The Life and Correspondence of Robert Southey
Robert Southey to John May, 16 February 1809
“Keswick, Feb. 16. 1809.
“My dear Friend,
“. . . . . What is your Lisbon news? Notwithstanding
the Duke of York and Mrs. Clarke, I think of those countries; and
notwithstanding the disasters which our gross misconduct could not fail to
bring on, my confidence in the ultimate success of a good cause remains
undiminished. I could have wished, indeed, that the work of reformation, which
Joseph Bonaparte is beginning, had been
begun by the junta; that they had called the principle of liberty as well as of
loyalty to their aid, and made freedom their watchword as well as the
Virgin Mary, for she may ![]()
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be on
both sides. Certainly it was not easy to do this; and I have always suspected
that those leaders such as Palafox, who
might have wished to do it, bore in mind the first great struggle of the
Portuguese against Castille, when the infante Don
João, a prisoner, and in chains, served as João the First’s stalking-horse, and was
painted upon his banner, till he found he could safely assume the crown
himself. The convenience of such a name as Ferdinand, and
the stain which France has brought upon the very name of republicanism, were
causes which might well induce a timid, and therefore a feeble, line of
conduct. . . . . Why is Bonaparte gone to
Paris at such a time? If any change in the north should call him into Germany,
with only part of his army, the tide will roll back, and King
Joseph be forced a second time to decamp. Meantime I expect a
desperate resistance about the southern coast, wherever our ships can be of
use. Is it possible we can leave Elvas without seeing it well garrisoned? the
place is absolutely impregnable. Moore
would have done wisely had he fallen back upon the frontier, where there was a
double line of fortified towns, into which he might have thrown his troops
whenever he felt it necessary to leave the mountains; and against those
fortresses the French would have wasted, and must have divided their force,
allowing us time to send out another army. Regular armies in such wars as this
must always be successful in the field, but they have always met their chief
disasters before fortified towns; tactics are nothing there, individual courage
everything; and women and children fight by the ![]()
| Ætat. 35. | OF ROBERT SOUTHEY. | 221 |
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side of
their husbands or their fathers, from the window, on the housetops, or on the
walls.
“Have you seen William
Taylor’s Defence of the Slave Trade in Bolinbroke’s Voyage to the Demerary? It is truly
William Taylorish; thoroughly ingenious, as usual, but
not ingenuous; he weakens the effect of his own arguments by keeping the weak
side of his cause altogether out of sight. In defending the slave trade, as
respects the duty of man towards man, he has utterly failed; he has succeeded
in what you and I shall think of more consequence,—in showing what the
probable end is for which wise Providence has so long permitted the existence
of so great an evil. . . . .
Believe me,
Yours very affectionately,
Robert Southey.”
Henry Bolingbroke (1785-1855)
Norwich merchant who traveled to Demerara in British Guiana and wrote an account edited
by William Taylor of Norwich.
Mary Anne Clarke (1776 c.-1852)
Having married a Joseph Clarke, she was mistress to the Duke of York (1803-06) and
involved with selling government offices, as came to light in an 1809 House of Commons
investigation. She spent her later years living in Paris.
Frederick Augustus, Duke of York (1763-1827)
He was commander-in-chief of the Army, 1798-1809, until his removal on account of the
scandal involving his mistress Mary Anne Clarke.
John I of Castile (1358-1390)
He reigned 1379-90; his territorial claims to Portugal ended when he was defeated by John
I of Portugal.
John I of Portugal (1358-1433)
King of Portugal, 1385-1433; he married Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of
Gaunt.
Sir John Moore (1761-1809)
A hero of the Peninsular Campaign, killed at the Battle of Corunna; he was the son of Dr.
John Moore, the author of
Zeluco.
Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821)
Military leader, First Consul (1799), and Emperor of the French (1804), after his
abdication he was exiled to Elba (1814); after his defeat at Waterloo he was exiled to St.
Helena (1815).
William Taylor of Norwich (1765-1836)
Translator, poet, and essayist; he was a pupil of Anna Letitia Barbauld and correspondent
of Robert Southey who contributed to the
Monthly Magazine, the
Monthly Review, the
Critical Review, and
other periodicals.
