to 12 stone 7 lb. In all I
have lost 27 pounds. Bravo!--what say you?"
His movements and occupations for the remainder of this year will be
best collected from a series of his own letters, which I am enabled,
by the kindness of the lady to whom they were addressed, to give.
Though these letters are boyishly[70] written, and a good deal of
their pleasantry is of that conventional kind which depends more upon
phrase than thought, they will yet, I think, be found curious and
interesting, not only as enabling us to track him through this period
of his life, but as throwing light upon various little traits of
character, and laying open to us the first working of his hopes and
fears while waiting, in suspense, the opinions that were to decide, as
he thought, his future fame. The first of the series, which is without
date, appears to have been written before he had left Southwell. The
other letters, it will be seen, are dated from Cambridge and from
London.
LETTER 12.
TO MISS ----.
"June 11. 1807.
"Dear Queen Bess,
"_Savage_ ought to be _immortal_:--though not a _thorough-bred
bull-dog_, he is the finest puppy I ever _saw_, and will answer much
better; in his great and manifold kindness he has already bitten my
fingers, and disturbed the _gravity_ of old Boatswain, who is
_grievously discomposed_. I wish to be informed what he _costs_, his
_expenses_, &c. &c., that I may indemnify Mr. G----. My thanks are
_all_ I can give for the trouble he has taken, make a _long speech_,
and conclude it with 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
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