primrose in the orchard. The stitchwort is fading. The vetches are in abundance, blossoming, and seeding. That pretty little wavy-looking dial-like yellow flower, the speedwell, and some others whose names I do not yet know. The wild columbines are coming into beauty; some of the gowans fading. In the garden we have lilies, and many other flowers. May roses blossoming." The anticipated absence of two months (see line 18) was in fact one of nearly three months-from July 9th to Oct. 6th.

Stanzas (page 242).

Composed in the orchard, Town-end, Grasmere. Coleridge living with us much at the time: his son Hartley has said, that his father's character and habits. are here preserved in a livelier way than anything that has been written about him.-I. F.

Written May 9-11, 1802; first published 1815. Dorothy Wordsworth writes in her Journal: "9th May. After tea he wrote two stanzas in the manner of Thomson's 'Castle of Indolence,' and was tired out." "11th May. William finished the stanzas about C. [Coleridge] and himself." There ought to be no question as to the identification of the two denizens of the castle. Wordsworth describes his own character in the first four stanzas, and describes Coleridge's countenance and character in the last four. So the poem has been rightly understood. by Wordsworth's biographer, the Bishop of Lincoln ("Memoirs of Wordsworth," i. 99, 100), by Sara Coleridge ("Biographia Literaria," ed. 1847, ii. 386), and others. The error of supposing that Coleridge is described in the earlier stanzas may probably be traced to De Quincey, who, quoting from memory, gives passages from the descriptions of both the two persons as applying to Coleridge (“Speculations Literary and Philosophical,” Prefatory Note vi, vii, and elsewhere). Matthew Arnold ("Poems of Wordsworth, chosen and edited by Matthew Arnold," p. 273 n.) and Mr. Stopford Brooke have helped to give currency to the error. At one time I threw out the suggestion, before I had seen the passage from Miss Wordsworth's Journal, that the persons described were Coleridge (in the earlier stanzas) and William Calvert (in the later). See Knight's "Wordsworth," ii. pp. 393-395. This suggestion I now withdraw. The third stanza describes Wordsworth in his occasional mood of depression and fatigue, after the exultant hours by day

and night among the hills, described in the second stanza; it should create no difficulty as applied to him. Mr. T. Hutchinson has called my attention to some striking points of resemblance between Wordsworth's picture of himself in this poem and the "Edwin" of Beattie's "The Minstrel" (see particularly B. i. st. 16, 17, 20, 21, 22; B. ii. st. 6). Miss Wordsworth in a letter of 1793 writes: "The whole character of Edwin resembles much what William was when I first knew him, after leaving Halifax." Knight's "Life," i. 83. Mr. Hutchinson also notices several points in common between the description of Grasmere vale in Wordsworth's "The Recluse" and that of the Valley of Thomson's "Castle of Indolence" (see particularly Canto i. stanzas 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10). Possibly the bower, this Indian shed" of the orchard-garden (see "A Farewell") may have suggested

"And, like a naked Indian, slept himself away,"

although the poem, "A Farewell," was itself written somewhat later in the same month.

The text was little altered. L. 60, "The beetle with his radiance manifold," and 1. 62,"And cups of flowers, and herbage green and gold," were changed to the present text in 1827. In the last stanza, ll. 4, 5 replaced in 1836 the earlier

"And, sooth, these two did love each other dear,
As far as love in such a place could be.”—ED.

Louisa (page 245).

Written at Town-end, Grasmere.-I. F.

Dated by Wordsworth 1805; but possibly written 1803; first published 1807. In the Fenwick note on the poem "To a Young Lady, &c.," vol. ii. p. 174, Wordsworth says that it was composed at the same time and with the same view as "Louisa;" but in 1836 he dated "To a Young Lady" 1803. The following stanza which came second in all editions from 1807 to 1843 was most unhappily omitted in 1845-49 :

"And she hath smiles to earth unknown;
Smiles, that with motion of their own

Do spread, and sink, and rise;

That come and go with endless play,

And ever, as they pass away,

Are hidden in her eyes."

