The Real Shelley. New Views of the Poet's Life. Vol. 1 (of 2)Jeaffreson, John Cordy
History
The Real Shelley. New Views of the Poet's Life. Vol. 1 (of 2)
Jeaffreson, John Cordy
Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography; Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 1792-1822
Oh, that he could speak with his dear
Hogg face to face! 'Unwilling as I am,' Shelley wrote from Horsham, on
16th June, 1811, 'conviction stares me in the face. _Oh, that you were
here!_'
This wish may have caused Hogg to entertain the notion of making a
clandestine visit to Field Place, to inspect the home of the young lady he
hoped to marry, and to get a furtive view of her personal attractions,
which were still known to him only by her brother's report. Or the wish
may have been followed by a definite proposal from Bysshe that his friend
should come to him. Anyhow, the friends now entertained a project for
seeing one another in Sussex.
The Squire having recalled his invitation to Hogg, and Shelley (in
consideration of his 200_l._ a-year allowance being under bond to hold no
personal communication with his former college-friend), Hogg could not
visit Field Place openly. It was therefore arranged that he should enter
the house secretly, and by night, and that during his clandestine sojourn
in the mansion, he should share Shelley's study and bedroom,--two rooms
never entered by Elizabeth (under the new rules for limiting her
intercourse with her brother), and never entered by any one but Shelley
himself, and the servant who attended to them. Taking his sleep by day, it
was arranged that Hogg should take his exercise by night, when he would be
able to pass through a window into the garden without fear of being
observed. Through the same window, commanding a view of the lawn, he would
be able to get a view of Elizabeth, when she walked in the garden. This
project for a secret meeting of the separated 'Inseparables' at Field
Place was dropt, probably on account of the risks the conspirators would
run in carrying it into effect. But though it was not pursued to a point,
at which the intruder could have been ejected ignominiously from the
Sussex mansion, the boyish scheme came to the Squire's
knowledge,--possibly from the lips of a treacherous servant, in whom the
future poet had confided; but more probably from a letter Shelley had
written and forgotten to post to his especial friend. The project for a
clandestine meeting at Field Place having fallen to the ground, Shelley
(albeit, bound by honour, and the terms of his 200_l._ a-year allowance to
have no personal intercourse with Hogg) bethought himself he would go to
Wales _viá_ York, and pass a few days with his peculiar friend at the
archiepiscopal city. Could he do so without risk of forfeiting his
allowance, he would go there openly _on_ the way to Wales. Should 'old
Killjoy' be too sharp for him he would outwit the 'old buck' by running
from Wales to York under the assumed name of Peyton, in order that his
movements should be less likely to come to the knowledge of the tyrant,
who eventually threatened to stop the allowance, should his son carry out
his purpose of paying Hogg a visit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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