by the clamour of their sectarian and infidel constituents under the Reform Bill, and you will have a daily augmenting power even in this parliament, which will be more and more hostile to the Church every week and every day.  You will see from the course which my letter thus far has taken, that I regard the prayer of the Petitioners to whom you are opposed as formidable still more from the effect which, if granted, it will ultimately have upon the Church, and through that medium upon the Monarchy and upon social order, than for its immediate tendency to introduce discord in the universities, and all those deplorable consequences which you have so feelingly painted as preparatory to their destruction.

I am not yet able to use my eyes for reading or writing, but your pamphlet has been twice read to me....

God bless you....

Affectionately yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[131]

[130] Memoirs, ii. 263-4.

[131] Ibid. ii. 267-8.

84. The Poems of Skelton.

LETTER TO THE REV.  ALEXANDER DYCE.

Rydal Mount, Kendal, Jan. 7. 1833.

MY DEAR SIR,

Having an opportunity of sending this to town free of postage, I write to thank you for your last obliging letter.  Sincerely do I congratulate you upon having made such progress with Skelton, a writer deserving of far greater attention than his works have hitherto received.  Your edition will be very serviceable, and may be the occasion of calling out illustrations, perhaps, of particular passages from others, beyond what your own reading, though so extensive, has supplied.  I am pleased also to hear that ‘Shirley’ is out.

* * * * *

I lament to hear that your health is not good.  My own, God be thanked, is excellent; but I am much dejected with the aspect of public affairs, and cannot but fear that this nation is on the brink of great troubles.

Be assured that I shall at all times be happy to hear of your studies and pursuits, being, with great respect,

Sincerely yours,
WM. WORDSWORTH.[132]

85. The Works of James Shirley.

LETTER TO THE REV.  ALEXANDER DYCE.

Rydal Mount, March 20. 1833.

MY DEAR SIR, I have to thank you for the very valuable present of Shirley’s works, just received.  The preface is all that I have yet had time to read.  It pleased me to find that you sympathised with me in admiration of the passage from the Duchess of Newcastle’s poetry; and you will be gratified to be told that I have the opinion you have expressed of that cold and false-hearted Frenchified coxcomb, Horace Walpole.

Poor Shirley! what a melancholy end was his! and then to be so treated by Dryden!  One would almost suspect some private cause of dislike, such as is said to, have influenced Swift in regard to Dryden himself.