Read Ebook: Biographia Epistolaris Volume 2 being The Biographical Supplement of Coleridge's Biographia Literaria by Coleridge Samuel Taylor Turnbull Arthur Editor

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Letter 130. To J. Tobin. 10 April, 1804 1

Letter 131. To Cottle. -- -- 1807 9 132. " -- -- 1807 10 133. " -- June, 1807 13 134. George Fricker. -- -- 1807 22 135. Cottle. -- -- 1807 25

Letter 136. To Cottle. 7 October, 1807 28

Letter 137. To Humphry Davy. 11 Sept. 1807 30 138. Dr. Andrew Bell. 15 April, 1808 35

Letter 147. To Godwin. 26 Mch. 1811 68 148. " 29 Mch. 1811 70 149. Dr. Andrew Bell. 30 Nov. 1811 74

Letter 150. To Daniel Stuart. 4 June, 1811 79 151. " 8 May, 1816 90

Letter 152. To Poole. 13 Feby. 1813 105

Letter 153. To Wade. 8 Dec. 1813 117 154. Cottle. 5-14 April, 1814 118 155. " -- -- 1814 119 156. " -- -- 1814 120 157. " -- -- 1814 121 158. " 26 April, 1814 126 159. " 26 April, 1814 129 160. " Apl. 1814 130 161. Miss Cottle. 13 May, 1814 131 162. Cottle. 27 May, 1814 132 163. Wade. 26 June,1814 135

Letter 164. To Cottle. 7 March, 1815 142 165. " 10 March, 1815 144

Letter 166. To Gillman. 13 April, 1816 150 167. -- -- -- 1816 153 168. -- -- -- 1816 154 169. -- -- -- 1816 157

Letter 170. To Allsop. 28 Jany. 1818 158 171. " 20 Sept. 1818 160 172. " 26 Nov. 1818 160 173. " 2 Dec. 1818 163 174. Mr. Britton. 28 Feby. 1819 166 175. " Feby.-Mch. 1819 168 176. Allsop. 30 Sept. 1819 169 177. " 13 Dec. 1819 172 178. To Allsop. 20 Mch. 1820 174 179. " 10 April, 1820 178

Letter 180. To Allsop. 8 or 18 April, 1820 182 181. " 31 July, 1820 190 182. " 8 August, 1820 192 183. " 11 October, 1820 198 184. " 20 October, 1820 201 185. " 25 October, 1820 202 186. " 27 Nov. 1820 203 187. " January, 1821 204

Letter 203. To Allsop. 30 May, 1822 257 204. " 29 June, 1822 259 205. " 8 Octr. 1822 261 206. Gillman. 28 Octr.1822 265 207. Allsop. 26 Dec. 1822 266 208. " 10 Dec. 1823 269 209. " 24 Dec. 1823 270 210. Mrs. Allsop. -- 1823 270 211. Mr. and Mrs. Allsop. 8 April, 1824 272

Letter 212. To Allsop. 14 April, 1824 274 213. " 27 April, 1824 274

Letter 214. To Allsop. 20 Mch. 1825 284 215. " 30 April, 1825 286 216. " 2 May, 1825 287 217. " 10 May, 1825 287 218. " -- 1825 290

Letter 219. To Adam S. Kennard. 13 July, 1834 302

INDEX 327

BIOGRAPHIA EPISTOLARIS

MALTA AND ITALY

There is some dubiety as to whether the J. Tobin to whom the above letter was addressed is John Tobin, the dramatist, or his brother James. But Coleridge had taken

up quarters with either of the brothers in London before sailing for Malta ; and the letter is Coleridge's parting shot for his host's over solicitous advice.

On 16th April he was off Oporto, and wrote a description of the place, as seen from the sea, for Southey . The "Speedwell" was convoyed by the "Leviathan," man-of-war of 74 guns. Lisbon and the rest of the Portuguese coast are described by Coleridge, and on 19th April the "Speedwell" reached Gibraltar, where Coleridge landed and scrambled on the rocks among the monkeys, "our poor relations." In his note-books he describes more fully the scene around the Rock of Gibraltar with its multitude and discordant complexity of associations--the Pillars of Hercules, Calpe, and Abyla, the realms of Masinissa, Jugurtha, and Syphax; Spain, Gibraltar, the Dey of Algiers, dusky Moor, and black African. "At its feet mighty ramparts establishing themselves in the sea, with their huge artillery, hollow trunks of iron where Death and Thunder sleep," and "the abiding things of Nature, great, calm, majestic, and one!"

