Henry Crabb Robinson, Bury St. Edmunds, to Thomas Amyott [sic], [care of] Mr P. Amyott, Norwich. 7 November 1795.

My dear Friend

            Your political Pop Gun did not miss ffire, I assure you. It was easy for you to hit so fair a mark as I and my Political Opinions afford; but in Truth the wound was so slight that it did not excite a moment’s uneasiness And I was in too little ffear of being dispatched unawares to be solicitous of returning ffire immediately & reserved my Charge till whim might excite me to levy it against you – Your attack upon Godwin appears to have great Justice in it I shod have noticed it before but had not an opportunity of seeing [the] British Critic – A ffriend of mine who subscribes to the Bury Aristocratic Library has promised to lend it me for the Democratic Library does not contain that Review – When I have read Godwins Letter I will give you my Candid and I hope impartial Opinion of it At present appearances are against Godwin But I am surprised that he shod be generally ignorant of the Laws of England since he has proved himself to be so well acquainted with an important Branch of them viz Constitutional Law in that ^the^ judicious learned and well written “Cursory Strictures” on Eyres Charge in the late High Treason Trials of which he was the Author – As Godwin’s Principles are averse from Secrecy he would not have concealed his Name, had he not feared the Publication of it ^wod^ have prevented the Strictures being generally read particularly by young Lawyers for whom he, in some measure designed them I have very good Authority for ascribing this Pamphlet to Godwin.

   As you are not ignorant of my Attachmt to many of the Principles of “Political Justice” I have no Objection to inform you that I inserted in the Cambridge Intelligencer of Augt 1st a long Letter in defence of Godwin against some absurd and ridiculous Charges brought agt him – If you meet with the Paper which you can easily do, at Marsh’s [March’s] (Flower’s Agent) You will read some current Nonsense in a Comparison between Godwin and Paine but your Penetration will instantly discover it to be a press Erratum the words omitted, are, “written in a popular Style Political Justice is a work designed for the studious and” – I need not point out the place of their Introduction

   You already know that a man whom Situation has rendered ffamous has visited Bury in his way to Norwich I had the pleasure of spending some time with him And tho’ he does not did not possess the brilliant Genius of Horne Took or the Intrepid ffortitude of Thelwall yet there was a simplicity of manners and unaffectedness of Deportment which rendered him amiable And in Conjunction with the singular Event of his Life made him an Object of Curiosity – Indeed I was better pleased with Citizen Thomas Hardy than I probably shod have been had I met with superior Talents – ffor the Conduct gave the Lie to the Charges adduced against him And I believe I never saw a man who had less of the Incendiary or Traitor in his appearance Tho’ he does not appear to be a man of superior Intellect he is not destitute of mind – He seems to be blest with calm ffortitude And to have been supported thro’ his whole public Conduct by Conscious Integrity and a sense of religious Duty – He did not appear solicitous to magnify his Service or the Peril of his Situation – I was greatly interested by his Conversation And by nothing more than a description of his Interview with Holcroft – Others he sd shewed personal Affection and Patriotic ffeelings but Holcroft exhibited a Refinement of Sensibility – When it was first known that Hardy was to bear the first Shock of the attack Holcroft came to him and sd simply – “Hardy be firm forget not that the state of Millions depends on your Conduct’ be ffirm” After Hardy was acquitted he was surrounded by Congratulators who were vici vociferous in their Declaration of Joy and were ready to devour him with Caresses – He passed the Cell of Holcroft who put his Hand thro’ the Iron Grate and grasped Hardy’s with Tenderness, and could only express his ffeelings only by Tears –

  The Threat which you have uttered against me for studying Oriental Literature is unfounded – Your “Credible” Informer I suppose was Pattisson I know I set him all agog but whom I highly reverence had recommended to my Perusal a short Essay at the End of Ramsay’s Travels of Cyrus on the Heathen mythology as containing the best Treatise on that Subject – One fulfilled more with a view to get ffree from my Engagements than from a Desire to begin a profound Investigation of the Subject –

“This is the very head and ffront of my offending” 

  I soon after wrote to Pattisson and being quite merry I amused myself with riding my own Hobby and fflogging his – And informed him seriously of my serious Intention of studying Oriental Literature in future, for I am well convinced of its Importance – and to make him stare I interlarded some Commonplace and trite Remarks with crabbed Egyptian and Persian Names which I collected from this Essay – In short I wrote like Pattisson with much Parade of Learning tho’ I cod not like him adorn my Discourses with Scraps of Greek and Latin wh with which he kindly indulges me tho’ I have told him that Greek is truly Greek to me And Latin often unintelligible –

