likewise.—I have in preparation a novel; it is principally constructed to convey metaphysical and political opinions by way of conversation, it shall be sent to you as soon as completed, but it shall receive more correction than I trouble myself to give to wild Romance and Poetry.

Mr. Munday of Oxford will take some Romances; I do not know whether he sends directly to you, or through the medium of some other Bookseller. I will inclose the Printer's account for your inspection in a future letter.

Dear sir,

Yours sincerely,

PERCY B. SHELLEY.

LETTER IX.

To MR. J. J. STOCKDALE.

January 11th, 1811.

DEAR SIR,

I would thank you to send a copy of St. Irvyne, to Miss Harriet Westbrook, 10, Chapel Street, Grosvenor Square. In the course of a fortnight I shall do myself the pleasure of calling on you with respect to the printer's bill, I made him explain the distinction of the costs, which I hope are intelligible.

Do you find that the public are captivated by the title-page of St. Irvyne ?1

SIR,

LETTER X.

To MR. J. J. STOCKDALE.

Oxford, 28th of January, 1811.

On my arrival at Oxford my friend Mr. Hogg communicated to me the letters which passed in consequence of your misrepresentations of his character, the abuse of that confidence which he invariably reposed in you. I now, Sir, desire to know whether you mean the evasions in your first letter to Mr. Hogg, your insulting attempt at coolness in your second, as a method of escaping safely from the opprobrium naturally attached to so ungentlemanlike an abuse of confidence (to say nothing of misrepresentations) as that which my father communicated

her among those to whom he on that day desired that copies of his novel should be sent. It may then be inferred with confidence, that he first became interested in her between December 18th, and January 11th, and as there appears no trace of his having visited town during that period, his knowledge of her, when he wrote the second of these letters, was most likely merely derived from the accounts of his sisters, her schoolfellows. This accords with the assertion, made in an interesting but unpublished document in the writer's possession, that he first saw her in January, 1811. Whenever this and similar MSS. are made public, it will for the first time be clearly understood how slight was the acquaintance of Shelley with Harriet, previous to their marriage; what advantage was taken of his chivalry of sentiment, and her compliant disposition, and the inex

perience of both; and how little entitled or disposed she felt herself to complain of his behaviour.

"This was the last friendly communication between Shelley and his publisher. Three days later we find him writing thus to his friend Hogg (Hogg's 'Life of Shelley,' vol. I. page 171):

"S- -[Stockdale]has behaved infamously to me: he has abused the confidence I reposed in him in sending him my work; and he has made very free with your character, of which he knows nothing, with my father. I shall call on S- on my way [to Oxford], that he may explain.

"The work alluded to was either the unlucky pamphlet which occasioned Shelley's expulsion from Oxford, or something of a very similar description."

Sir Timothy's letters to Stockdale as well as those of Hogg, will be found in the Appendix.

to me; or as a denial of the fact of having acted in this unprecedented, this scandalous manner. If the former be your intention I will compassionate your cowardice, and my friend pitying your weakness will take no further notice of your contemptible attempts at calumny. If the latter is your intention, I feel it my duty to declare, as my veracity and that of my father is thereby called in question, that I will never be satisfied, despicable as I may consider the author of that affront, until my friend has ample apology for the injury which you have attempted to do him. I expect an immediate, and demand a satisfactory letter.

Permit me, although a stranger, to offer my sincerest congratulations on the occasion of that triumph so highly to be prized by men of liberality; permit me also to submit to your consideration, as one of the most fearless

This letter was originally published in Mr. Lewes's article in The Westminster Review (No. LXIX, April, 1841), together with the letter to Keats dated the 27th of July, 1820. Like that, it was

afterwards made the basis of a forgery: see note on the letter to

Keats. In this case the letter had appeared meanwhile in Hogg's Life, and was too well known to be simply copied. The forgery was therefore not identical throughout, and was addressed to another Editor the Editor of The StatesIt appears in the spurious

man.

enlighteners of the public mind at the present time, a scheme of mutual safety and mutual indemnification for men of public spirit and principle, which, if carried into effect, would evidently be productive of incalculable advantages. Of the scheme, the inclosed is an address to the public, the proposal for a meeting, and shall be modified according to your judgment, if you will do me the honour to consider the point.

The ultimate intention of my aim is to induce a meeting of such enlightened unprejudiced members of the community, whose independent principles expose them to evils which might thus become alleviated; and to form a methodical society which should be organized so as to resist the coalition of the enemies of liberty, which at present renders any expression of opinion on matters of policy dangerous to individuals. It has been for the want of societies of this nature that corruption has attained the height at which we behold it; nor can any of us bear in mind the very great influence which, some years since, was gained by Illuminism, without considering that a society of equal extent might establish rational liberty on as firm a basis as that which would have supported the visionary schemes of a completely equalized community.

Although perfectly unacquainted with you privately, I address you as a common friend to liberty, thinking that, in cases of this urgency and importance, etiquette ought not to stand in the way of usefulness.

My father is in Parliament, and on attaining twenty

volume of 1852, and was reprinted in Shelley's Early Life (pp. 64-5) by Mr. MacCarthy, who thought it might be genuine. In my opinion this was a case in which

matter as well as writing was forged; but it is conceivable that the forger copied an unpublished letter of Shelley's.

one I shall, in all probability, fill his vacant seat. On account of the responsibility to which my residence in this University subjects me, I, of course, dare not publicly avow all that I think; but the time will come when I hope that my every endeavour, insufficient as they may be, will be directed to the advancement of liberty.

Will you have the goodness to inform me of the number of copies which you have sold of St. Irvyne. Circumstances may occur which will oblige me, in case of their event, to wish for my accounts suddenly, perhaps you had better make them out.

Sir.

Your obedient humble servant,

P. B. SHELLEY.