night. Sara and I walked home. and highly poetical. William very well, Thursday, 27th November.-Wrote to Tom Hutchinson to desire him to bring Mary with him. A thaw, and the ground covered with snow. Sara and I walked before dinner. Friday.-Coleridge walked over. Miss Simpson drank tea with us. William walked home with her. Coleridge was very unwell. He went to bed before Sunday, 30th November.—A very fine clear morning. Snow upon the ground everywhere. Sara and I walked towards Rydale by the upper road, and were obliged to return, because of the snow. Walked by moonlight. Monday.-A thaw in the night, and the snow was entirely gone. Coleridge unable to go home. We walked by moonlight. Tuesday, 2nd December.-A rainy morning. Coleridge was obliged to set off. Sara and I met C. Lloyd and P. It -turned back with them. I walked round the 2 lakes with Charles, very pleasant. side. A pleasant moonlight came on a terrible evening. and rain. We all walked to Ambleevening, but not clear. Hail, and wind, and cold, Wednesday, 3rd December.-We lay in bed till 11 o'clock. Wrote to John, and M. H. and I walked to Rydale after tea. night. Sara and W. walked round the other side. William and Sara A very fine frosty Thursday. Coleridge came in, just as we finished dinner. We walked after tea by moonlight to look at Langdale covered with snow, the Pikes not grand, but the Old Man very impressive. Cold and slippery, but exceedingly pleasant. Sat up till half-past one. Friday Morning.-Terribly cold and rainy. Coleridge and Wm. set forward towards Keswick, but the wind in 1 Coniston 'Old Man,'-ED. Coleridge's eyes made him turn back. Sara and I had a grand bread and cake baking. We were very merry in the evening, but grew sleepy soon, though we did not go to bed till twelve o'clock. Saturday.-Wm. accompanied Coleridge to the foot of the Raise. A very pleasant morning. accompanied him half-way to Keswick. Sara and I was very beautiful, even more so than in summer. William was not well, had laboured unsuccessfully. . . . A letter from M. H. Sara wrote to Sunday. A fine morning. I read. Hartley, Wm. to Mary, I to Mrs. C. We walked just before dinner to the lakeside, and found out a seat in a tree. Windy, but very pleasant. Sara and Wm. walked to the waterfalls at Rydale. Monday, 8th December.-A sweet mild morning. I wrote to Mrs. Cookson, and Miss Griffith. Tuesday, 9th.—I dined at Lloyd's. Wm. drank tea. Walked home. A pleasant starlight frosty evening. Reached home at one o'clock. Wm. finished his poem to-day. Snow upon Wednesday, 10th.-Walked to Keswick. the ground. A very fine day. Ate bread and ale at John Stanley's. Found Coleridge better. Stayed at Keswick till Sunday 14th December. Wednesday. A very fine day. morning for William. Writing all the Thursday.—Mrs. Coleridge and Derwent came. Sweeping chimneys. Friday.-Baking. Saturday. Coleridge came. Very ill, rheumatic, feverish. Rain incessantly. Monday.-S. and Wm. went to Lloyd's. Wm. dined. It rained very hard when he came home. EXTRACTS FROM DOROTHY WORDSWORTH'S JOURNAL, WRITTEN AT GRASMERE, FROM Saturday, 10th October 1801.-Coleridge went to Keswick, after we had built Sara's seat. Thursday, 15th.- . . . Coleridge came in to Mr. Luff's while we were at dinner. William and I walked up Loughrigg Fell, then by the waterside. Saturday, 24th.-Attempted Fairfield, but misty, and we went no further than Green Head Gill to the sheepfold; mild, misty, beautifully soft. Wm. and Tom put out the boat. Sunday, 25th.-Rode to Legberthwaite with Tom, expecting Mary. Went upon Helvellyn. Glorious sights. The sea at Cartmel. The Scotch mountains beyond the sea to the right. Whiteside large, and round, and very soft, and green, behind us. Mists above and below, and close to us, with the sun amongst them. They shot down to the coves. Left John Stanley's1 at 10 minutes past 12. Returned thither past 4, drank tea, ate heartily. Before we went on Helvellyn we got bread and cheese. Paid 4/ for the whole. Reached home at nine o'clock. A soft grey evening; the light of the moon, but she did not shine on us. Mary and I sate in C.'s room a while. Tuesday, 10th [November].-Poor C. left us, and we came home together. We left Keswick at 2 o'clock 1 The landlord of Wytheburn Inn.-ED. |