925. Robert Southey to Mary Barker, 18 April 1804*

First & foremost no news of Edith. – you shall hear the first.¹

Next to your drawing.² it is exceedingly beautiful, & almost induces me to say that you who manage a pencil in so masterly, or mistressly – a way, ought never to use a brush – it is exceedingly beautiful – dont wonder that I write a phrase twice which I have ejaculated about twenty times. But, – there is a fault in the drawing – with reference to its purport – which I did not discover for full half an hour, & that is that if large trees are introduced, the scale of proportions will reduce the poor Beaver to a very diminutive personage indeed, – in fact he will look as a portrait of a man would look taken in, & taking in the inside of St Pauls. I will make something to fit this beautiful bank – & you must make another bank to fit the Beaver – where you may have as many reeds, flags, colts-foots, & stumps of trees as you please – but no tree. And for the Beaver himself I will bring you down a portrait from London. The animal is a beautiful animal, & his tail so ridiculously convenient that it looks exactly as if he had bespoken it.

I thought to have been in London by this time, & am vexed to be thus delayed in daily expectation. it keeps one on the fret or the fidgets, & half unfits me for doing anything.

You will grieve & groan for a burro here, we have fine things enough from the windows, but to get at them a long way & not a pleasant one. In our direction I can shorten the disagreable in a way which would not be quite so convenient for you – by doffing shoe & stocking & fording the Greta at the bottom of the orchard. To boat it is dearer than coaching in London & less convenient. however by good fortune the finest river scenery lies within two miles of the house – & not a tourist has ever heard of it. You will delight in the Greta, & curse the Bishop of Llandaff for cutting down its woods.

What you say of the difficulty or impossibility of getting decent design, if you bespeak them of a trade artist I know well. – & that makes me the more desirous to have as little to do with them as possible. If you can manage the scenery, we may trust a Londoner to insert a figure, introduced solely to exhibit dress, or armour, or arms, not for any passion – or interesting part of the poem – for that would inevitably be ruined. And the scenery it is very certain you can manage.

I am now transcribing the first part of Madoc to take to London & leave with the Printer.³ this & the Specimens⁴ will keep me hard at work till my departure which I trust will soon take place, or we shall all be out of patience. Edith is well, bating the ventoseness which is her old grievance. I overwalked myself yesterday, & have a headache, so you must excuse a cheating letter – for half a letter is cheating – nor would I send it but for the supposition that if I were silent you would be uneasy. You shall hear as soon as there is any thing to say.

God bless you. R S.

April 18. 1804