Hayley-XII-14

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Sat March 23 82

My dear Sister

By your charming Pacquet which arrived here last night, I perceive you have written some very find Things of me to your Friend Mr Whalley, for which I kiss your fair Hand — But you have slandered me most horribly in saying I have no feelings for your favourite Ossian - I am (I assure you) a great Admirer of his sublime Pathos, & I beg you will tell Boothby, that it gives me great pleasure to hear (from a literary correspondence in London) that He is in possession of a new-translated & unprinted Fragment of your wonderful old Bard – I suppose he has gratified you with a Sight of it, knowing yr passion for its author, tho I understand it is not

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perfectly fit for all maiden Eyes as it is, they \say/ somewhat in the manner of Solomon'^s Song, but allowed by the unprejudiced Critics to be much more sublime — I will beg you to petition Boothby to indulge me with a sight of it in yr next Frank, as I understand it is short — it is entitled The Feast of Shells or the Meeting of Walullin and Oistrina " – pray do not let him refuse my request, & on this Compliance you may give Him the inclosed, but not suffer Him to keep it —

I am obliged to Scribble in such extreme Haste, that I shall not thank you as I ought for your delightful &

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most friendly letter – I am infinitely indebted to you for thinking so much on the affair of Cisso – you judge admirably on the Subject, & I perfectly submitted to yr Opinion, that my project, however brilliant in Idea, would not succeed in execution –

I admire Boothby's decanal Squib & so I do, believe me, your maidenly Squib that maked the Trio, & if I did not tell you so before, I deserve to be whipped with the most thorny sprigs of your rosy Garland

your not hearing from Sir John must procceed from some foolish Accident, like that, which lately agitated me, namely the wandering of one of Eliza's Letters to Chester by a mistake of the Post —

I rejoice that Mr Whalley is coming

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to pay his devoirs to you, & I hope all the Poets of the Kingdom will join in this Homage, to which you have a just Claim from us all —

Poor Giovanni —I wish there was any magic in my Rhymes to drive away that dark Spirit, which renders Him so unjust to Himself

Tell Him Eliza has set her Heart on seeing Him here in the Summer & so indeed have I –

God bless you both & give you a perfect Sense of those uncommon attractive excellencies, which He has given to each of you

Farewell remember me kindly to yr Father & believe me ever

yr sincere & affectionate
H

the monitory Squib I sent you in my last I mean you should keep entirely to yrself - pray do not give any copy of it – Let me hear from you soon

adieu adieu