highly to his honour, and resigned
before he was disqualified by age, lest, as his years advanced, his
judgment might be impaired, and his powers become unfit for the
responsibility without his being aware of it. This, you will agree with
me, was a noble example: may it be followed by others!

On our return home we were detained two hours at Northampton by the vast
crowd assembled to greet the Queen on her way to Burleigh House. Shouts
and ringing of bells there were in abundance; but these are things of
course. It did please us, however, greatly to see every village we
passed through for the space of twenty-two miles decorated with
triumphal arches, and every cottage, however humble, with its little
display of laurel boughs and flowers hung from the windows and over the
doors. The people, young and old, were all making it holiday, and the
Queen could not but be affected with these universal manifestations of
affectionate loyalty. As I have said, we were detained two hours, and I
much regret that it did not strike me at the moment to throw off my
feelings in verse, for I had ample time to have done so, and might,
perhaps, have contrived to present through some of the authorities the
tribute to my Royal Mistress. How must these words shock your republican
ears! But you are too well acquainted with mankind and their history not
to be aware that love of country can clothe itself in many shapes.

I need not say what pleasure it would give us to see you and Mrs. Reed
in our beautiful place of abode.

I have no wish to see the review of my poems to which you allude, nor
should I read it if it fell in my way. It is too late in life for me to
profit by censure, and I am indifferent to praise merely as such. Mrs.
Wordsworth will be happy to write her opinion of the portrait as you
request.

Believe me, my dear Mr. Reed,
Faithfully yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[207]

[207] _Memoirs_, ii. 412-13.

141. _The Laureateship: Contemporaries, &c.: Tennyson_.

LETTER TO PROFESSOR REED.

Rydal Mount, Ambleside, July 1. 1845.

MY DEAR MR. REED,

I have, as usual, been long in your debt, which I am pretty sure you
will excuse as heretofore. It gave me much pleasure to have a glimpse of
your brother under circumstances which no doubt he will have described
to you. He spoke of his health as improved, and I hope it will continue
to do so. I underst