LORD  BYRON  and  his  TIMES
Byron
Documents Biography Criticism
A Memoir of the Reverend Sydney Smith
Letters 1820
Sydney Smith to Lord Holland, [1] June 1820
INTRODUCTION & INDEXES
DOCUMENT INFORMATION
GO TO PAGE NUMBER:
Author's Preface
Contents
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Index
Editor’s Preface
Letters 1801
Letters 1802
Letters 1803
Letters 1804
Letters 1805
Letters 1806
Letters 1807
Letters 1808
Letters 1809
Letters 1810
Letters 1811
Letters 1812
Letters 1813
Letters 1814
Letters 1815
Letters 1816
Letters 1817
Letters 1818
Letters 1819
Letters 1820
Letters 1821
Letters 1822
Letters 1823
Letters 1824
Letters 1825
Letters 1826
Letters 1827
Letters 1828
Letters 1829
Letters 1830
Letters 1831
Letters 1832
Letters 1833
Letters 1834
Letters 1835
Letters 1836
Letters 1837
Letters 1838
Letters 1839
Letters 1840
Letters 1841
Letters 1842
Letters 1843
Letters 1844
Creative Commons License

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Produced by CATH
 
Foston, June 11th, 1820.
My dear Lord Holland,

I return you many thanks for your letter, and for the exertion in my behalf which you have made, with your accustomed friendship and kindness.

The Chancellor is quite right about political sermons, and in this I have erred; but I have a right to preach on general subjects of toleration, and the fault is not mine if the congregation apply my doctrine to passing events. But I will preach no more upon political subjects; I have not done so for many years, from a conviction that it was unfair. You gave me great pleasure by what you said to the Chancellor of my honesty and independence. I sincerely believe I shall deserve the character at your hands as long as I live. To say that I am sure I shall deserve it, would be as absurd as if a lady were to express an absolute certainty of her future virtue. In good qualities that are to continue for so many years, we can only hope for their continuance.

The incumbent is proceeding by slow degrees to Buxton. I wish him so well, that, under other circumstances, I should often write to know how he was going on; at present I must appear unfriendly, to avoid appearing hypocritical. I have spent at least £4000 on this place; for you must remember I had not only a house, but farm-buildings, to make; and there had been no resident clergyman here for a hundred and fifty years. I have also played my part in the usual manner, as doctor, justice, pacifier, preacher, farmer, neighbour, and diner-out. If I can mend my
200MEMOIR OF THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.
small fortunes, I shall be very glad; if I cannot, I shall not be very sorry. In either case, I shall remain your attached and grateful friend,

Sydney Smith.