Large Paper, vice, Small departed.
You saw the "Dream" I suppose. Here are slips. I strongly suspect though, if it had not come to me direct, whether it would have appeared, or the MS. been returned. For Mr. C.2 "writes himself", & has the defect of supposing he can do two things at once, & the consequence you may imagine. Your dislike to copying I can sympathize with — never could I copy, & now writing is labour — so much for 3 score - 10, as less than 3 score - 9. I mean 59. Well, you see how it is — i.e. I am getting silly, & have consciousness of it!
But to the "Dream" again. It pleased me much, but your account of reading it to the poor village-child, much more. I imagined your tones then & those I had heard before, I recollected. Oh! how I miss you, & I question whether we shall ever meet again. No, not in heaven — for if departed spirits recognize each other, they must recollect those whom they were attached to on earth, & miss, & suffer pain. But I know nothing about it, & speculate not on the nature of beatified being, further than as I imagine of a state so glorified & happy, that it is the perfection of holiness, a state of glory & happiness inconceivable by mortals.
Retsch's Chess-Players.3 This Penny Magazine I bought while the coach changed horses, at a town in my way from Norfolk last year, & finding it now, you have it. For I rested not, until I got Retsch's own etching.—this, however, is a faithful copy of it. How masterly the design! how beautiful the moral!
Do, on every letter you write, put your full address. I am pleased to see, or to imagine I see, you write with a real pen. On the iron ones, you know, we formerly differed.
Really of those verses (mine) I have no copy, & my memory is faithless as the ["sea-shore"] sand — traces upon it are laved away by returning waters. I cannot fossilize a thought, as birds' footsteps have been (see Buckland).4
Mind, I dissent from the Patriot's view of the affair between the Bishop of Exeter, & the Rector of Feniton. The Bishop was right on every point, & the Rector wrong—insolent & contumacious towards his Diocesan—recreant in his presence, & only right if he was repentant, sincerely sorrowfully repentant. His chastisement was severe, but deserved. He may be, for it, a better man, & then a better clergyman. There must be order. — I write then to disabuse you of the supposition, if it exist, that I could have penned the flippant article. Neither did Mr C., for he was at Cheltenham when it was written. Observe, I write nothing for the Patriot. I am only its Exciseman, not its editor—cut out, amend (or alter) read the communications to it, see people &c.—in short am sub-editor—the subeditor, there being only one. Neither do I itinerate, nor have I itinerated &c (see, the Record.) I might write if I would, but if I could, I would not. Really what I have written now, may seem to falsify my commencement—but this is a two hours' occupation, & I am glad to say,