Henry Crabb Robinson, 30 Russell Square, London, to Mary Wordsworth, [Rydal Mount], 13 September [18]51.

30 Russell Square

13th Sept 51.

My dear friend

     I accept your very kind offer And will take up my abode with you during the short time which will be left to me for this Autumn visit – Indeed the reasons for my wishing for a private residence do not now apply –

    Much has been taken from the vale, certainly, but much remains And will remain during our lives – That is as long as you continue to be an object of interest to the visitor And I am capable of feeling that interest –

     Never was my impression of the transient character of all our enjoyments And of the means afforded for the fulfilment of our respective offices, as at this moment –This is as it should be – I am now in the habit of considering, not gloomily or with a sense of wrong, every thing as transitory & possibly as the termination of a Series In this the Epicurean & the Christian may agree And worldlymindedness & otherworldlymindedness to borrow Coleridge’s felicitous expression concur –

     Postponing indefinitely my visit to Bath I postpone only for days, or possibly hours my arrival at Rydal – One of the reasons why I am pleased at the change of plan proposed by you is that it leaves me more at liberty – I have now engagements which end on Tuesday here And I will decline all pleasureable proposals for a future day And nothing which does not partake of the character of an obligation shall make me voluntarily postpone my departure beyond the middle of next week, but I feel inclined to vary my course & come to you by the Western side and the steam boat up the lake – If you have any thing to suggest on this subject, or any thing you would wish me to do, you have time to write, but you must not calculate on my being here after the Evening of Tuesday I may leave before the post time on Wed: This uncertainty, were I a company visitor would be unwarrantable, but it is because I am not one, that I leave it thus

     I am now going out And shall enquire to day at Moxon’s about your Son & his children And perhaps a P: S: may tell you something about them – I have heard nothing yet –

     So with all kind remembces to the few to whom they can now be communicated And with lively hopes of a speedy meeting

               I am

                         as ever

                                    affectionately your’s

                                                         H. C. Robinson

Mrs Wordsworth

Text: WLL, Robinson, Henry Crabb/22, Wordsworth Trust and Museum, Grasmere.  Robinson writes in his diary on 13 September 1851: ‘I wrote a long letter to my brother and also to Mrs Wordsworth informing her of my intended departure but leaving the time uncertain. I called at Albebert’s where was Mrs Cooper. I then went to the tailors and then to Moxon’s – heard of Jno Wordsworth but did not seek him out. Then went to the Crystal Palace where I think I had more amusement than at any other time.’