reading, & sometimes even intense thinking alone will produce considerable Inflammation – from hence you will perceive that repose & patience are my only remedies; & they would perhaps do every thing for me, were I philosopher enough to adhere to them as I ought –

But I have dwelt too long already on my troublesome disorder, let me relieve you from the subject, after expressing my most cordial Thanks to you for all the flattering anxiety which you have shewn concerning it! – –

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You are an excellent creature to transcribe for me so delightful a specimen of the Botanic Garden – I am convinced it must be an admirable poem, & long for the publication of the Whole. it will appear most happily at present as a pleasing supplement & as a worthy rival to Mason’s elegant English Garden – I dare say you have read the spirited and pathetic conclusion of that performance with much pleasure. I think it much more interesting & poetical than all the proceeding Books: illeg the dramatic Conduct of it is singularly happy – as to yr friend Darwin, he is perhaps the only modern poet, who may be said with strict propriety to be visited & inspired by a Muse – I most heartily wish I could see the same inspiring visitant in my little Grove, & that I could prevail on her to write for me such \an/ Exordium to every poem, that I wish to execute –

For oh! I feel the pangs of envy rise,
While his Botanic Garden strikes my eyes;

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not that rich odors [sic] fil that fragrant air
& all arabia sees to blossom there;
not that his mine of vegetable wealth
Forms, with its radiant spoils, the Throne of Health;
But that fair Seward, in that mossy dell,
plays a sweet prelude on the vocal shell;
Her soft notes floating oer the wavy Green
complete the magic of the lovely scene.

But not even the Beauties of the botanic Garden shall make me forget your still more interesting Elegy – compassion do you say for your condemned stanzas! I have Love, I have admiration for their affectionate spirit & poetical Excellence, & to shew you what feelings I have for them, I must observe, that if they are to be inserted at all, I cannot suffer the entire opinion of that stanza, which, tho not so brilliant as your Sun Beam & your Eagle, is still more delightful to my Heart, than they are to my Fancy – I would rather part with your praise, than with your kind wishes — Besides

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sheet 2

Besides, the happy manner in which they \you/ touch on your main subject in this verse

‘not early like fair Laura’ spirit fly’

pleads strongly for this stanza – but

‘The Boast & blessing of thy native Isle’

is my dear sister, too Hyperbolical – as to your Eagle-stanza, poetical as it is, (being as Heaven knows pure Fiction) I apprehend it may expose you to much raillery, & some Wag, who happens to know what a crazy-headed mortal you have raised so high, will perhaps parody \improve/ yr two concluding Lines in this manner

Then seek his radiant \wonted/ Track in radiant noon
Rise from thy blooming Groves, & Vanish in the moon

When you know me a little better, you will perceive the excellence of this correction.

In the mean Time let me speak on the safer subject, of yr Praise – Ansty has never

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contended for the palm of serious poesy; but of his Comic Vein I think \even/ you can hardly say too much, & the Earth cannot produce a warmer Encomiast – I like yr illeg second stanza on Him much better than its Predecessor, which I wish you would improve, & to tempt you to try Experiments, I will endeavour to change a little the arrangement of the very stanza I have commended – would it be better thus?

Immortal Truth, for his salubrious song,
Pluck’d the unfading Laurel from her Fane:
amid th’applauding Laugh of Momus’ Throng,
Grave wisdom smiled, & prais’d his comic strain,
which stampt th eternal brand of ridicule
On Vice’s abject Slave, & Fashion’s giddy Fool.

alas I dare not scribble to you any longer, tho I have yet

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a thousand Things to say – our Friend Romney left us on Monday last - & we still lament his departure. — How soon the Head may reach you, I know not, as we must wait for a Frame & glass from London, before it can venture to set forth on its Travels - I am charged by the Friendly Painter to make a thousand apologies for its Failings – to say that it is a sorry Sketch executed with bad materials & in that diminuitive size to which his Hand is so little accustomed that He could not command his pencil & & c &c

I return to you Mr Pratts [sic] penitential Letter, & I doubt not but \you/ have been gracious enough to sign his Pardon —

Pray tell yr good Father that

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I gave him entire Credit for the Epigram, which I admire as a happy & rare assemblage of piety & wit

your extempore picture of a Race-Ball enchanted me

The Muse of Elegy, I see,
is fit for every Task;
& knows to charm, with comic Glee,
In gay Thalia's Mask:

With festive Smiles the tender Fair
So played her sportive Sister,
Had Momus seen Her jocund air,
He must have praised, & Kist her;

& had He, in an Hour so kind,
With such applause carest her,
what God with Envy had not pined
To see the Happy Jester?—

Behold Impromptu for yr Impromptu! but alas ! I am still yr debtor - yet if you outstrip me in vivacity & with, I illeg at least keep pace with you in affection - Farewell & believe me ever most faithfully

yrs WH.