  I thank you for your Critical Dissertation on Beattie tho’ I cod have spared your profuse Quotations – A few Couplets are allowable but I cannot afford to lose one ffrie third of my ffriend’s Letter – since the Extracts from the Minstrel are attainable every where but my ffriend’s Criticisms are his own and can be had only by means of this Correspondence.  Tho’ I disapprove of such extensive Quotation I must confess I admired your Choice – I do not think yo cod possibly have given a more favorable Specimen of Beattie’s Powers – I read the Minstrell lately & was pleased with detatched [sic] Stanzas but as a whole it failed to give pleasure – I know not wher it be a Curse or a blessing but so it is I cannot receive Pleasure from any work whose Object or Design I cannot perceive – And the Minstrel is herein very deficient – I am accustomed after the perusal of any work to ask What general Idea results from all this? What grand Truth is taught? What motive had the Author? To all these Questions in reading the Minstrel I answer Nescio. The Dissatisfaction this produces is not compensated even by the Exquisite Beauty of some of the Stanzas – The Poet concerning whom I am next desirous of receiving your opinion is Collins I have read only his Oriental Eclogues & the Pass Hassan the Camel Driver is a Charming Poem – And the Lines preceeding [sic] the first use of the Chorus Couplet are not surpassed by any in the English Language – Or in other words there are no Lines in the English Language which have ever [aroused] my Imagination more – And this is all any man ought to say – When the Language of Criticism as well as of every other Art shall have been corrected by Philosophy I believe instead of hearing Dogmatic Decisions on Works of Taste and Imagination – Writers will content themselves with a Statement of their personal ffeelings And their Readers will attribute to their ffeelings such a fforce as a knowledge of their previous Education and Habits may justify – I lately received an excellent Lesson of Modesty and Moderation which I will take Care not to forget – A few weeks since I was at Cambridge and in Company with one of the University Bloods – We talked of the Theatre And the Norwich Company – Damn it said the Cantab did you see how cursedly [paper torn] Seymour performed Macbeth – By God he was encored when [paper torn] How damned ill Miss Edmead acted Rosalind  but Powel is a [paper torn] clever – Was ever such cursed acting seen as that of last Night [paper torn]

  It happened that I differed almost always from this Gentleman but his Eloquence overpowered me and I suffered the Larum to run down without Opposition – But I reflected afterwards upon the Conversation and learned to express myself on such Subjects with less Confidence Taste is altogether an individual ffeeling depending upon particular Associations And as Beauty is altogether imaginary it is absurd to attempt reducing it to a Standard – It may perhaps be useful to hint to you that I wod not have you write to Pattisson and me on the same Subjects I have had the Pleasure of reading your Correspondence with him – To the Commencement of my Correspondence with you And I hope to enjoy a Continuance of the pleasure – It is for this Reason I have never requested from you a Sight of your Poems – In the Expectation of receiving them from Pattisson I have refrained from requesting them from yo immediately which I shod otherwise have done – Pattisson tells me he has a Chef D’oeuvre of Wit of yr Composition with which I am to be feasted at our Interview

  Interview! ^That word^ has suggested a variety of ffeelings which I cannot, wish not, to repress – In fact I begin to be tired of this – Correspondence with an Unknown ffriend – I wish that the Love I bear yo unseen, may be augmented by a personal Acquaintance There is I must confess it, a kind of Imperfection in our ffriendship ffor tho’ after being engaged in Philosophical Speculation with my mind braced I feel disposed to censure this Weakness And can reason, (and certainly with some Propriety) that Nothing is essential to esteem but and ffriendship but the Perception of Intellect and Virtue – Yet when I think less vigorously And am more susceptible of tender Affections I feel an earnest Desire to meet you propose it to Pattisson And as soon as your professional Duties will enable you, let us meet at Diss which is a Central place  I shall write soon to Pattisson – Do you appoint the Time of meeting with him & let me know the result – I expect an early Answer In the meanwhile I remain

                                     Your sincere tho’ unknown ffriend

                                               H. C. Robinson

7th Novr 1795

Address: Mr Thos Amyott | Mr P. Amyott | Brigg Lane | Norwich | Single Sheet.

Postmark: Bury [date illegible]. 

Additional notations (most likely by Amyot): Robinson | 7th Novr 95 | Godwin -- | Citizen Thomas Hardy | Oriental Literature | Observns on my Criticisms & on Taste | acct of his Interests of seeing me  

Text: Pforz MS (G’ANA 0036), Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle, New York Public Library.