eld to few or none whatever. I am
forced, however, to request that you will not put in the one
referring to myself, from my constant bugbear of any
appearance of collusion. That sonnet is a very fine one--my
brother was showing it me again the other day. It is not my
personal gratification alone, though that is deep, because I
know you are sincere, which leads me to the conclusion that
it is your best, and very fine indeed. I think your
Cumberland sonnet admirable. The sonnet on Byron is
extremely musical in flow and the symbolic scenery of
exceptional excellence. The view taken is the question with
me. Byron's vehement directness, at its best, is a lasting
lesson: and, dubious monument as _Don Juan_ may be, it
towers over the century. Of course there is truth in what
you say; but _ought_ it to be the case? and is it the case
in any absolute sense? You deal frankly with your sonnets,
and do not shrink from radical change. I think that on
Oliver much better than when I saw it before. The opening
phrases of both octave and sestette are very fine; but the
second quatrain and the second terzina, though with a
quality of beauty, both seem somewhat to lack distinctness.
The word _rivers_ cannot be used with elision--the v is a
hard pebble in the flow, and so are the closing consonants.
You must put up with _streams_ if you keep the line.

You should have Bailey's dedicatory sonnet in _Festus_.

I am enclosing a fine sonnet by William Bell Scott, which I
wished him to let me send you for your book. It has not yet
been printed. I think I heard of some little chaffy matter
between him and you, but, doubtless, you have virtually
forgotten all about it. I must say frankly that I think the
day when you made the speech he told me of must have been
rather a wool-gathering one with you.... I suppose you know
that Scott has written a number of fine sonnets contained in
his vol of _Poems_ published about 1875, I think.

I directed the attention of Mr. Waddington (whom, however, I
don't know personally) to a most noble sonnet by Fanny
Kemble, beginning, "Art thou already weary of the way?" He
has put it in, and several others of hers, but she is very
unequal, and I don't know if the others should be there, but
you should take the one in ques