Coleridge did not return by the proposed route of Naples, Ancona, Trieste, to be continued, to avoid Napoleon's power, by Vienna, Berlin, Embden, and Denmark . He went, on the contrary, straight to Naples in company with a gentleman unnamed . Here he remained till the end of January 1806; and then proceeded to Rome, where he associated with the artists resident in the Papal capital. He made the acquaintance of Baron W. von Humboldt, then Prussian Minister at the Papal Court; Ludwig Tieck, the German translator of Shakespeare; Washington Allston, the best American painter of his day; Canova, and Washington Irving; .

FOOTNOTES:

Choir of ever-during men.

On 17th February, Coleridge was still at Coleorton ; but in July, Coleridge and his wife and family were again at Stowey on a visit to Poole . Here Coleridge remained till the end of September. Tom Wedgwood had died while he was at Malta; and his brother Josiah expected Coleridge to furnish him with some materials for a Life of Tom. Poole endeavoured to impress upon him the necessity of complying; but the task was distasteful to him, at which Josiah Wedgwood, not unnaturally, was displeased. But Coleridge, after some procrastination, wrote to Josiah Wedgwood on 27th June 1807, giving reasons for his delay ; and Wedgwood wrote to Poole, "I was truly glad to hear from him. His letter removed all those feelings of anger which occasionally, but not permanently, existed in my mind towards him."

Meantime, we find Coleridge again in correspondence with Cottle, who had heard of his arrival in Stowey. Cottle wrote to him, expressing the hope that Coleridge's health would soon allow him to pay a visit to Bristol . To this Coleridge replied:

LETTER 131. TO COTTLE

Dear Cottle,

On my return to Bristol, whenever that may be, I will certainly give you the right hand of old fellowship; but, alas! you will find me the wretched wreck of what you knew me, rolling, rudderless. My health is extremely bad. Pain I have enough of, but that is indeed to me, a mere trifle, but the almost unceasing, overpowering sensations of wretchedness: achings in my limbs, with an indescribable restlessness, that makes action to any available purpose, almost impossible: and worst of all, the sense of blighted utility, regrets, not remorseless. But enough; yea, more than enough; if these things produce, or deepen the conviction of the utter powerlessness of ourselves, and that we either perish, or find aid from something that passes understanding.

Affectionately,

S. T. C.

Cottle tells us he knew nothing as yet of opium, and was struck with the interesting narratives Coleridge gave of his Italian experiences and of his voyage to England. Theology was now in the ascendant with Coleridge who had now abjured unitarianism and become more orthodox. The following letters on the Trinity and kindred subjects attest to the veracity of Cottle's estimate of Coleridge at this period :

LETTER 132. TO COTTLE

Fourth, that it is a certain fact, that scarcely any believe eternal punishment practically with relation to themselves. They all hope in God's mercy, till they make it a presumptuous watch-word for religious indifference. And this, because there is no medium in their faith, between blessedness and misery,--infinite in degree and duration; which latter they do not practically, and with their whole hearts, believe. It is opposite to their clearest views of the divine attributes; for God cannot be vindictive, neither therefore can his punishments be founded on a vindictive principle. They must be, either for amendment, or warning for others; but eternal punishment precludes the idea of amendment, and its infliction, after the day of judgment, when all not so punished shall be divinely secured from the possibility of falling, renders the notion of warning to others inapplicable.

The Catholics are far more afraid of, and incomparably more influenced in their conduct by, the doctrine of purgatory, than Protestants by that of hell! That the Catholics practise more superstitions than morals, is the effect of other doctrines.--Supererogation; invocation of saints; power of relics, etc., etc., and not of Purgatory, which can only act as a general motive, to what must depend on other causes.

Fifth, and lastly.--It is a perilous state in which a Christian stands, if he has gotten no further than to avoid evil from the fear of hell! This is no part of the Christian religion, but a preparatory awakening of the soul: a means of dispersing those gross films which render the eye of the spirit incapable of any religion, much less of such a faith as that of the love of Christ.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but perfect love shutteth out fear. It is sufficient for the utmost fervour of gratitude that we are saved from punishments, too great to be conceived; but our salvation is surely not complete, till by the illumination from above, we are made to know "the exceeding sinfulness of sin," and that horribleness in its nature, which, while it involves all these frightful consequences, is yet, of itself more affrightful to a regenerated soul than those consequences. To him who but for a moment felt the influence of God's presence, the thought of eternal exclusion from the sense of that presence, would be the worst hell his imagination could conceive.

S. T. C.

LETTER 133. TO COTTLE

Bristol , 1807. Dear Cottle,

Are you familiar with Leighton's Works? He resigned his archbishoprick, and retired to voluntary poverty on account of the persecutions of the Presbyterians, saying, "I should not dare to introduce Christianity itself with such cruelties, how much less for a surplice, and the name of a bishop." If there could be an intermediate space between inspired, and uninspired writings, that space would be occupied by Leighton. No show of learning, no appearance, or ostentatious display of eloquence, and yet both may be shown in him, conspicuously and holily. There is in him something that must be felt, even as the Scriptures must be felt.

