The Project Gutenberg eBook, Recollections of the late William Beckford,
by Henry Venn Lansdown, Edited by Charlotte Lansdown

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Title: Recollections of the late William Beckford
of Fonthill, Wilts and Lansdown, Bath

Author: Henry Venn Lansdown

Editor: Charlotte Lansdown

Release Date: July 12, 2006 [eBook #18809]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LATE WILLIAM
BECKFORD***

Transcribed from the 1893 edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LATE WILLIAM BECKFORD
OF FONTHILL, WILTS and LANSDOWN, BATH

The Manuscript of the following Letters, written by my Father, has been
in my possession fifty years. He intended to publish it at the time of
Mr. Beckford's death, in 1844, but delayed the execution of the work, and
sixteen years afterwards was himself called to enter on the higher life
of the spiritual world.

Mr. Beckford and my Father were kindred spirits, conversant with the same
authors, had visited the same countries, and were both gifted with
extraordinary memories. Mr. Beckford said that he had never met with a
man possessed of such a memory as my Father; and many a time has my
Father told me that he never met a man who possessed such a memory as Mr.
Beckford.

If my Father had published the Reminiscences himself I think that much
misconception in the public mind respecting the character of Mr. Beckford
would have been prevented. For instance, I remember, when a child, being
warned that this great man was an infidel. When he showed my Father the
sarcophagus in which his body was to be placed, he remarked, "There shall
I lie, Lansdown, until the trump of God shall rouse me on the
Resurrection morn."

CHARLOTTE LANSDOWN.

8 Lower East Hayes, Bath;
July, 1893.

RECOLLECTIONS OF THE LATE WILLIAM BECKFORD.

Bath, August 21, 1838.

MY DEAR CHARLOTTE,--I have this day seen such an astonishing assemblage
of works of art, so numerous and of so surprisingly rare a description
that I am literally what Lord Byron calls "Dazzled and drunk with
beauty." I feel so bewildered from behold