“My dear Patmore,—I have
taken a liberty with you, which I hope and trust, from your long shown
friendship, you will excuse. The very silly arguments and gross
misrepresentations of the ‘Edinburgh Review’ on my ‘Essay on the Revolution,’ joined
to its general rudeness, made me resolve to do, what you will perhaps think a
foolish thing,—review the
review. But as I did not like to do this in my own name, nor wish to
go to the expense of printing it in a separate form, I addressed it to
——, without my name, to publish it
in his magazine, if he chose; if not, to send it to your house. If you get it,
I do not venture to ask you to read it, for the subject is not to your taste;
| 92 | R. PLUMER WARD. |
“Should —— address any note to the author, will you forward it here, where, you will be glad to hear, I am revelling in a house and a real country life very much to my taste, which Gilston, with all its charms, was not. I am only sorry that its distance (150 miles) precludes, I fear, my hope that you will come to see me. The place belongs to my step-son, and to us till he is of age, eight years hence.
“We shall be in town, in Chesterfield-street, in February.
“Have you done anything with your tale, or your play? I want to see both in print.
“Pray write and tell me what you are doing, and believe me always much yours,
