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Monday [Postmark Oct: 4, 1824] DEAR KELSALL,--A letter according to your desire, which I foresee will be full of emptiness--in the first place to say that I must stay in town till the beginning of next month and how much longer depends upon the operations of the Court of Chancery and its' Lord--if any letter should stray into your Lodgings, be so good as to forward it hither; as for the other chattels, unless they grow too large for your harbouring, you will, I dare say, let them remain till I can come for them. I have seen Procter once, he was then at the Prince of Wales's, but he has now left that and Francis St.; for what bower, cave, or Attic I am ignorant. I gave him your command to visit or write; therefore I may conclude that he has not done either--Nothing of any interest in town except a couple of live crocodiles in St. Martin's Lane, and an excessive clever new comic actress, who has twice appeared at the Haymarket. Meantime, o base Southampton, what have you done to Miss Tree? Should not your theatre in Mercy be burnt, and Shalders & his gang be hung, like a necklace of rats, upon one string--? You see that poor Maturin is ill; not dangerously I hope, for we can hardly spare so much talent in our present poverty. By Blackwood's advertisement I observe a letter to Procter, an insult of course. The London condescends to a vast deal of scandal and idle chat about the "noble bard." What say you to these lines? A comely knight, all armed Thro' whose bright ventail lifted up on high His manly face Looked forth, as Phoebus, face out of the East Betwixt two shady mountains doth arise-- Whose can they be? I have not done much in German, just tasted the nouns but not touched the verbs--in fact it is a feast at which I strictly obey the innkeepers law--eat what you can, but pocket none-- How do you like O'Connor? You'll not be surprised to hear that I have begun and nearly finished another, a new Ist Act--and am quite tired of it. P[rocter] hopes that he'll be able to finish an alteration of Lee's Duke of Guise for C Kemble this season--they talk of a new comedy by Croly--further knoweth not read the 12th Canto Book II of the Faerie Queen. Canto 6 Book III. and a noble stanza LIV.Canto XI. Book I. "So down he fell" &c which ought to be added to Coleridge's note on Deborah's Song-- Addressed toYours sincerely "T.F. KELSALL Esqre 3 Houndwell Lane Southampton." Back Home |