E-text prepared by David T. Jones, Ross Cooling, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team (http://www.pgdpcanada.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://www.archive.org/details/americana) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 35227-h.htm or 35227-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35227/pg35227-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35227/35227-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/American Libraries. See http://www.archive.org/details/selectionfrompoe00morrrich [Illustration] [Illustration: (hand-written letter) Franz Hueffer who came into the Rossetti circle in the manner indicated in the following letter (of which the greater part is in the writing of the late Lucy Rossetti - daughter of Ford Madox Brown) was a broad-headed, plodding, able German who wrote and spoke English perfectly enough before his naturalization. He was somewhat heavy in his enthusiasms; and Gabriel Rossetti laughed at him a good deal. On one occasion D.G.R. let off the following "nursery rhyme":-- There's a fluffy-haired German called Huffer A loud and pragmatical duffer: To stand on a tower And shout "Schopenhauer" Is reckoned his mission by Huffer. There was no malice in these rhymes of Rossetti's; but even his dear friend Morris ("Topsy" as his intimates called him on account of his shock of black hair) was not exempt from personal sallies of the kind,--as this, when M. got alarmed about his increasing bulk:-- There was a young person called Topsy Who fancied he suffered from dropsy; He shook like a jelly, Till the Doctor cried "Belly!"-- Which angered; but comforted Topsy. Poor dear Morris! he had cause enough for alarm. Diabetes was only one among the agencies by which his stalwart frame was disintegrated at the age of 62. H.B.F. 7 November 1897.] [Illustration: (hand-written letter) May 27th/89 5 ENDSLEIGH GARDENS. N.W. Dear Forman, Please excuse a very laconic presentment of the facts. Francis Hueffer, Musical Critic of the "Times", author of the libretto of "Columba" of a volume on the "Troubadours" of "Half a century of Music in England" etc etc, died last Jan 7 aged 43 leaving a widow & three children, & little indeed.] * * * * * EACH VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY. COLLECTION OF BRITISH AUTHORS TAUCHNITZ EDITION. VOL. 2378. POEMS BY WILLIAM MORRIS IN ONE VOLUME. LEIPZIG: BERNHARD TAUCHNITZ PARIS: C. REINWALD, 15, RUE DES SAINTS PÈRES. PARIS: THE GALIGNANI LIBRARY, 224, RUE DE RIVOLI, AND AT NICE, 15, QUAI MASSENA. _This Collection is published with copyright for Continental circulation, but all purchasers are earnestly requested not to introduce the volumes into England or into any British Colony._