“I am now to return you my thanks for the present of your
poetical works, which I have read with the greatest pleasure. It is approaching
to impertinence, to say that I was much surprised at seeing such excellence in
a work which I had never heard of before, or the author’s name reached my
ears; however, I found other people were not quite so ignorant. I mentioned the
poem to Mr. Mason, who dined with me a
few days ago. I do not recollect that he knew your name, but he was well
acquainted with the poem, which he read when it was first published. I had the
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 35 |
