Produced by Marius Masi, Jonathan Ingram and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's notes: (1) Characters following a carat (^) were printed in superscript. (2) Macrons and breves above letters and dots below letters were not inserted. (3) The following typographical errors have been corrected: Page 39: "The shield and helmet of Diomed, with the accompanying simile, in the opening of the third book; and the prodigious description of Neptune's passage to the Achive ships, in the thirteenth book:" 'Achive' amended to 'Argive'. Page 146: "And his references to this passage are frequent in his letters.--But in those exquisite stanzas," 'references' amended from 'reference'. Page 478: "Many of them, considered in any other character than that of authors, are, we have no doubt, entitled to be considered as very worthy people in their own way." 'considered' amended from 'considerd'. Page 480: "... or no regard to truth. It is, in truth, at least is full of genius as of absurdity; and he who does not find a great deal in it to admire and to give delight ..." 'of' amended from 'af'. Page 490: "... we are like a Quartett of fighting cocks this morning." 'Quartett' amended from 'Quratett'. [Illustration: PL. I] JOHN KEATS HIS LIFE AND POETRY HIS FRIENDS CRITICS AND AFTER-FAME BY SIDNEY COLVIN MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON 1917 COPYRIGHT GLASGOW: PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS BY ROBERT MACLEHOSE AND CO. LTD. S. C. TO F. C. PREFACE To the name and work of Keats our best critics and scholars have in recent years paid ever closer attention and warmer homage. But their studies have for the most part been specialized and scattered, and there does not yet exist any one book giving a full and connected account of his life and poetry together in the light of our present knowledge and with help of all the available material. Ever since it was my part, some thirty years ago, to contribute the volume on Keats to the series of short studies edited by Lord Morley, (the _English Men of Letters_ series), I have hoped one day to return to the subject and do my best to supply this want. Once released from official duties, I began to prepare for the task, and through the last soul-shaking years, being over age for any effectual war-service, have found solace and occupation in carrying it through.