in. I have left
with Borrow the Copy of the Mantic De Tassy gave me; so some days ago I
bought another Copy of Norgate. For you must know I had again taken up
my rough Sketch of a Translation, which, such as it is, might easily be
finisht. But it is in truth no Translation: but only the _Paraphrase of
a Syllabus_ of the Poem: quite unlike the original in Style too:--But it
would give, I think, a fair proportionate Account of the Scheme of the
Poem. If ever I finish it, I will send it you. Well; then in turning
this over, I also turned over Volume I of Sprenger's Catalogue, which I
bought by itself for 6s. a year ago. As it contains all the Persian MSS.
I supposed that would be enough for me. I have been looking at his List
of Attar's Poems. What a number! All almost much made up of _Apologues_
in which Attar excels, I think. His Stories are better than Jami's: to
be sure, he gives more to pick out of. An interesting thing in the
Mantic is, the stories about Mahmud: and these are the best in the Book.
I find I have got seven or eight in my brief Extract. I see Sprenger
says Attar was born in 513--four years before poor Omar Khayyam died! He
mentions one of Attar's Books--'The Book of Union,' _waslat_ _namah_,
which seems to be on the very subject of the Apologue to the _Peacock's_
Brag in the Mantic: line 814 in De Tassy. I suppose this is no more the
Orthodox _Mussulman_ Version than it is ours. Sprenger also mentions as
one separate Book what is part of the Mantic--and main part--the _Haft
wady_. Sprenger says (p. 350) how the MSS. of Attar differ from one
another.

And now about old Omar. You talked of sending a Paper about him to
Fraser and I told you, if you did, I would stop it till I had made my
Comments. I suppose you have not had time to do what you proposed, or
are you overcome with the Flood of bad Latin I poured upon you? Well:
don't be surprised (vext, you won't be) if _I_ solicit Fraser for room
for a few Quatrains in English Verse, however--with only such an
Introduction as you and Sprenger give me--very short--so as to leave you
to say all that is Scholarly if you will. I hope this is not very
Cavalier of me. But in truth I take old Omar rather more as my property
than yours: he and I are more akin, are we not? You see all [his]
Beauty, but you don't feel _with_ him in some respects as I do. I think
you would almost feel obliged to leave out the part of Hamlet in
representing him to