Ll. 1-3 of the poem are a return (1845) to the original text (1807-1832). In 1836 Wordsworth had unhappily substituted:

L. 4 (1845); in 1807-1832, "That she is ruddy, fleet, and strong;" in 1836 "healthful" replaces "ruddy."-ED.

The next three poems were written in Germany.—I. F. Dated by Wordsworth 1799, and written early in the year; first published 1800. L. 24, "bright moon" (1815); previously "planet." The poem was retouched in 1836; previous to that date appeared the following readings; 11. 5, 6.

"When she I loved was strong and gay,
And like a rose in June."

L. 11.-"My horse trudg'd on, and we drew nigh."
"Towards the roof of Lucy's cot
The moon descended still.

Ll. 15, 16.

"An evening moon (1. 8) was

"the evening moon

until 1836-altered perhaps to avoid the clash of "beneath the."-ED.

"She dwelt, &c." (page 246).

Dated by Wordsworth 1799; first published 1800. In 1802 1. 4 was (C A very few to love; " all other edd. "And

very few."-ED.

"I travelled, Sc." (page 247).

Dated by Wordsworth 1799; first published 1807. In 1. 15 a slight awkwardness was got rid of in 1836 by transposing "too " and "is," previously "is too."-ED.

"Ere with cold beads, &c." (page 248).

Written at Rydal Mount. Suggested by the condition of a friend.-I. F.

Dated by Wordsworth 1826; first published 1827. Text unchanged.-Ed.

I.

C C

Written at Rydal Mount. Prompted by the undue importance attached to personal beauty by some dear friends of mine.--I. F.

Dated by Wordsworth 1824; first published 1827. Addressed probably to Wordsworth's daughter Dora. Compare a stanza of "The Longest Day" which is addressed to her:

Think, if thou on beauty leanest,
Think how pitiful the stay,

Did not virtue give the meanest
Charms superior to decay.”

L. 9 (1836); previously "Whose frail existence is but of a day." "The while (1. 21) replaced "the whilst

(1827-32).-ED.

The Forsaken (page 249).

This was an overflow from the "Affliction of Margaret -," and was excluded as superfluous there, but preserved in the faint hope that it may turn to account by restoring a shy lover to some forsaken damsel. My poetry has been complained of as deficient in interests of this sort,-a charge which the piece beginning, "Lyre! though such power do in thy magic live," will scarcely tend to obviate. The natural imagery of these verses was supplied by frequent, I might say intense, observation of the Rydal torrent. What an animating contrast is the ever-changing aspect of that, and indeed of every one of our mountain brooks, to the monotonous tone and unmitigated fury of such streams among the Alps as are fed all the summer long by glaciers and melting snows. A traveller observing the exquisite purity of the great rivers, such as the Rhine at Geneva, and the Reuss at Lucerne, when they issue out of their respective lakes, might fancy for a moment that some power in nature produced this beautiful change, with a view to make amends for those Alpine sullyings which the waters exhibit near their fountain heads; but, alas! how soon does that purity depart before the influx of tributary waters that have flowed through cultivated plains and the crowded abodes of men.-I. F.

Written 1804, being described by Wordsworth as an overflow from "The Affliction of Margaret," which he assigned to that year; first printed in “ Poems chiefly of Early and Late Years," 1842. Text unaltered.-Ed.

'Tis said, &c." (page 250).

Dated by Wordsworth 1800; first published 1800. The stanza, "O! what a weight, &c." from 1800 to 1832 opened thus:

"O! what a weight is in these shades! Ye leaves,
When will that dying murmur be suppress'd?
Your sound my heart of peace bereaves,

It robs my heart of rest."

The stanza "Thou Eglantine, &c." opened thus:

"Thou Eglantine whose arch so proudly towers
(Even like a rainbow spanning half the vale)."

The present text dates from 1836.-ED.

A Complaint (page 252).

Written at Town-end, Grasmere. Suggested by a change in the manner of a friend.-I. F.

Dated by Wordsworth 1806; first published 1807. The only change of text was "that" (1836) instead of "this" in 1.9. Was the friend S. T. Coleridge ?-ED.

To (page 253).

Written at Rydal Mount. On Mrs. Wordsworth.— I. F.

Dated by Wordsworth 1824; first published 1827. The following stanza, which came second in edd. 1827-43, was omitted 1845:

L. 5 (1836); in 1827 "The world denies that Thou art fair."-ED.

"Yes! thou art fair" (page 253).

Conjecturally dated 1845; first published 1845. Text unaltered.-ED.