To suppose that more than ONE Independent Power, or Governing mind exists in the whole universe, is absolute Polytheism, against which the denunciations of all the Jewish and Christian canonical books were directed. And if there be but ONE directing MIND, that Mind is God! operating however, in Three Persons, according to the direct and uniform declarations of that inspiration which "brought life and immortality to light." Yet this divine doctrine of the Trinity is to be received, not because it is or can be clear to finite apprehension, but because the Scriptures, in their unsophisticated interpretation expressly state it. The Trinity, therefore, from its important aspects, and Biblical prominence, is the grand article of faith, and the foundation of the whole Christian system.

Who can say, as Christ and the Holy Ghost proceeded from, and are still one with the Father, and as all the disciples of Christ derive their fulness from him, and, in spirit, are inviolately united to him as a branch is to the vine, who can say, but that in one view, what was once mysteriously separated, may as mysteriously, be re-combined, and the Son, at the consummation of all things, deliver up his mediatorial kingdom to the Father, and God, in some peculiar and infinitely sublime sense, become All in All! God love you,

S. T. COLERIDGE.

"The following letter," says Cottle, "was written by Mr. Coleridge to Mr. George Fricker, his brother-in-law, it is believed, in 1807."

LETTER 134. TO GEORGE FRICKER

Saturday afternoon.

My dear young friend,

I am sorry that you should have felt any delicacy in disclosing to me your religious feelings, as rendering it inconsistent with your tranquillity of mind to spend the Sunday evening with me. Though I do not find in that book, which we both equally revere, any command, either express, or which I can infer, which leads me to attach any criminality to cheerful and innocent social intercourse on the Lord's day; though I do not find that it was in the least degree forbidden to the Jews on their Sabbath; and though I have been taught by Luther, and the great founders of the Church of England, that the Sabbath was a part of the ceremonial and transitory parts of the law given by heaven to Moses; and that our Sunday is binding on our consciences, chiefly from its manifest and most awful usefulness, and indeed moral necessity; yet I highly commend your firmness in what you think right, and assure you solemnly, that I esteem you greatly for it. I would much rather that you should have too much, than an atom too little. I am far from surprised that, having seen what you have seen, and suffered what you have suffered, you should have opened your soul to a sense of our fallen nature; and the incapability of man to heal himself. My opinions may not be in all points the same as yours; but I have experienced a similar alteration. I was for many years a Socinian; and at times almost a Naturalist, but sorrow, and ill health, and disappointment in the only deep wish I had ever cherished, forced me to look into myself; I read the New Testament again, and I became fully convinced, that Socinianism was not only not the doctrine of the New Testament, but that it scarcely deserved the name of a religion in any sense. An extract from a letter which I wrote a few months ago to a sceptical friend, who had been a Socinian, and of course rested all the evidences of Christianity on miracles, to the exclusion of grace and inward faith, will perhaps, surprise you, as showing you how much nearer our opinions are than what you must have supposed. "I fear that the mode of defending Christianity, adopted by Grotius first; and latterly, among many others, by Dr. Paley, has increased the number of infidels;--never could it have been so great, if thinking men had been habitually led to look into their own souls, instead of always looking out, both of themselves, and of their nature. If to curb attack, such as yours on miracles, it had been answered:--'Well, brother! but granting these miracles to have been in part the growth of delusion at the time, and of exaggeration afterward, yet still all the doctrines will remain untouched by this circumstance, and binding on thee. Still must thou repent and be regenerated, and be crucified to the flesh; and this not by thy own mere power; but by a mysterious action of the moral Governor on thee; of the Ordo-ordinians, the Logos, or Word. Still will the eternal filiation, or Sonship of the Word from the Father; still will the Trinity of the Deity, the redemption, and the thereto necessary assumption of humanity by the Word, "who is with God, and is God," remain truths: and still will the vital head-and-heart FAITH in these truths, be the living and only fountain of all true virtue. Believe all these, and with the grace of the Spirit consult your own heart, in quietness and humility, they will furnish you with proofs, that surpass all understanding, because they are felt and known; believe all these I say, so as that thy faith shall be not merely real in the acquiescence of the intellect; but actual, in the thereto assimilated affections; then shall thou KNOW from God, whether or not Christ be of God. But take notice, I only say, the miracles are extra essential; I by no means deny their importance, much less hold them useless, or superfluous. Even as Christ did, so would I teach; that is, build the miracle on the faith, not the faith on the miracle.'

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