ys believe he was Philosopher and Critic.

But, harking back to Calderon, surely you have seen the 'Magico' printed
from the Duc d'Osuna's original MS., with many variations from the text
as we have it. This volume is edited, in French, by 'Alfred Morel
Fatio,' printed at 'Heilbronn' (wherever that is), and to be bought of
'M. Murillo, Calle de Alcala, Num. 18, Madrid.' It contains a Facsimile
of the old Boy's MS. I will send you my Copy if there be 'no Coal in
Newcastle.'

_To C. E. Norton_.

WOODBRIDGE. _May_ 18/79.

MY DEAR NORTON,

It is over six months, I believe, since we exchanged a letter; mine the
last shot: which I mention only because that has been my reason for not
writing again till I should hear from you that all was well enough with
you and yours to justify my writing an idle letter. You have spoken of
an aged Mother:--if your Winter has been such as ours! And not over yet,
as scarce a leaf on the trees, and a N. E. wind blowing Cold, Cough,
Bronchitis, etc., and the confounded Bell of a neighbouring Church
announcing a Death, day after day. I certainly never remember so long,
and so mortal a Winter: among young as well as old. Among the latter, I
have just lost my elder, and only surviving Brother. But I shall close
this Bill of Mortality before turning over the leaf.

Well: it is Mr. Clarke's pamphlet which has encouraged me to 'take up the
pen,' for I think it was you who sent it to me. All I am qualified to
say about it is, that it is very well and earnestly written; but on a
Subject, like your own Olympia, that I am no Judge of. I think of
forwarding it to Cowell at our Cambridge, who is a Judge of Everything, I
think, while pretending to Nothing. . . .

This reminds me of all the pains he bestowed on me five and twenty years
ago; of which the result is one final Edition of Omar and Jami. . . .
Omar remains as he was; Jami (Salaman) is cut down to two-thirds of his
former proportion, and very much improved, I think. It is still in a
wrong key: Verse of Miltonic strain, unlike the simple Eastern; I
remember trying that at first, but could not succeed. So there is little
but the Allegory itself (not a bad one), and now condensed into a very
fair Bird's Eye view; quite enough for any Allegory, I think. . . .

And--(this Letter is to be all about myself)--by this post I send you my
Handbook of Crabbe's Tales of the Hall, of which I am so doubtful that I
do not yet care to publish it