has been said that this volume hardly went beyond the circle of
Keats's personal friends; nor do I think this statement can be far
wrong, although one inquirer avers that the book was "constantly alluded
to in the prominent periodicals." The dictum of Keats himself stands
thus: "It was read by some dozen of my friends, who liked it; and some
dozen whom I was unacquainted with, who did not." Shelley cannot have
been among the friends who liked the volume, for he had recommended
Keats not to give it to the press. At any rate the publishers, Messrs.
Ollier, would after a very short while sell it no more. Their letter to
George Keats--who seems to have been acting for John during the absence
of the latter in the Isle of Wight or at Margate--is too amusing to be
omitted:--

"We regret that your brother ever requested us to publish his
book, or that our opinion of its talent should have led us to
acquiesce in undertaking it. We are, however, much obliged to you
for relieving us from the unpleasant necessity of declining any
further connexion with it, which we must have done, as we think
the curiosity is satisfied and the sale has dropped. By far the
greater number of persons who have purchased it from us have
found fault with it in such plain terms that we have in many
cases offered to take the book back rather than be annoyed with
the ridicule which has time after time been showered upon it. In
fact, it was only on Sunday last that we were under the
mortification of having our own opinion of its merits flatly
contradicted by a gentleman who told us he considered it 'no
better than a take-in.' These are unpleasant imputations for any
one in business to labour under; but we should have borne them
and concealed their existence from you had not the style of your
note shown us that such delicacy would be quite thrown away. We
shall take means without delay for ascertaining the number of
copies on hand, and you shall be informed accordingly.

"3 Welbeck Street, 29th April 1817."

I do not find that the after-fate of the "Poems" is recorded: probably
they were handed over to Messrs. Taylor and Hessey, who undertook the
publication of "Endymion."

CHAPTER V.

To "Endymion" we now have to turn. The early verses of Keats (as well as
the later ones) contain numerous allusions to Grecian mythology--Muses,
Apollo, Pan, Narcissus, Endymion and Diana, &c. For the mos