The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 1838Gillman, James
General
The Life of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 1838
Gillman, James
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834; Critics -- Great Britain -- Biography; Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography
"should," continues he, "act the part of a coward if I disguised my
conviction that the errors of the aristocratic party were as gross,
and far less excusable than those of the Jacobin. Instead of
contenting themselves with opposing the real blessing of English law
to the 'splendid promises of untried theory', too large a part of
those who called themselves 'anti-Jacobins', did all in their power to
suspend those blessings; and they furnished 'new arguments to the
advocates of innovation', when they should have been answering 'the
old ones!'"
But, whatever were his opinions, they were founded on 'principle', and
with the exception of the two above alluded to, he ought never to be
accused of changing. Some years since, the late Charles Matthews, the
comedian, (or rather, as Coleridge used to observe, "the comic poet
acting his own poems,") showed me an autograph letter from Mr.
Wordsworth to Matthews' brother, (who was at that time educating for the
bar) and with whom he corresponded. In this letter he made the following
observation, "To-morrow I am going to Bristol to see those two
extraordinary young men, Southey and Coleridge," Mr. Wordsworth then
residing at Allfoxden. They soon afterwards formed an intimacy, which
continued (though not without some little interruption) during his life,
as his "Biographia Literaria" and his will attest.
Mr. Coleridge's next work was the "Watchman" in numbers--a miscellany to
be published every eighth day. The first number appeared on the 5th of
February, 1796. This work was a report of the state of the political
atmosphere, to be interspersed with sketches of character and verse. It
reached the 10th number, and was then dropped; the editor taking leave
of his readers in the following address:
"This is the last number of the Watchman. Henceforward I shall cease
to cry the state of the political atmosphere. While I express my
gratitude to those friends who exerted themselves so liberally in the
establishment of this miscellany, I may reasonably be expected to
assign some reason for relinquishing it thus abruptly. The reason is
short and satisfactory. The work does not pay its expences. Part of my
subscribers have relinquished it because it did not contain sufficient
original composition, and a still larger because it contained too
much. I have endeavoured to do well; and it must be attributed to
defect of ability, not of inclination or effort, if the words of the
prophet be altogether applicable to me, 'O watchman! thou hast watched
in vain!'"
Mr. Coleridge has given us in the "Biographia Literaria" a very lively
account of his opinions, adventures, and state of feeling during this
canvass in quest of subscribers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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